June 15, 2020
Dear friends in Christ,
In Psalm 118, the psalmist pictures God’s people standing at the temple gates proclaiming, “Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.”
Well … we are opening the “gates” of our “temple” on Sunday, July 5th with two worship services – one at 9:30 a.m. and one at 11:15 a.m. Alleluia! 😊
Since we last worshipped together at St. James, our nation has undergone some traumatic experiences and continues to face social unrest and many unknowns. Our Lord has remained faithful to His people and we thank Him that we have been able to worship and study the Bible “together” using Facebook Live and to have those Sunday worship services and Bible studies posted on the St. James’ website.
As we return to “in-house” worship services, we recognize that members have different perspectives about returning to worshipping in a social setting. Some people have been eager to return for several weeks; other people are cautious and may not be ready to return on July 5th. Wherever you find yourself on the spectrum, we encourage you to be kind, understanding, and patient with one another. For those who are not comfortable gathering in person, we will continue to offer an online service and Bible study.
We are committed to keeping one another safe. While the COVID-19 infection curve has flattened, the coronavirus has not vanished, and will not be gone any time soon. Hence, we are setting in place guidelines that will create a “safe” place for you to worship the Lord. We know that the guidelines we are implementing will not be perfect in everyone’s eyes, but we hope you will see that these guidelines are anchored in our love, care, and concern for one another.
These guidelines are not set in stone. They will be adjusted as we gain experience from trying them and as we receive feedback from you. Of course, if a “second wave” of COVID-19 arises and we are ordered by the governor to decrease the size of our worship attendance, we will have to take appropriate steps.
Please take a moment to read the guidelines that accompany this cover letter and familiarize yourself with them. We strive to sacrifice our comforts out of care and compassion for those who are at greater risk or who are more cautious in group settings. We know that worship will seem “strange,” but the Lord will be present ministering to us through His Word and Sacraments.
I thank the worship “production team” – John and Marjie Weiss, Beth McKay, and Craig Popma for their commitment to making the online services available to our internet worshipping community. I also thank Karen Swanson for preparing the bulletins and for Josh Reed posting the bulletins and worship services on our St. James’ website.
I look forward to seeing many of you on July 5th. And, for those of you who are not ready to return just yet please be assured that I (and the deacons) are ever ready to minister to you. Give me a call at the office or my cell phone or send me an email. The office phone number is: 616-363-7718. My email address is: glenn.schaeffer@stjamesgr.com. You can also address your questions and concerns to the deacons.
May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ continue to fill your heart and home as you live each day in His boundless love.
In His service,
Pastor Glenn E. Schaeffer
1 Timothy 6:12
The Plan to Reopen and Use the Church Building
June 15, 2020
We desire to exhibit the compassion of our Savior by providing a safe environment out of care and concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially the most vulnerable among us.
We will first focus on providing Sunday worship services before we begin to open the church facilities to other in-house activities such as: the Monday evening service, Bible studies and congregational service groups like Dorcas, LWML, Men’s group, Friends in Faith, Choir and Bell choir, and Second Best Sale, etc. We encourage these groups to meet in other venues (e.g. Zoom, outdoors, etc.).
We are committed to providing an online Sunday worship service for people who are hesitant to return to a Sunday worship service and as an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with “unchurched” people.
Beginning July 5, we will provide two Sunday services:
9:30 a.m.
11:15 a.m.
The 9:30 a.m. service will be broadcast on Facebook Live. The 11:15 a.m. service will be “in house” only, but if we have technical difficulties with the 9:30 a.m. broadcast, we will go Facebook Live at the second service.
A Bible study with Pastor Schaeffer will be posted to Facebook at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings and will be available on Facebook or at the St. James’ website whenever you want to access it.
NOTE: The practice of offering Communion on Monday afternoon and Thursday evening will cease with the resumption of worship services on July 5th.
After a few weeks, the number of services may be adjusted depending on the attendance at the services. If there is need for only one service, we will offer one service at 9:30 a.m.
A “Test Run” Sunday Worship Service
We will do a “test run” communion service on June 28 in the sanctuary. This service is limited to 25 people. Worshippers will be asked to sign up for the service, on a first come, first served basis, beginning on the Monday morning (June 22) prior to the service. Registration online or at the church office will begin at 10:00 a.m. If you sign up for this service (or any other service) and then must cancel your attendance at that service, please call the office and your name will be removed.
