Every Sunday, more and more people are attending in-person worship. Everyone has been enjoying their summer and this includes reconnecting with friends on Sunday mornings.
The staff and ministry leaders have been working since June, planning for the fall – Sunday mornings and weekly programming and events. There is a lot to forward to!
We are thankful to the continuing guidance of our First Pres Re-opening Task Force – Fran Vlasses, LeRoy Stromberg, Mike Sams, Mark McAndrew, Dot Chappell, Alice Siehoff, Doug Fiene and Beverly Hancock. They have provided review, assessment, and advice on plans and Covid protocols as we have safely navigated community life at First Pres. We have gladly received their expert input in the science, medical, and legal fields as we reviewed guidance and recommendations from the CDC.
Our Task Force group is no longer charged with ‘re-opening’. They will however, continue to review CDC guidelines and appropriately advise our church community in the months ahead.
Covid Protocol Update: First Pres continues to follow CDC recommendations. Therefore, based on most recent CDC recommendations:
Unvaccinated persons should wear their mask at all times when indoors at First Pres.
Fully Vaccinated persons are encouraged to wear a mask when indoors at First Pres. We are not requiring mask wearing, but strongly encourage it. The only exception is when in a space and/or working with children younger than age 12, then masks are required. Examples of such environments are Sunday School, Nursery, Westminster Preschool, SPARK, etc.
Children’s Programming will require children and all adults (including fully vaccinated) working with children to wear masks. We are rightfully choosing to protect our children who are younger than 12 years of age until a vaccine is available for their age group.
Sunday August 15 is Backpack Sunday, and everyone must wear a mask in worship because children under 12 will be in the Sanctuary.
*Fully vaccinated is defined as 2 weeks after second dose in a 2-dose series such as Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Additional CDC recommendations for fully vaccinated: You should continue to watch for symptoms of COVID-19. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have had known exposure, you should get tested and stay home and away from others. People who have a medical condition or are taking medications that weaken the immune system, should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider.
