Indoor Worship

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November 12, 2021

Dear Beloved Community,

It was a blessing to see many of you last Sunday. And it is understandable that even more of you are waiting to return. Daily new cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota are startingly high. While we will continue to gather in the sanctuary for worship for now, please adhere to following protocols as we come together. We have made some very slight adjustments following last week:

  • There will be no pre-registration for attending worship. Only Door #1 will be open on Sunday mornings. Please plan to park in the main church lot or at Park Nicollet. When you arrive, you will be asked to sign in. This is so we can alert you if we learn that someone in attendance develops a positive Covid case up to seven days following Sunday morning.
  • If you receive a positive COVID-19 test result (even if you are asymptomatic!) within 7 days of participating in a church activity: worship, small group, meeting, etc. please contact me (BethF@plymouth.org or 612-977-1286). Your name will be held in confidence, but we must alert others of a possible exposure.
  • We will not be requiring vaccination Rather, we ask that all adults planning to be present for worship be vaccinated, and we trust that you will be thoughtful in the decision to attend. Vaccinations have begun for our children under 12, but in the meantime, we do not want to exclude children from worship and we hope families will attend Sunday morning church activities. We can not emphasize enough the importance of vaccination as the most effective way to protect you, your loved ones, and our community at large. Even in the youngest age groups, it is remarkably effective in preventing the serious consequences of COVID-19.
  • We require face masks for everyone in all parts of the building on Sunday morning (and all days).
  • We ask that you maintain a social distance, to the best of your ability, inside the sanctuary. Family groups are of course welcomed to sit together. Some pews will be roped off to encourage distancing.
  • The sanctuary will be open at 8:45 a.m. for 9:00 a.m. worship and 10:45 a.m. for 11:00 a.m. worship. If you arrive at church earlier than this, you will be asked to wait in Guild Hall.
  • While it will be a blessing to be together in person inside the sanctuary, the experience of worship will be different. Offering plates will not be passed; rather there will be depositories for the collection of giving envelopes. We will not yet celebrate communion. Initially there will be no coffee fellowship. And only two of the three clergy will be present each Sunday because all three of us cannot risk exposure together, forcing all of us into quarantine at the same time.
  • While we are taking seriously all precautions to prevent spread of infection, we cannot eliminate all risk. If you are feeling at all unwell, please stay home and take good care.
  • Please stay tuned as protocol may need to change based on circumstances.

I will continue my weekly correspondence as we move into this new season of church life together, alerting you of any necessary changes in procedure or other important updates. I hold you all in prayer as this pandemic wears on. May we be people of hope, may we be kind and caring, may we remain faithful in community.

Blessings,

Rev. Beth Hoffman Faeth
Minister for Congregational Care and Worship