Easing Up on Restrictions…

The joint leadership team met recently to consider, among other things, what we should be recommending for Sunday worship in the new freedom we have.
We have considered advice from both the Anglican Diocese and the Methodist Circuit as well as the Government and addressed the following issues: -

Booking a place for in-person Church services is no longer required, but we are strongly advised to keep an attendance record for contact purposes in case of a subsequent positive Covid test. For this purpose, we would ask people attending church in person to permit us both to keep their basic contact information on a database and to register their attendance.

Distancing: Many will still want to distance, and we will have the laminated cards indicating ‘Do not sit here’ for people to collect on entry and put in the seat(s) next to them, which should avoid awkward conversations!

Wearing of masks: The government has stated that it “expects and recommends” that people wear face coverings in crowded and enclosed settings to protect themselves and others.

Singing: We can now sing in church, and suggest we start this cautiously in August. We will continue to have 2 songs listened to on YouTube, plus 2 sung while wearing masks, thus conforming to guidance that we limit spread of particles by singing too much and too loudly!

Communion: There is much debate about this from both church authorities, and the team felt it best to wait until September before looking to put on communion services.

Zoom: It was agreed to continue broadcasting services via Zoom for the foreseeable future (this includes sending out recordings, do let us know if you want to be added to the email list!).

After-church gathering: In September we intend to be offering teas, coffees etc. In the meantime, if people wish to chat after the service, we suggest standing in the Forum, being aware of distancing, which will allow others to leave using the one-way system without feeling concerns.