Christ First
United Methodist Church
663 Lakeview Avenue
Jamestown, NY 14701
(716) 664-5803 | c1stumc@gmail.com
Phase 3 Reopening!!!
I am thrilled to announce that we are going to reopen for in-person worship this Sunday, June 28th, 2020! We will return to summer hours with worship at 9:45 in Darrah Hall. We will be at 50% capacity and maintaining social distancing during the service. Because we love each of you, our goal is to place your health and safety first. To do so, we have put safe guards in place such as the need for a mask and distributing hand sanitizer stations throughout the building. Following is a list of some of the changes you will see and the requirements needed to reopen. It is a mandate that each time the building is used a deep cleaning is required for every area that was utilized, and our staff will be working diligently to do that.
Following are some guidelines for this new way to worship. Once again, we are doing these things in an effort to keep our Brothers and Sisters in the faith healthy, so in Christian love, please help us to do just that!
Friends, worship will be different, we know that, but we are still in the disciple making business and our work must continue in whatever new form that work takes. I am excited to see you again but understand if you are uncomfortable coming to in-person worship at this time. There is no judgment here. We want you to feel safe and loved. We are attempting to reach as many individuals as possible, and so we are going to continue to do the drive-in programing. Please note, you will only hear the service in the car, there will be no video. We will also continue to use Facebook and our Webpage to provide worship on-line.
Once again, we will go slowly and safely into the future. Exactly what that future will look like may be unknown at this time, but God is faithful and we are going to again worship together even if we have to social distance with masks, limited music, and hand sanitizers at the ready. In the meantime, remain safe until we meet again on June 28, 2020 at 9:45 in Darrah Hall. God’s Blessing to you all.
In Gentleness,
Pastor Sue
Following are some guidelines for this new way to worship. Once again, we are doing these things in an effort to keep our Brothers and Sisters in the faith healthy, so in Christian love, please help us to do just that!
- Please enter the building through the ramp entrance door and exit through the Darrah Hall door. We will have signs to direct traffic flow once inside the building. There will be tape on the floors and/or signs to help guide you.
- Please wear a mask upon entering the building. We can remove our masks when seated 6 feet apart, however, it you need to move about the room and may be less than the social distancing guidelines of 6 feet, please again don your mask.
- If you have forgotten a mask, a disposable one will be provided to you.
- You will note that you will be asked your name and it will be written down by a greeter at each service. The reason for this is that if there is a positive Covid case, this information will be used by the Department of Health for contact tracing.
- We ask you to self-screen before attending worship by asking yourself these questions – Do I have a fever, have I been around anyone with Covid 19, do I have shortness of breath or coughing. If the answer to those questions are yes, please remain at home and watch the service on-line. We love you but want you and everyone else safe!
- The recommended distance for singing is a minimum of 12 feet on all sides. This greatly reduces the number of individuals we can accommodate in the room. And so, we will be blessed with the talents of Andy Schmidt as the accompanist and Steve Woods as our soloist… and we can hum along!
- Please do not socialize inside the building before or after the worship service. I know this is difficult when we have not been together for so long, but please be mindful that the virus is still out there and many brothers and sisters are in the vulnerable category.
- There will be no passing of an offering plate. One will be located at the entrance door to Darrah Hall and one at the exit door where gifts can be left. Additionally, I encourage you to investigate E-giving which is now available on our website. Please consider using this convenient way to offer gifts to the Lord. All you need to do is click on the link and follow the instructions. It is a secure site.
- There will be no paper bulletins, we will be using the video screens to direct worship. There will also be no hymnals or bibles at this time as each would need to be disinfected after a service.
- Children’s Church will open in July and we hope to be able to do outdoor activities weather permitting. Youth will meet in one of the downstairs rooms in the back hallway. Each will need a mask unless under the age of 2, and we will be social distancing as well. All materials and toys will be disinfected following each service. Hand sanitizers will be available in the room. Any snacks will be self-contained and provided by the church.
- Each time a room is used it has to be cleaned and disinfected so we are limiting the space we will be using. The upper floor of the church will be disinfected and the rooms locked until we can again open them safely for use. We have a lovely facility and it was, and is, a difficult decision to close off much of our space - but please remember, this is a temporary situation!
Friends, worship will be different, we know that, but we are still in the disciple making business and our work must continue in whatever new form that work takes. I am excited to see you again but understand if you are uncomfortable coming to in-person worship at this time. There is no judgment here. We want you to feel safe and loved. We are attempting to reach as many individuals as possible, and so we are going to continue to do the drive-in programing. Please note, you will only hear the service in the car, there will be no video. We will also continue to use Facebook and our Webpage to provide worship on-line.
Once again, we will go slowly and safely into the future. Exactly what that future will look like may be unknown at this time, but God is faithful and we are going to again worship together even if we have to social distance with masks, limited music, and hand sanitizers at the ready. In the meantime, remain safe until we meet again on June 28, 2020 at 9:45 in Darrah Hall. God’s Blessing to you all.
In Gentleness,
Pastor Sue
How can your Christ First family help you? We know these are challenging and stressful times. Our gatherings are suspended, but our care for our community is not. We want to help. If there is any way we can serve you, please let us know. We are community and we care for one another.
