Like all of you, we are longing to be connected once again with our church family. We know some of you are ready to get back together and some of your aren’t and we acknowledge that there are mixed feelings when it comes to this. For legitimate reasons, some are still concerned about the spread of the virus and not quite ready.
Based on official statements of the State of CT and the Quinnipiack Valley Health District (See statements below), a Sunday morning gathering doesn’t seem feasible. It would require at least three services without nursery and children’s church. So for the time being, we feel that it is best to continue how we’ve been doing it on Facebook Live and Instagram Live on Sunday mornings. We hope and pray you have been blessed by these services.
With that said, for those that are longing for some in-person fellowship, we are going to be scheduling small groups and activities that will not exceed the 50 person limit suggested by our state. Those events will be announced through the email newsletter and the app. For those willing to participate in any of these events, we do ask that you adhere to the following guidelines
If you are in a high-risk category, you should stay home
Please take your temperature before leaving your house. If you have a fever, of any degree, you should stay home
We will ask that you adhere to physical distancing as you feel necessary. Do not encroach on someone’s space or otherwise make them uncomfortable
We will not require masks, but you are welcome to wear one if you so desire
Please take general hygiene precautions - Hand Sanitizer will be provided. Please sanitize your hands upon entering and exiting the building.
By attending any of these future gatherings, it is assumed you agree and understand the risks associated with a gathering like this and request personal responsibility to be at the top of your priorities. If this is something that you are not comfortable with, then you should feel no pressure to attend.
“All social and recreational gathers of more that 5 people are prohibited. Religious, spiritual, and worship gatherings of more that 50 are prohibited. This remains in effect until June 20, unless earlier modified.”
“Interim Guidance for Communities of Faith CDC offers the following recommendations to help communities of faith continue their mission while keeping their staff and congregations safe. This guidance is not intended to infringe on First Amendment rights as provided in the US Constitution. As all Americans are now aware, gatherings present a special risk for increasing spread of COVID-19 during this Public Health Emergency. The federal government may not prescribe standards for interactions of faith communities in houses of worship and no faith community should be asked to adopt any mitigation strategies that are more stringent than the mitigation strategies asked of similarly situated entities or activities in accordance with the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act (RFRA). CDC offers these suggestions that faith communities may consider and accept or reject, consistent with their own faith traditions, in the course of preparing their own plans to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In communities deemed by CDC’s guidance to be significant mitigation areas, the risk to the larger community of continuing or resuming in-person gatherings should be taken into account and virtual options strongly considered. All decisions about following CDC’s recommendations should be made in collaboration with local health officials and other State and local authorities who can help assess the current level of mitigation needed based levels of COVID-19 community transmission and the capacities of the local public health and healthcare systems. CDC offers the following suggestions for consideration to the extent consistent with each community’s faith tradition:”
