In-Person Worship

    The vaccines are here, and hopefully, we are at the beginning of the end of this pandemic.  As a result, the Church Council has adopted a plan for returning to in-person gatherings.  

Worship

We will continue offering YouTube/Online services through the summer or until it is safe for everyone to gather in-person for worship.

At the same time, we will begin to hold outdoor worship services on April 18th at 3:00 PM.  These Sunday afternoon services will run through May 23rd.   Then we will begin worshiping at 9:00 AM, most likely still outdoors.  

 We are holding outdoor services because they are much lower risk than indoor services.  In addition, we still need to practice physical distancing in the sanctuary, and therefore, we can only seat 70 people at any one time.  However, with an outdoor service there is no limit to the number of people who can worship.

We are holding our services in the afternoon for a simple reason – it’s warmer.  In talking with our music leaders, they told us that playing an instrument outdoors when it is colder than 50 degrees is a challenge.  It’s hard to play wearing mittens or when your hands are numb!  

We will also have the sanctuary open for prayer thirty minutes before our 3:00 PM service and thirty minutes after. We just ask that you sit six feet away from anyone not in your pod.  

Sunday School

Sunday school will be held outdoors following Sunday afternoon worship, from 4:00 – 5:00 PM, April 18-May 23.

Spark (Wednesday afternoon program for elementary students)

We will also be meeting outdoors, 3:00-5:00 PM, from April 7th – May 26th. You can find the weekly schedule in the Beacon, on the website, or in your email.  

Confirmation

Confirmation small groups will be meeting outdoors as we did last Fall – either at the homes of guides or at church:  6:30 – 8:00 PM, April 7 – May 12.

Small Group meetings

Small groups can meet in-person at the church, provided that they follow the small group protocols adopted last summer.  The one change we have made is that small groups can have up to fifteen people rather than ten.  This is in keeping with the latest guidance from the MN Department of Health.

    We are thankful that we can meeting again in-person in a low-risk way, and we are excited to see one another “in the flesh.”  And as has been the case throughout this pandemic, our protocols will be revised as the situation changes.  If you have any questions or concerns about the plan for meeting in-person again please don’t hesitate to contact one of the members of the Church Council listed below.

Peace and joy,

Wes Aylsworth
Carmen Hanson     Secretary
Jennifer Hinker
Jon Holzer
Derek Horeis
Elizabeth Kolhoff    Vice-President
Bruce Kuenzel     Pastor
Tom Sebelien     Treasurer
Lisa Spencer
Stacy VanCura    President

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