Plans for Return to In-Person Gatherings
The Church Council of St. Paul’s met this week, and we are very encouraged by the number of vaccinations, both in our church and community, along with the improving COVID statistics we see all around us. After much prayer, research, and conversation, we have come up with a plan.
Small Groups: Following the latest guidance, the limit for small groups has been raised from 10 to 25 people. Masks, distancing, and cleaning guidelines should still be followed, with one exception: if every person in the group has been fully vaccinated, masks are optional. Please note that if even one person has not, everyone in the group must still wear masks for their benefit.
Worship: Fittingly, we will “come alive” again on Easter Sunday. That day, we will offer two services in the CLC, each with a maximum of 75 people. Reservations will be required, so you can either call the office at 910-458-5310 or email office@stpaulscb.org to reserve your place. Masks and distancing will be required. Following Easter Sunday, we will hold one service at 10am each week, moving to two services when there is a need for it. Eventually, when it is safe to do so, we will resume worship in the sanctuary for the traditional service.
For those who are interested in worshiping in the sanctuary, we will be holding three short services on Maundy Thursday at Noon, 5pm, and 7pm. Each service will be approximately half an hour and will include Holy Communion with the pre-packaged elements. These services are limited to 15 people each, and you will also need to contact the office to sign up ahead of time.
We understand that there are some churches that have been conducting in-person services for months, some without worrying very much about masking or limiting numbers. However, while most of them have avoided serious repercussions, some of them have had transmissions of the virus during worship gatherings, which is exactly the scenario we have sought to avoid. While we realize that no action is completely free of risk, we believe that we can mitigate that risk by following the best practices recommended by medical professionals. In the end, we are seeking to follow the General Rules of Methodists (also called the “Three Simple Rules”), and the first rule has always been, “Do no harm.”
We look forward to gathering with you again, and we ask for your prayers and for your patience as we do so. We’ve worked very hard to come up with a plan, but we’re only human, and there will probably have to be adjustments made as we go along. Ultimately, though, we believe that these will be our first real steps toward a return to something more like “normal” (whatever that means anymore), and we are looking at the road ahead with great hope and expectation for how God is going to work among us at St. Paul’s!