Sunday Worship Attendance Registration Required
All worshippers will be asked to sign up for one of the two Sunday morning services online as attendance at each service will be limited to no more than 75 people. In order to register for a worship service please go to the St. James Eventbrite page (bit.ly/stjamesgr) and click on the link to register for the 9:30 a.m. service or the 11:15 a.m. service. Each person planning to attend the worship service will need to have their own ticket. For example: a family of four will need to register for four tickets. Once a worship service has reached capacity (75 worshippers), the event will be closed, and no further registrations will be accepted. If you do not have access to the internet, contact the church office (616-363-7718) to register.
People will be able to register online for a Sunday service starting at 10:00 a.m. on the Monday prior and registration will be closed on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. For the service on July 5th, registration for the services will open on Monday, June 29th at 10:00 a.m. and will be closed at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 4.
Masks
We strongly urge you to wear a mask (unless you are unable to do so for medical reasons) when entering the church and when walking in the halls of the church. As per CDC guidelines, individuals 2 years old and older should wear a face covering in situations where social distancing is difficult. More than protecting ourselves, masks are meant to protect our neighbor from COVID-19 germs. We will have a small number of masks available at the church, but we ask you to supply your own. Once you are seated in the sanctuary where you can maintain the 6 feet of separation, you may de-mask if you are so inclined.
The Sunday Morning Worship Service – What You Can Expect
You will enter through the doors by the bell tower.
You will put your mask on (if it is not already on) as you enter the building.
You will wash your hands (in the bathroom in the hallway) or use hand sanitizer frequently.
You will enter the sanctuary via the narthex.
You will receive a paper bulletin from an usher. You are encouraged to access the worship bulletin online at our St. James website using your tablet or “smart” phone so that you don’t need to use a paper bulletin.
You will place your offering in the offering basket as you enter the sanctuary.
You will move to the front of the sanctuary and take a seat maintaining the 6 feet of separation.
Families may sit together in a pew, but appropriate space is to be left between household groups/individuals.
Hymns will be sung by only a few people (e.g. Pastor, Beth, John) and the rest of the worshippers will be asked to either hum or sing softly with their mask on.
The handshake of peace is suspended.
“Continuous flow” Holy Communion will be served on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of a month. Those communing will be invited forward by an usher. There will be a mark on the carpet that will identify where communicants are to stand as they wait to receive Holy Communion. Pastor, wearing a mask and after using hand sanitizer, will distribute the bread by hand. He will “drop” the wafer in your open hand. Communicants will select an individual cup filled with wine. These cups will sit in the communion tray situated on a table. A few “larger” cups will have wine in them for people who find it difficult to hold a little cup in their hand. We will also make gluten free bread available as well as non-alcohol wine.
At the conclusion of the service, ushers will dismiss by rows to allow for social distancing. Please:
1. Wear your mask while you leave the building.
2. Take your bulletin home with you; and
3. Refrain from congregating in the hallways. You are encouraged to visit with fellow worshippers, if so inclined, after the service in the parking lot where there is room to spread out.
Finally, please refrain from using strong perfumes and colognes that may cause people to sneeze.
Worship Service Orientation Video will be Produced and Shared Online
During the week leading up to the July 5th services, a video will be produced and shared online that will “walk” you through what you can expect when you come to the worship service on July 5th.
Sanitary Practices
Prior to the services the church facilities will be cleaned and disinfected.
In between services, the pews, the bathrooms, and any door handles that have been used will be disinfected using a cleaning agent like hydrogen peroxide.
Copious amounts of hand sanitizer will be made available for your use.
Signs are posted in appropriate places in the building to remind you to sanitize your hands by washing them or by using a hand sanitizer and to remind you to maintain proper social distancing.
Room access will be restricted. We will use only the entrance, the hallway, the coatroom, the narthex, and the sanctuary. The basement, the gathering room, and the children’s playroom are off limits.
All who are sick, or have a sick person in their home, are urged to stay home.
Refreshments and other congregational meals will not be served.
Communication
Updates will be provided on St. James’ website and Facebook pages.
Updates will be emailed to members.
Updates will be mailed to members who do not have email.
The deacons will contact the members assigned to them to share a summary of what will be happening and to field and/or address comments/questions.