• If, at 9:00AM on Sunday it is raining, there is a significant chance of rain, or the heat index is over 85, then the service will be moved inside.
• If you plan to join us for the outdoor service, please bring your lawn chair!
• Masks are recommended for non-vaccinated or immune compromised individuals.
• There will be an indoor viewing of the service in the Community Room.

• Masks are still required when we are indoors.
• Social distancing in the pews is still required.
• Temperature check on entering is still required.

By now, we are all aware that COVID-19 is not going to magically disappear.  We have to learn to live with it until we reach a point of “heard immunity,” most likely through the wide-spread use of a vaccine.  We have been hearing encouraging news about the development of vaccines, but even with that, there will likely be months between the approval of a vaccine, and having enough people vaccinated that the spread of the virus is slowed to a safe level.

At the same time, we’ve learned a lot about how to live with the vaccine since the outbreak began.  We’ve learned that masks are a crucial way to fight the virus.  We’ve learned about social distancing and sanitation protocols.  We’ve learned that the virus is most likely spread through the air.

Our Safety Team has been monitoring the science around COVID-19.  They continue to work with the Trustees to ensure the safety of our congregation as we learn to live with the virus. As we enter the “back to church” season, we are excited to announce:

• We will welcome “a live studio audience” for worship beginning Sunday, September 13, at 9:30am. Safety protocols will be required, including the wearing of masks.
• We will be incorporating more variety of musical groups into our worship.
• Our sanctuary is open for private, individual prayer, twice a week – Tuesdays from 12:00pm to 3:00pm and Thursdays from 9:00am to 3:00pm.
• Our youth are beginning to meet in-person, with social distancing and masks. See details inside this newsletter.
• Small groups and committees can now begin meeting in the church. Space is limited, so be sure to schedule your meeting through Melinda in the church office.
• Some groups are also able to meet outside in the Grove. Again, please schedule that with the office.

It’s important to realize that as we open up for “in-person” worship, that it will not be “back to normal.”  We are using the language of “a live studio audience” to reinforce the understanding that if you join us in-person on Sunday morning, it will not look like worship did a year ago.  It will look like what you watch at home through Facebook or Youtube.  There will be no bulletins or congregational singing.  There will be no hugs or handshakes.  There will be no lingering after the worship service.  There will be social distancing, with pews marked for where you can and cannot sit.  Masks will be required. 

In addition, we are working to bring some of our wonderful music ensembles back into worship.  The Bell Choir has already begun to rehearse.  We will also be recruiting small ensembles (duets, quartets, etc.) to provide music on a regular basis.

Another step toward figuring out how to live with COVID-19 will be in resuming in-person small groups within the church building.  I will be leading one of our fall all-church study groups in-person, at the church, on Sundays at 5pm, beginning September 13.  Again, masks will be worn and we will employ social distancing.  Sign up for this small group is required, so that we can be prepared for the number of participants.  See the details of our fall study inside this newsletter.

A small number of other groups are experimenting with returning to in-person, socially-distanced meetings at the church.  Check with your small group leader for details.

Each of us has a different level of comfort when it comes to meeting together during this pandemic.  The Safety Team is aware of both the physical and emotional threats of the pandemic.  We will continue to offer on-line worship and Zoom meetings.  Our goal is to provide opportunities to grow in Christ and to make Christ known in as many ways as possible, as safely as possible.

Jesus said, “The gates of Hell shall not prevail against the church” (Matt 16:18), and neither will COVID-19!

Jay

UMCL In-Person Worship Protocols

On Sunday, September 13, we will open the sanctuary for in-person worship during our 9:30am live-stream worship service.  However, it’s important to realize that it will not be “back to normal.”  It will not look like worship did a year ago.  It will look like what you watch at home through Facebook or Youtube.  There will be no bulletins or congregational singing.  There will be no hugs or handshakes.  There will be no lingering after the worship service. 

The health and safety of all involved remains a high priority for us.  Therefore…

…If you don’t feel well, please stay home

…If you have been in contact with someone with COVID-like symptoms within the last 14 days, please stay home

…If you have traveled to a COVID-19 hotspot within the last 14 days, please stay home.

If you choose to join us in person, please…

…Plan to arrive no later than 9:25am

…Enter through the parking lot doors only

…Pause for a thermal scan

…Wear a mask

…Use hand sanitizer

…Practice Social Distancing

…Use Fellowship Hall Restrooms only

…Enter the sanctuary through the center aisle only

…Sit on a yellow dot

…Keep children with parents (there will be no nursery or in-person Sunday school)

…Exit the sanctuary through the side aisles only

…Move directly to the parking lot at the end of the service.

What Phase 4 Means for UMCL

We are all celebrating the downward trend of our local COVID-19 numbers, despite many states experiencing significant increases in infections and deaths.  It’s a good reminder that “Open does not mean over.”

The UMCL Safe Church Committee has been monitoring all aspects of the pandemic, including recommended protocols for preventing the spread of the disease and the emotional effects of isolation.  The good news is we will be loosening some restrictions as the State of Illinois moves into Phase 4!  Major changes include allowing outdoor events in the Grove and allowing limited Small Group meetings in the building.

We recognize the toll that isolation is having on many folks’ mental health.  Humans need community, and the church is made to be together.  In response, we have planned a series of outdoor prayer meetings to be held in the Grove (the field to the north of the church parking lot).  These prayer meetings have been designed to allow UMCL folks to gather together and to engage in important and current topics.  We will meet four times over the next two months.

