In-Person Reopening Guidelines

Beginning on August 30, 2020,

we will have a  9:00 a.m. worship service  on each Sunday.

   

• ATTENDANCE LIMITS   Attendance in the sanctuary will be limited to 65 people. Pews and chairs will be marked to ensure households will be seated six feet apart from each other following physical distancing guidelines.  You will have to sign up to attend.

• SICKNESS IF YOU FEEL ILL, ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO SICKNESS, OR ARE SHOWING SYMPTOMS, PLEASE STAY HOME AND WORSHIP ONLINE.   
• ALTERNATE ATTENDANCE OPTIONS If you are not able to or comfortable being in the pews on a Sunday morning, then you can come to the church parking lot, tune in to 88.9 FM and listen to the worship service live.
• SIGN UP TO ATTEND Because of the 25% capacity number restrictions, you will have to sign up in advance for the worship service(s) you plan to attend. If you are not able to sign up yourself, please contact the church office, Laura Gerard, or Pastor Steve for assistance.  We know this is not ideal but this is being done so that we can adhere to the restrictions and ensure proper physical distancing. It also helps us track who is able to come to worship and prevents us from having to turn people away from sitting inside once we reach capacity. See below to find an online sign-up for worship services through the end of October. 
• MASKS Members are required to wear masks.
• TEMPERATURE CHECKS We will take the temperature of all people entering the building.

                      You will be asked the following questions:
                      a. Do you have any of the following respiratory symptoms?  Cough, shortness of breath, fever, or   any 2 of the following: chills,                                  repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, vomiting, diarrhea?
                      b. Have you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days?
                      c. Have you been with anyone who has tested COVID 19 in the past 14 days?
                      d.  In the last 14 days, have you been in any of the states from which we currently are required to   quarantine for 2 weeks?
                      Positive responses to any of these questions will mean that you may not enter.
                      e. We will have to check off your name as you enter and verify visitor’s addresses/phone numbers for contact if there is a                                                    report of an outbreak of COVID-19.

• SANITIZER Hand sanitizer will be available at each entrance.
• SOCIAL DISTANCING Please follow normal physical distancing practices as has been outlined by the CDC.  You will also find signs upon your arrival to best direct the flow of traffic into and out of our worship spaces. We encourage you to enter through one of the side doors and exit the back door.
• SEATING We will have pews sectioned off to ensure proper physical distancing of 6 feet; when you arrive sit in the pews marked with blue x’s.  Of course, there will be no handshakes or passing of the peace. We also ask that members do not congregate in hallways or the narthex. If you desire to visit, take it outside! 😊
• COMMUNION We will be offering communion and will continue to make use of our pre-filled communion kits. The process of communion will be done at the close of worship as you depart the sanctuary. After the pastor distributes communion to all members in the sanctuary, he will make his way outside to distribute communion to those that listened to the service in the parking lot.
• OFFERING The offering plates will not be passed but will be available at the back of the church before and after service if you wish to give in person. If you are not able to attend, we do encourage you to still mail your offering envelopes into the church office.
• SINGING Our desire is to include some music as part of our worship services. However, we will unfortunately not be able to sing with the same gusto—as the Lutheran church has long been known for.  At this time, our liturgy will be spoken. We will also include abbreviated hymns for members to quietly sing along with or hum to.
• NO PHYSICAL MATERIAL Hymnals, Bibles, and all other items have been removed from all church pews. We will have disposable, printed worship bulletins.
• CLOSED ROOMS There will be no access to other parts of the building, other than restrooms. This includes kitchen, fellowship hall, classrooms, playground, and all areas of the preschool.​​

If you are uncomfortable coming to church at this time, please do not feel burdened or obligated. We look forward to seeing you whenever you are ready!

Worship Service Sign-Up – CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a45a4a72ea2fc1-reopening 
Please Remember:

1. You must sign up each member of your family. This is done by updating the “quantity” box after you insert your name.
2. If you sign up for a service, please attend. If you are suddenly not able to attend, please update the sign-up sheet so that we don’t take potential slots away from other people. 
3. If you have any questions or need help with signing up, call the office (973) 334-8333.

Unfortunately, there will be no Coffee Hour after services at this time.

We are planning to record the sermon for future viewing. (No livestream available at this time)