What measures will we still have in place?
- Although wearing masks is no longer mandatory, we’d really love, and strongly encourage, everyone to continue wearing a mask whenever in the building (unless you’re exempt). This is one of the easiest ways we can reduce the transmission of the virus
- We will continue to ensure that the church building is ventilated as well as possible before, during, and between services
- We will also have hand sanitiser at various points around the building and encourage you to continue using this at every opportunity whilst in the building
- There will be socially distanced seating available at all services. These seats will be at the back of the church, marked with yellow stickers and sign posted. We would ask that you leave 4 seats between each group/person in this area. We will monitor the uptake of this and always ensure that there is enough seating for those who want to continue socially distancing
- The rest of our seating will no longer be socially distanced for those who feel comfortable with this, although we will be making sure that rows are more widely spaced than usual
- Chairs will no longer be quarantined (so will be shared between services), but if this is an issue for you, please do let us know
- For the time being, we will not be serving refreshments so that we can create space for socially distanced seating. Do bring a drink along with you (as well as snacks for you and your children if you’d like!)
- We’ll still be undertaking cleaning measures such as wiping down handles and other touch points between our services
- Communion will continue to be taken in one kind (wafer only) and it will continue to be administered in the same COVID secure way
- For the time being we’d encourage you to bring your own bible to church to reduce our ‘shared items’ and touch points
What’s changing?
- We’ll no longer be restricted with mingling in the building, but if you feel more comfortable chatting outside, do head outside and enjoy the sunshine!
- We can now sing – although we will be reviewing how we best do this to minimise risk
- You’ll no longer have to register for a service ticket or be signed into the building each time you attend. Instead we’ll be encouraging people to check in using the Track and Trace app
- When we have sufficient team again we will be offering prayer ministry during our services. There will be a designated spacious area at the front right of church as well as an overflow space outside in the side alley. Our Prayer Ministry Team will be wearing masks and will be praying with you at a distance with no hands on prayer. They would love to pray with you, so do make the most of the team when it’s available on Sundays
What else can I do to help keep the church family safe?
- If you have symptoms of COVID we would strongly suggest that you don’t come to church until you have received a negative test
- If you have been in close contact with someone who has COVID, we strongly suggest that you follow the advice of the Track and Trace system, and don’t come to church until you have completed your isolation period or been informed otherwise
- Remember that you can always take lateral flow tests (freely available from Gov.uk or your local pharmacy) before coming to church – we would encourage everyone to do this
Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns which you’d like to chat through about the easing of restrictions, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with the church office.
Our pastoral team are in touch with many members of our church family, and if you’d appreciate someone to talk to or pray with, we’d love to hear from you. There are lots of other exciting things happening so do check out the rest of our website and get in touch with the office for details.
As ever, we’re keeping these arrangements under regular review, so do check back here for updates.
