After careful consideration and consultation with the Church Board/Leadership Team, we have discerned that we will resume in-person worship services on June 7th.  We understand that you are anxious to resume worshipping together but there are some guidelines that we are putting into practice to ensure safety as we move through this phase of reopening.  Please check out the video below to hear more about these processes and there is an entire list here.

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     As we seek to reopen the church for worship services, careful consideration was provided by the Grace Church Board/Leadership Team through an online conversation on Wednesday, May 6, 2020.  The primary goals of our reopening is to provide worship experiences for our community that are safe, relaxed, and fun.
            At the conclusion of this conversation, it was discerned that we will wait until June 7th to resume our in-person worship services due to the high number of individuals that are “at risk” in our congregation along with the fact that Mahoning and Trumbull are two of the most affected counties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  While we understand that we will make mistakes with this process our goal is to “get it right” on the first try which is why our Church Board/Leadership Team will be assisting with different items throughout the service due to their heightened awareness of the issues along with their desire to set the example for our congregation and community.
            With that being said here is a breakdown of each area that we are making adjustments to in regards to our reopening.

1. Parking Lot         
   
   1. Once people arrive, we are asking them to make their way from their car to the sanctuary/worship center with a mask on.  If they do not have a mask, we are purchasing some that will be prepackaged (by individuals following the necessary protocols) and available to be handed (by individuals following the necessary protocols) to prevent any cross-contamination as they enter the church.  Individuals will be expected to keep their masks on until the find their seat in the sanctuary/worship center.  Once everyone is seated, we have different ways of instructing them to remove their masks.
2. Entryway Doors
   1. The doors to the church and sanctuary will be open or opened for each person by one individual (following the necessary protocols) as they enter the building.
3. Welcome Center
   1. We are removing our coffee bar, bulletins, and informational materials for this phase to prevent several people touching objects or passing out materials.  If individuals would like to take notes on the sermon, they will be encouraged to bring their own notebooks/paper to do so as slides will still be presented.
4. Worship Service
   1. Seating will be every other pew in the sanctuary/worship center with signage to help people find their seats while practicing social distancing.  Church Board members will assist with this process of helping individuals find their seats while practicing social distancing.
      1. Dismissal will be handled differently to discover which means is most effective for our church while practicing the implemented guidelines. 
         
      2. Individuals will be asked to leave the sanctuary/worship center promptly and return to their cars at the conclusion of the service.
   2. The worship team will consist of our worship leader, Ashley Burkhart (who will be on one side of the platform) and one or two additional singers that can practice social distancing on the platform.  Our sound booth will be operated in person by our sound tech, Mike Ruby and the computer will be run remotely with a presentation clicker for this phase to limit individuals in this space.
      
   3. We will be removing our Connect Cards, Prayer Cards, Offering Envelopes, Pens, Hymnals, Bibles, and any other materials from the pews during this phase.  The words for the songs and Scripture will be on the screen.  We are also discouraging the use of our altars during this phase and will discern best practices for individuals who need prayer or respond to God’s call on their lives.
      
   4. We will not be offering communion during this phase and will collect our offering through a plate at the rear of the sanctuary/worship center for individuals to drop their tithes/offerings in that will be counted (by individuals following the necessary protocols) after the service or on the following day.
      
   5. We are also discouraging physical touching such as handshakes, high fives, or hugging during this phase.
      
   6. We are also working to shorten our services to a maximum of sixty minutes.
      
   7. Some ideas to assist with this process is to limit our opening song set to two songs instead of three, have the announcements on the screen (rather than verbally communicated), and shortening the sermon.
5. Bathrooms
   1. We will have our bathrooms open for emergencies only and encourage individuals to utilize the bathrooms at home before coming to worship.
      
   2. Any use of the bathroom will require through sanitation from our custodian.
      
   3. We will also close our water fountain during this phase to ensure the health of our congregation and community.
6. Communication
   1. We will communicate our plans to reopen with our congregation through a video outlining proper procedures that we are implementing.  Reminders of using hand sanitizer, which is readily available in the sanctuary/worship center, the use of masks as individuals move to and from their seats and regular hand washing will be encouraged.  We are also working on signage to help convey the need for social distancing and reinforce the guidelines that our church board/leadership team will be modeling.
7. Family Ministry
   
   1. We are continuing to suspend our children and youth programming at this time.  Children will be asked to sit with their parents who are to bring materials to assist their children during this time.
      
   2. Opening this area would require an individual to be present to provide programming, in addition to sharing supplies, playing games and doing crafts, which all contradict the social distancing guidelines.
      
   3. We will also be asking other families to extend grace and love to families with children during this time.  Children are gift from God, not a distraction.
8. Sunday School
   1. We are also continuing to suspend Sunday School during this phase and will re-evaluate this regularly over time.

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