South Side's response to COVID-19

As you know, the past several months have been challenging and confusing for our world, our country and certainly our church.  We have practiced "shelter in place" for some time and now the time is nearing for us to re-open our church facility for cooperate worship. 


Following is a detailed list of preparations we are making in order to ensure that you have a save and meaningful worship experience once we return to our church building.  The details include preparations we will make to clean and sanitize the worship center before your family arrives as well as what you can anticipate to happen in the worship service.


Obviously, this will be a different church experience than any of us are accustomed to, so your patience is certainly requested. 



Scheduled Reopening Procedures


1. Pre-opening Preparation --- Physical site preparation

    • Deep clean everywhere!
    • Remove all hymnals/Bibles and paper products from pews and foyer
    • Wipe down all pews
    • Sanitize cloth portions of pews with spray sanitizer (Lysol or compatible product)
    • Sanitize rest rooms
    • Sanitize door handles
    • Doors will be propped open as much as possible to prevent touching handles
    • Reset the stage. Choir will not gather. Praise team and special music will be socially distant. No shared microphones.
    • Remove toys and assorted hand-held items from nursery and toddler rooms


2. Worship Service Best Practices

    • Small groups and classes, including Sunday School and Children’s Ministries may not be able to meet and maintain social distance in a smaller meeting room


    • Anyone with pre-existing conditions such as temperature, coughs, sneezing, etc.… is recommended to shelter at home until symptoms pass


    • No small groups or Sunday School/Children’s Ministries until further notice This will limit family-to-family connections and preserve social distance


    • Fellowship time presents the same challenge of maintaining social distance so many of these events will not be held in the opening days of building operations.


    • Our church will have hand sanitizer available at key locations, however, we encourage each family to bring their own personal container of hand sanitizer


    • Worship with Social Distancing may be accomplished by:
         • Sit with those you come with
         • Use every third pew to maintain the suggested social perimeter of 6 feet
         • No clusters of more than 10 people
         • There will be no greeting time and no passing of the offering plates. Greet one another with a wave and a smile


    • Offerings may be dropped in the offering plate located at the exits after service, or recommended on-line or text giving is recommended. Mailing contributions via the postal service remains a good way to faithfully support your church

    • After the worship service dismissal will take place in sections (such as is practiced at end of wedding ceremonies) to avoid hall way congestion and groupings of more than 10 people

    • During the worship service, the nursery and toddlers’ rooms will be available for childcare. However, there will be no staffed nursery at this time. The rooms are available for parents to take small children is child is unable to sit for a time during the worship service. Parents are encouraged to bring play items from home to help children during times of restlessness.


3. Volunteer Prep (team members)
    • Greeters will assist people entering/exiting the building (holding entry doors open, helping people find seating inside the worship center
    • We are in need of teams of people to serve as usher/greeters to help worshippers enter and exit the building
    • Greeters will be limited to those who have no pre-existing conditions
    • Ensure greeters know their limits (no handshakes, hugs, or close contact)
    • Cleaning teams are to wipe down and disinfect pews/tables/door handles after the worship service is completed