We are pleased to announce that this Sunday, May 31st, which significantly happens to be Pentecost, we will be resuming our Sunday Morning 10 am Service at Life Church. As we celebrate the historical birth of the Church, we will also be celebrating the rebirth of the Church as it regathers publicly after the two month’s long coronavirus shutdown.
As we reopen, we fully realize and appreciate the great diversity of personal faith experiences and opinions represented here at Life Church regarding how to respond to the coronavirus. Our heartfelt prayer and determination is that as the body of Christ we might endeavor to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace through reliance upon the Holy Spirit and cultivating hearts of love toward one another no matter where we fall on that spectrum.
While we are a people of faith, trusting God for His protection and freedom from fear we are also a people of love who adhere to the principles of Romans 14 in not judging or shaming others who differ from us; but holding in highest respect the way in which each of us in good conscience walk out our faith.
In the light of the Minnesota’s church reopening and CDC guidelines, put into effect just this week, a number of adjustments are being made to provide a safe worship experience for all who choose to attend. Below are some of the major precautions we are taking to that end.
-Doors Open - 9:30 am (feel free to come early and safely fellowship in the parking lot if you’d like). When entering the building and the sanctuary greeters and ushers may instruct you to wait a moment if there is a line of people at the doors.
-Fellowship - We encourage smiles and friendly greetings all around but ask everyone to observe social distancing protocols while refraining from personal contact. We respectfully and regrettably request that lingering for fellowship be done outside, both before and after the service, rather than in the building.
-Singing – We will be singing praises to God as public worship is such a critical expression of our faith.
-No Nursery or Kid’s Church – We are sorry but as yet we are not permitted to provide these Sunday ministries.
-Seating - In order to accommodate the minimum 6ft social distancing we will be complying with the occupancy limitation not to exceed 25% of the total occupancy in any space. As a result seating will be by every other row while leaving 3 open seats as spacing between individuals and/or family/household groups. People are free to choose their own seating location but at the end of the service ushers will help coordinate an orderly exit. Overflow seating will be available in the Gathering Space and upstairs.
-Entries & Exits - We plan on designating separate entry and exit points both into the building and sanctuary, with doors propped open where possible
-Face Masks - Although we are not requiring that face masks be worn we do encourage those who so desire to do so and are making free face masks available to anyone who needs one.
-Restrooms - Social distancing for restroom usage is provided by closing every other sink and fixture while observing limited capacity guidelines. The restrooms for designated use are: the Men’s on the office side of the building and the Women’s on the nursery side of the building providing for the doors to be propped open.
-Bulletins & Sermon Notes – These are provided in our weekly email as an attachment for printing at home and will also be available for those who feel comfortable picking up a copy arranged for easy access from a table.
-Water and Coffee – Our public water fountains will be closed. There will be separate areas provided for picking up a water bottle or an already poured cup of coffee for those who feel comfortable in doing so. These will be prepared and positioned on a counter with utmost care in following sanitizing procedures. Or, you can bring your own beverage from home.
-Hand Sanitizing - We encourage the use of hand sanitizing stations, positioned throughout the building and the thorough washing of hands as necessary.
-Presently Ill – Those who are sick, running a fever, have a cough or sore throat, shortness of breath, or have had contact with anyone with covid-19 in the past 14 days must stay home and watch the service online.
-Online Programming - We are committed to continuing to provide quality online streaming of our Sunday Service and online programing during the week.
We hope that this gives you a good idea of what to expect this coming Sunday. If for any reason you do not feel comfortable attending or are in a high-risk group as an older adult, someone with underlying health conditions, please feel free to stay at home if you so desire and participate online.
Again, thank you for your prayers and patience as we seek to follow the Lord in all this. We look forward to celebrating with everybody this Pentecost Sunday whether you choose to attend in person or join us online at home.
Life Church Staff & Transition Team
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