Are
masks required? Yes, if attending the Saturday
evening on-site service. They are recommended, but not required, for the Sunday
morning on-site service. It is also expected that
attendees will practice social distancing.
Will I be turned away if I don't have a mask? For our Saturday evening service, yes; for our Sunday morning service, no. Please bring your own mask. We will have a limited number available for those who come without a mask.
If we don’t have masks on Sunday morning, can we still practice
social distancing? Yes, social
distancing is expected. However, if this is a matter of concern to you, then we
advise you to come Saturday evening or join the online service.
Will my temperature be taken upon entrance to the building? No. We will not be taking your temperature at the door. Please take the health assessment seriously as you decide for your health and the health of others.
For the self-assessment chart if someone has two or three of those items and can’t get a hold of a doctor, what is the next step? Contact Pastor Joe Burchill at jburchill@lancastercma.org who is in touch with LAC medical professionals in our congregation and will assist.
Will
there be a 9 AM service on Sunday? Not
at this time. By offering a Saturday evening service, this allows adequate time
for cleaning and disinfecting.
Will
there be singing during the services? Yes!
The Saturday evening and Sunday morning services will be identical and singing as
an expression of worship is part of our worship encounter. Both services will
have the singers and instrumentalists on the stage. They will not be masked, but will be 30 feet away from the first row of people. This
distance gives us the opportunity to clearly communicate and keep distancing
guidelines.
Will families be able to sit together and will the next family be
6 feet apart? Every other pew is
essentially 6 feet and roped off. No moving of ropes, please. Feel free to
maintain a 6 foot distance between the next group in your pew.
Will we do any contact tracing? We are not in a position to have that
information in the days ahead. If you are at a risk, then the online community
is best for you until the situation changes.
Is the Saturday evening service live streamed? Not at this time. The church online livestream experience is on Sunday mornings at 10:30 AM. This service will be available on our website (www.lancastercma.org/sermons) in its entirety for one week. Beyond that point, it will be trimmed to the sermon.
Where
do I enter the church building? All
attendees will enter and exit through the North entrances. All other doors will
be locked.
When
will the doors be opened for the service? 30 minutes prior to each service.
Is there childcare and children's ministry? No, not at this time. All on-site services will be family-friendly, meaning all children will sit with their parents throughout the service. Our preschool and elementary directors are working hard to ensure that children are engaged each week at the same level as the rest of the family. We are a multi-generational church family and we love our little people and that they can worship together with us.
Will there be ADC classes? Yes! For the summer, an ADC class will be offered on Sunday mornings via Zoom from 8:45-9:45 AM. This modified start time will allow participants to travel to the Sunday morning on-site service, if desired. Please check our website for updated class information - http://www.lancastercma.org/connect/adult-discipleship-classes-adc.
Will there be coffee fellowship? Not at this time. If attending an on-site service, please refrain from lingering in the lobby. We encourage you to fellowship outside. If you're part of our online community, there is a bottomless cup somewhere in your kitchen.
Will we have communion? Yes, we will have communion when scheduled. If you're attending
the online service, you can continue to do it on your own. If you come to
church, we will use prepackaged communion with no cross contamination.
Attendees will pick up their communion supplies as they enter the
sanctuary.
Is the provided communion option gluten free? Yes.
If we attend the service, can we bring our offering with us versus
mailing it or giving online? Yes, we have an offering box in the lobby outside the sanctuary
doors labeled "donations" and you can drop your offering there.
Again, no offering plate is going to be passed during the service. Reminder
that online giving is also an option.
Will there be hand sanitizer? Yes. Also be aware that the restrooms located outside the preschool hallway will be available for use. Restrooms will be cleaned between the services and we will also disinfect the lobby, doors, sanctuary, etc.
What about outdoor services? There are many practical challenges we face with our location. The noise from Route 30 places limits on our amplification system as well setting up enough outdoor chairs. We will be able to accommodate more people with social distancing in our sanctuary.
If you have any questions on the above, please reach out to us at office@lancastercma.org.