As you may be aware, on Thursday, April 30th, Governor Greg Abbott allowed the stay- at-home order to expire without renewal. Phase 1 of reopening businesses in Texas began on May 1st. As part of that, churches are now allowed to meet if they adhere to certain social distancing and hygienic guidelines. Accordingly, we will resume our Sunday morning worship assembly on Sunday, June 14th, at 10:00 am. This is a change from our original intention of resuming our worship assembly on May 24th or 31st and was brought about by our consideration of the high number of at-risk individuals within our congregation and the number of families who would be unable to attend. If there is a substantial breakthrough in the fight against COVID-19 that makes possible an earlier return it will certainly be under consideration. If there is a substantial increase in the reported cases of COVID-19 which necessitates a change in Texas or CDC guidelines, we will also take this into consideration if any further delay is warranted. The elders, ministry staff, and all individuals who have been diligently involved the process of coordinating our return, share a common desire for our spiritual family at Watters Road to be together again, sooner rather than later. However, any desire we may have to assemble at our building will be balanced by our need to protect both our church family and the community. Consequently, our intention will be to go beyond implementing the minimum standards in the process of resuming our assemblies. Additionally, for the foreseeable future we will only meet for worship on Sunday mornings and will not conduct any Bible Classes at our building, nor will we be offering any “Joy Hour” or “All Stars” or attended nursery for infants or toddlers. All Bible Classes offered will continue in an online format only. Our Sunday morning worship will be an abbreviated service from 10:00 am to approximately 10:40 am. We recognize that a large percentage of the people of our congregation are considered by specialists to be most at-risk to this virus, particularly those who are elderly or immunocompromised. We ask, if you fall into either of these categories, that you continue to remain home. Additionally, we know that some of you might not fall into that group but are still not comfortable getting out just yet out of an abundance of caution, which is a perfectly reasonable position. Rest assured, we will continue to offer our “Worship Warmup” and our Online Worship at 10:00 am each Sunday on YouTube. Here is a list of guidelines for worship attendance, beginning June 14th: ● You are asked to arrive at the building earlier than normal to allow enough time for people to be screened in an orderly fashion without creating a crowd. If upon arrival the screening section is backed up, please remain in your vehicle until the number of people waiting has lessened. Entry screening will begin at 9:15 am and “Worship Warmup” will begin in the auditorium at this time for those who arrive. ● Outside the building, we ask that you please find a spot in one of two lines for entry, following the six-foot separation markers. You are asked to review the following questions before arriving at the building: o Have you visited any Covid-19 hotspots in the past 14 days (Example: NJ, NY)? o Have you been exposed to others with a known diagnosis of Covid-19 in the past 14 days? o Within the last week: ▪ Have you experienced a fever or 99°F or more? ▪ Have you experienced any shortness of breath? ▪ Have you experienced a dry cough? ▪ Have you experienced chills? ▪ Have you experienced a sore throat? ▪ Have you experienced a loss of taste or smell? ▪ Have you experienced any diarrhea? ● You will be asked a simple question: Yes or No? If you answer “yes” to ANY of the questions above, you will be denied entry into the building. If your answer is “no”, you will then be checked with an infrared thermometer – if your temperature is under 99°F, you will be allowed entry; any temperature of 99°F or above will be denied entry. ● Facemasks will be required for entry into the building. We will not be providing facemasks. Evidence has shown that the act of singing together can promote the transmission of the virus; therefore, the wearing of masks in the building will be required during all congregational singing. Wearing it at other times is not required but is strongly encouraged. ● Upon entry into the foyer, individual, self-contained communion packages will be distributed by workers wearing masks and gloves. Please alert those distributing the elements how many packages you will need for your family unit. We will share communion at the appropriate time and then ask that you place the empty containers in Ziploc bags which we will provide for the purpose of eliminating the spillage of the unused portion. Trash containers will be placed at each exit for convenient disposal of these communion elements or any other items. ● Before, during, and after our assembly, we will require the observation of the minimum social distancing recommendations from the CDC of no less than 6 feet. There will be no handshaking or hugging in the foyer or auditorium, no matter how much you might want to. We will be seated on every other row of chairs beginning with the second row, with individuals or family units separated by 6 feet. You will likely not be in your usual spot, as ushers will direct you to your seat. Which line you choose outside will determine on which side of the auditorium you will be seated, unless one side has reached capacity. If we reach capacity in the auditorium, you will be ushered to the overflow area in Annex A. ● No entry-ways other than the front door will be available. Classroom hallways and bathrooms nearest Annex A will be closed. Bathrooms nearest the foyer will be available; however, the doors to those bathrooms will remain open for the safest ventilation. ● We will have a controlled dismissal at the conclusion of services, only allowing a few people out at a time by rows to promote social distancing. You may continue to use online giving, or you may drop off your contribution in the container placed in the direction of your exit from the auditorium. ● All staff members and all volunteers assisting with the assembly on June 14th will be screened and tested with the same procedures and guidelines required by the state and CDC health officials. ● All the guidelines above our contingent upon state and CDC current requirements and suggestions. If, by June 14th some of the guidelines mentioned are no longer applicable, they will be removed from our procedures. We recognize that some of these precautions may seem burdensome, but we believe that they are necessary to ensure, to the best of our ability, that everyone is kept safe. We will revisit these procedures and guidelines frequently between now and June 14th and will notify you of any adjustments. We are very grateful to you for willingly cooperating with these guidelines as we continue to navigate these difficult waters. Grace and Peace, - Worship Team, Elders, and Ministry Staff of the Watters Road Church of Christ.
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