Strategic Safety Plan for Reopening LHC
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."
Psalm 46:1
Throughout these past months, we have seen God work in amazing ways. Through all the fear and the isolation, the boredom and the sickness, God’s presence has been clearly seen. He is drawing people closer to Him. For Living Hope in particular, we’ve seen people really pulling together, praying together, studying the Word of God together, and checking in on one another in ways that were not common before the pandemic. It has also forced us to move services online & pushed us into the modern age of videoing and YouTube, which is only going to get more important in time. Through all our fumbles and uncertainty, God has remained faithful and has been our refuge in fear and our strength in these times of trouble.
As I’m sure you’ve heard, our Governor is beginning to allow churches to open back up. Living Hope will open its doors on June 7th, our 10AM Service for the first time in three months. We are so excited to be able to gather together again and worship God for his faithfulness and provision. As we do so, there will have to be some changes made. All places of worship shall limit occupancy to 40 percent of the building’s maximum
capacity, which means that we are only able to have up to 50 people in our building at one time. Also to comply with legal regulations and to keep people safe and healthy, you’ll Find here the information on our wellness policy, how services will run, and changes in how we use our building.
PLEASE take the time to READ THIS INFORMATION BEFORE YOU COME TO CHURCH, so you’ll know what to expect when you arrive.
If you are not comfortable returning to the church building yet, rest assured that you are still a part of our church community! Services will continue to be streamed online, as well as Bible study and prayer group via Zoom. We will be thrilled to see you again when you feel comfortable attending.
Living Hope: livinghopesouthshore@gmail.com
Pastor Bobby: zorroreturns71@gmail.com
Pastor Jen: jenandgerry2013@gmail.com
781-350-0160
www.livinghopesouthshore.com
Facebook.com/livinghopesouthshore
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDzXN0J6vB778BuxSA7unFw
WELLNESS POLICY
o If you or anyone in your household has had a fever in the last week, we would kindly ask that you please stay home and join us online for the safety of yourself & others.
o If you or anyone in your household has a cough or sore throat, once again we would ask that you would please stay home and join us online, for the safety of yourself & others.
o If you are high risk, which includes ages 65+ or have underlying medical conditions, for your own safety, we encourage you to consider listening or watching the service from home.
o If you attend service and later are diagnosed with COVID-19, you must inform the staff immediately. We will then call in the proper officials and will contact everyone they recommend for a contact tracing. This will be anonymous and the church body will not know that you were the one who was sick unless you choose to tell them.
HYGIENE PROTOCOLS, CLEANING & DISINFECTING
o We are doing a complete sanitization of the church before you arrive and again after you leave. In addition to our normal weekly cleaning, this includes
▪ Sanitizing all light switches
▪ All bathrooms
▪ Sanitizing all door knobs, both inside and outside
▪ Sanitizing the chairs
▪ High traffic areas
▪ Microphones & shared instruments
o Masks are available for those who may not have one of their own. However you are encouraged to bring your own.
o Hand sanitizer will be placed around the building and even the hand sanitizer will be sanitized before and after services.
STAFFING & OPERATIONS
o There will be a lot of signs posted, so be sure to take notice and follow instructions as carefully as you can.
o Our front doors and hallways will be one way. You will be greeted at the door by someone who is standing appropriately far away and they will instruct you through the building.
o There will be no coffee, tea, or snacks available.
o As you enter the sanctuary, an ushers will be there to help you Find your seat. We will be instructing people to sit from front to back so that we have fewer people walking past one another.
o The bulletins will be already on your seats.
o Once you are sitting down, please remain in your seats whenever possible.
o When communion is served, it will be in individual servings, and will be already on your seats when you arrive.
o Offerings & tithes will not be passed during service, as there will be a basket in the back of the sanctuary and in the lobby with a sign for you to give. Obviously, we continue to encourage you to give through the mail and online as many of you have been doing (Thank You).
o All children will remain in service with parents as all Sunday School rooms will remain locked.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
o Due to the guidelines we asking that you refrain from hugs, handshakes, high fives, fist bumps, etc.
o Please do your best to stay 6 feet away from anyone who does not live in your household.
o It would be good if you could use the bathroom at home before you come to church in efforts to limit the use of our shared rest rooms in the building.
o Tell us immediately if you or anyone in your household is diagnosed with COVID-19 after being in service.
o All attendees and staff must wear face coverings or masks in accordance with COVID-19 Order No. 31 and the Department of Public Health’s Guidance while inside and while entering and exiting places of worship or otherwise participating in in-person services, except where a person is unable to wear a face covering or mask because of a medical or disabling condition. We encourage you to bring your own mask, however we will have masks on hand for those who may need one. For the safety of everyone, this is a requirement. We ask that if you feel uncomfortable wearing a mask or face covering, that you please consider others above yourself (Rom. 12:10), or enjoy the service from your home online.
o Due to the new guidelines, there will be no kids' programming offered during the services. Kids are encouraged to sit with their families. If you have children with you, please keep them in your seating area, as we are asking that you not allow them to walk around, even though in normal
circumstances that is highly encouraged. You are welcome to bring some things from home to keep them occupied,
i.e. coloring materials, etc. and we will also provided materials for your children, such as
sermon swag bags, etc. If these guidelines are too difficult for you & your children, we totally
understand and encourage you to consider staying home and watching & enjoying the service
in a more comfortable environment.
If you have any further questions please see the following website:
h6ps://www.mass.gov/lists/safety-standards-for-places-of-worship
Future Services
We are strongly considering holding services outdoors in the back lot of our building, as the area is wide open and can comfortably park all our vehicles. As you know, according to surveys, the risk of COVID-19 spread is at much lower risk outdoors. This would give you the option to stay in your vehicle or bring your own lawn chair and sit by your vehicle while being a part of the service. We will inform you ahead of time if this decision comes to fruition. We want to thank you for your help in making these new changes a success! As restrictions loosen, we look forward to the time when we can freely give hugs and watch our kids run around together and have Sunday School classes, but for now, we can be content with what we have, knowing that God is in control.
