(This is the text of a letter going out in the mail tomorrow)
9/9/20
Dear Members and Friends of Knightstown United Methodist Church,We will resume in-person worship on Sunday, September 20th. While this letter cannot contain all of the details involved, here is what you need to know:• There will be two service times. One at 9:00 am that is just for adults. Please do not bring children to this service. One at 10:30 am that will have Kid’s Connection and nursery service.• Anyone wishing to attend either service needs to RSVP weekly for the service they plan on attending. This can be done online at https://reopen.church/r/sgTjyHCe or by contacting the church office. Seating is limited because of social distancing, so RSVP early.• If you RSVP online and will attend the 10:30 service, please RSVP the number of adults for the sanctuary service, the number of children that will attend Kid’s Connection, and the number of children that will need the nursery for each location separately. If you have any questions, please call the church office.
• For the time being, there will be no Sunday School.
• Both services will be available in real-time through Facebook Live.Entrances:• Anyone without children will enter through the southwest sanctuary entrance unless you need the handicap ramp.
• Anyone with children will enter through the south door, go downstairs to take your child to Kid’s Connection or the nursery, and then will walk through the JYC to enter the sanctuary through the back stairwell.
• Masks and hand sanitizer will be available at sanctuary entrances.
• There will be social distanced seating. An usher will guide you to available seating once you enter the sanctuary.
• Masks are required for anyone over the age of eight years old in the building.• Please do not shake hands or hug anyone. As much as is possible, maintain 6 feet of distance between yourself and anyone who is not a part of your household.
• There will not be any congregational singing in order to prevent the spread of germs. Other expressions of gratitude and worship are welcome and encouraged: clapping, waving, a thumbs-up, worshipful raising of arms, etc.
• There will be no congregational offering. Baskets will be placed by entrances for your tithes and offerings. You may also give online through PayPal at paypal.me/ktownumc.
• There will be no paper copies of bulletins, but the order of service will be displayed on the screens at the front of the church.
• Once the service is over, please wait to be dismissed by an usher. You will exit through the same door you entered the sanctuary.
• Parents with children in Kid’s Connection and the nursery will exit down the back stairwell, walk through the JYC to collect their children, and exit through the south entrance.
• The handicap entrance/exit will be available for anyone who needs it.
• If you or your family are sick or don’t feel well for any reason, do not come to church.
• If the church finds out that someone has been in attendance and is later confirmed to have covid-19, we will notify those that have been in attendance at that service. Please make sure we have your contact information when you RSVP for a service.
• Any covid-19 exposure at a worship service means we will stop in-person worship for two weeks to ensure there is not any further spread of infection.If any of this information is unclear or confusing, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me through the church office or my email at joel.troxell@inumc.org. The leadership of the church has been carefully and prayerfully trying to balance the need to protect the health and safety of the congregation with the spiritual needs of those who feel healthy and safe to return to public worship. We look forward to seeing you in-person or continuing to worship with you online!
Grace and Peace,
Joel Troxell,
Pastor Knightstown UMC
