How & when to return to worship safely

Some areas in the Synod of the Trinity region are seeing restrictions lessened as the spread of the coronavirus decreases. As these mandates become less and less, there will be urgency to return to “normal,” which for many will include being back in church for worship. As you and your session contemplate on the best ways to do that while continuing to keep everyone’s health and well-being in your best interests, below are some resources that may assist you in that transition.

SHOULD WE RE-OPEN?

• Video: The Science of COVID-19 (Lehigh Presbytery)

• Video: ‘Use caution’ if you are re-opening (Presbyteries of Boston and Northern New England)

  • Resource sheet from Dr. Lisa Allgood, Transitional Executive, Presbytery of Cincinnati

• Guidance and worksheet for churches (Presbytery of Donegal)

• Statement from the Presbytery of Carlisle on re-opening of churches

  • The risks: Know them, avoid them

• Pandemic decisions going forward – not backward (Presbytery of Redstone)

• Next steps for our churches (Northumberland Presbytery)

• Thoughts on returning to church (Jordan Rimmer, Northminster Presbyterian Church, Presbytery of Shenango)

• Central Presbyterian Church in Downingtown, PA, also created an action plan for its congregation. Find it here.

• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Resources

  • Theological and practical guidance for those deciding on when and how to worship in public again

    • Returning to Public Worship: Theological and Practical Considerations

    • Beginning conversations for re-entry

    • Remote faith formation for the long haul with guidelines for re-entry

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  

  • Considerations for Communities of Faith

• Why re-opening a church is different

• Returning to church: Protocols to consider for various phases of re-opening (Wisconsin Council of Churches)

• Guidelines for Sessions During the COVID-19 Outbreak (Kiskiminetas Presbytery)

• Congregational Regathering Policies (Presbytery of Donegal)

• Interim guidance for communities of faith (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Planning, preparing and responding for community and faith-based organizations (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Interim guidance for administrators and leaders of community and faith-based organizations (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• So your church is opening up after COVID-19 closures? It won’t be what you are hoping for.

• The Risks – Know Them – Avoid Them (Dr. Erin Bromage, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth)

• 24 questions your church should answer before people return

• Avoid this big mistake: Stepping back into the past when you step back into your building

WHAT ABOUT THE CHOIR?

• Some tips on providing and sharing music during and after the pandemic

• How to rehearse music on Zoom

• “No vaccine, no public singing”

• Video: What do science and data say about the near-term future of singing?

• Church music in the age of COVID-19

• Ways to sing together if you are gathering online for worship

• Resuming Care-Filled Worship and Sacramental Life During a Pandemic (The Center for Congregational Song)

KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE & HEALTHY WHEN YOU RETURN

• Resources for staying healthy

• Recommendations for a safe return to worship

• The Synod of the Trinity has created a bulletin insert that includes best practices for washing hands and the passing of the peace. Download it here:

  • Color

  • Black and White

A special “welcome back” service might be appropriate. And don’t forget the cake and ice cream!