Reopening of church-covid-19

*UPDATE 03/18/22

Mask no longer recommended, please wear one if it makes you more comfortable.

Thank you

Council


*UPDATE 12/29/21

Please keep mask on at all times while in church building.

Thank you

Council


*UPDATE 05/24/21

We are easing things a little, If comfortable, you can take your mask off while sitting in the pews, but when you walk around, please put your mask on.  Communion is also by walking up the aisle or if you prefer to remain seated there are communion kits by both door ways.  Enjoy this beautiful day!

  Lisa Kaiser


*UPDATE 05/20/21


I know there is some confusion on all of this mask wearing and not wearing. I will let you all know what the synod says when I hear from them. 


Pastor Bob



*UPDATE 01/21/21


After much discussion at the council meeting this past Tuesday night, Council and myself have decided with numbers still high to continue to Zoom our services for the next two weeks. I know this is not what most of you want to hear, but our leadership of the church thinks it's for the best. We have a few members who are still getting over the virus.  We are looking out for everyone's safety.

Pastor Bob




*UPDATE 12/22/20


 

As per the Bishop's recommendations, Pastor and Council discussed the subject of closing St John's,  To be on the safe side, we will not have in person worship, on December 27, 2020, January 3, 2021, and January 10, 2021, and will be zooming the worship services.  There may be an influx of Covid after the small holiday gatherings on Christmas and New Years. This gives us a two week window after New Years.  

Also, Pastor and Council would like no  St John's groups to meet.  (Book club/Ladies Aid/Bible Study/Worship Meeting/ etc. for the first half of January 2021.

  

Evening outside groups, LICOC, Nursery School, (renters) may decide what is best for them and if they would still like to meet.

Thank you All!  Pastor and your Church Council.   





Dear Brothers and Sisters of Christ,

COVID-19 has brought about a great deal of uneasiness and worry to everyone’s lives, and we want you to know that the safety of all who worship here is of the utmost importance to us.

We are closely following CDC guidelines as well as other federal, state, local, and Synod guidelines, as we begin the process of re-opening St. John’s. There are going to be some changes to our services.

We have put new measures in place that Members and Guests should know about before arriving at St. John’s, including some steps you can take from home, new entrance procedures, adjusted seating capacity in our pews, some changes to our worship activities, physical-distancing practices, enhanced cleaning and sanitization measures, and limited contact procedures.

We are planning July 5, 2020 for us to worship together again. We will have one worship service at 9:30 AM.

Since many of these measures will be new, and may evolve, we want to be sure that our worshipers know what to expect.

Prior to coming to service:

  • We ask that you be especially mindful of people in our congregation. If you feel ill or are immune compromised, please refrain from going to worship.
  • Worshipers will be required to wear masks when entering the building and during the service.
  •  

Entering & Exiting the Church:

  • Each member will have their temperature taken when entering the church. If your temperature is high, we will wait a few minutes and retake. If it is still high, we will kindly ask you to return home.
  • Hand Sanitizer/Hand Wipes @ this entrance to encourage good hygiene.
  • Face masks to be worn by everyone at all times.
  • We ask that you take a seat after entering to ensure social distancing.

Physical Distancing:

  • Cushions, hymnals, and other paper items have been removed from all the pews.
  • Every other pew row will be taped off as well as every 6 feet for worshipers to sit in, unless sitting with family members in a single household.
  • We will prop open inside and outside doors, and if possible, bathroom doors, so no one touches a doorknob or handle.

Service:

Outdoor services will be utilized when possible.

  • Bulletin placed in pew or emailed.
  • Possible use of Power Point presentation in lieu of or in addition to bulletins.
  • Spoken service with NO SINGING.
  • Music is a gift from God given to all creation. It is a means of connecting with God and with one another, and of unifying our thoughts and understanding, our heartbeats and breath. Whether by singing, playing, moving, or listening, music is an integral part of the majority of Christians’ worship life. Praising the Lord is a scriptural mandate (see Psalm 150) and singing is a primary way most Christians have “praised the Lord” together. However, we are now coming to grips with this disconcerting fact: The coronavirus is spread through moist breath. Several recent studies have found that forceful, sustained breathing, such as during singing and playing brass and wind instruments, appears to pose a greater danger of spreading the coronavirus than ordinary speaking at low volume. (Resuming Care-Filled Worship and Sacramental Life During a Pandemic.)
  • Verbal passing the peace from where you are. No shaking of hands or hugs.
  • Offering plates will be placed at entrance and not passed.
  • No children’s hour until further notice to ensure social distance with our little ones.
  •  

Preparing for Communion:

  • Communion preparers must wash hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds prior to preparing communion. Washing is twice as effective as hand sanitizer.
  • (Gloves may be used to prepare but can be deceiving. If a glove touches a contaminated space and then then a plate or tray, it still passes the contamination on. It is best to wash hands thoroughly and frequently.)
  • Those preparing communion wash their hands, then place cups in trays sufficiently spaced (space in between) so that communicants can take their cup without touching the others.
  • A common cup or intinction will not be used. Plastic and/or glass individual cups are to be used. Glass cups will be cleaned in hot soapy water after the service while plastic cups will be properly disposed of.
  • Plastic-wrapped wafers will be emptied onto patens without touching them.
  • The pastor will consecrate the elements without touching them. The fraction and elevation are optional and may be omitted for the time being.
  • The distribution of wafers will be placed in each communicant’s hand without contact.
  • Those distributing wine only touch the trays, holding them out for communicants to take a cup.
  • Communion assistants will commune last.
  • Kneeling at the altar will be discontinued until further notice.

After Worship:

  • NO coffee hour.
  • There will be no “receiving lines” as you leave the church.
  • Hand Sanitizer/Hand Wipes @ exit doors to encourage good hygiene.
  •  

Common areas, high-touched surfaces, as well as the sanctuary will be cleaned and disinfected before, between, and after services to ensure the safety of all.

 

Your Bother in Christ,

 

Pastor Kasting


If you have any questions please contact church office 631-226-1275