• July 1 – Race with Brett Saunders, Director, Lake County Young Life
• July 15 – Changing Society and Hearts with Dr. Mark Teasdale, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
• August 5 – Methodism – Splits, Mergers and General Conference with Dr. Barry Bryant, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
• August 19 – Confirmation

Social distancing and the wearing of masks will be required at these events.  Please note that the building will be closed during these events and the restrooms will not be available. Please bring your own lawn chair or a blanket to sit on.  Families should sit together.  No childcare will be provided.

We will continue to explore how to return to in-person worship on Sunday mornings, but for now, Sunday morning worship will remain as an on-line experience only.  Worship in person is problematic because the State of Illinois and the Northern Illinois Conference (UMC) continue to put the following restrictions on worship:

• No nursery or Children’s Sunday school  
• No congregational singing 
• No passing of the peace
• No bulletins or hymnals 
• No passing of the offering plate 
• Social Distancing and masks.

In addition to outdoor large gatherings, the Safe Church Committee is currently determining room capacities for small groups held in the building.  Each room will have a designated maximum capacity to allow for social distancing.  Rooms will be assigned through the church office based on the size of the group (call Melinda at 847.362.2112 to reserve a room).  The Grove may be used for group meetings, but also needs to be reserved through the church office.

Small Group participants using the building will be required to sign in and out of the building (to allow for contract tracing if an infection is reported), wear masks, practice social distancing and wipe down all surfaces at the conclusion of their meeting.  Restrooms will be available to groups, but only one person is allowed in the restroom at a time.  No shared food is allowed, and use of the kitchen is not allowed. Reducing the use of air conditioning and opening the windows is also encouraged.

All spaces used within the building will be disinfected once a week through a fogging agent.  If we become aware that someone using the building has been exposed to COVID-19 we will increase the disinfecting protocol.

The Staff will be gradually moving back into the building over the next few weeks. But access to the building will still be limited.  Please call ahead if you need inside the building.

We are not all the way there yet, but we are moving in a positive direction!

We hope to see you all face-to-face, soon!

Jay Carr, Senior Pastor

For The Safe Church Committee

Mike Foley, Chair                                John Aten

Tom Seibert                                         Herb Spooner
Dave Aumuller                                    Steve March

Introduction

A UMCL Safe Church Committee (Safety Committee) has been formed to ensure that our congregation follows best practices related to gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, the Northern Illinois Conference (UMC) provided guidelines pertaining to how churches should plan for changes as the state transitions through each phase of COVID-19 precautions.   Our Safe Church Committee has studied the State of Illinois requirements and the plan distributed by the Northern Illinois Conference in determining specific guidelines for UMCL.

Today, there is no cure or vaccine for COVID-19.  The only tools we have to combat the spread and effects of the virus causing the disease are separation (social distancing) and sanitation.  Most frequently, a virus spreads through very small water droplets expelled from the mouth and nose by coughs and sneezes.  These droplets are so small that they float in the air for many minutes.  Some of the droplets will fall on the surface of furniture and fixtures.  People touching these surfaces may be able to infect themselves if they immediately touch their face, their eye or the inside of their mouth.  Depending on the surface, the virus is inactivated within minutes or hours after landing.  The virus could also be transferred to door knobs, chair backs, switches, office stationary items and other places frequently touched by many people.  These surfaces should be cleaned with sanitizing wipes after every group meeting.  Other surfaces should be cleaned as part of normal, periodic cleaning[1] ^[2].

Given the guidelines from the CDC, the State of Illinois and the Northern Illinois Conference, our Safe Church Committee continues to discuss how the church will adapt as the State transitions from Phases II to III and III to IV.  

While Phase III is currently in effect, and it allows for gathering of groups of less than 10, we do not anticipate any changes to our current guidelines and  policies.   What does this mean?

Q:   There has been a lot of discussion about “contact tracing.”   How will UMCL do this?

A:   As we begin to allow access to the staff in Phase III and small groups in Phase IV, we will establish an entry/exit point with a logbook that will require individuals to log in, indicating when and where they went and when they leave the building.   This will let us know with whom they were in contact should anyone contract COVID-19.

Q:   Can we have food or beverages with our meetings?

A:   Currently, no shared food or drink is allowed.  

Q:  Why is there hesitancy toward holding services in the sanctuary during Phase IV?

A:  This is a tough question.  Unfortunately, the coordination required to hold multiple services of less than 40 people (there will be at least 5-10 to run the service) is extensive and not practical.   The facility must be disinfected before and after each service, spacing has to be determined in the sanctuary and control over parking and entry/exit must be enforced. Communion, as we are accustomed to it, cannot be given, singing is strongly not recommended; there is even a recommendation for pastors to wear face shields.  Masks must continue to be worn.   Given all of these requirements and the preparation required, it simply is not effective to hold services for 40 people. 

Q:  Will the church provide sanitizing materials?

A:  Yes.  The church has procured sanitizer “stations” for emplacement throughout the facility. The trustees will be tasked to prepare a plan to procure either the services to disinfect rooms and facilities, or the equipment to do it internally.   Additionally, safe distancing guidelines will be posted throughout the building, and maps of hand sanitizer locations will be posted.  

Q:  What about the youth programs?

A:  Youth will not be able to meet in the building until Phase IV.   We are working with the youth ministry to develop a plan for them to start in Phase III.  

Q:  What about choir?

A:  Unfortunately, our choir cannot safely perform together anytime soon – even after Phase IV.   Singing, unfortunately, is a very prolific way that COVID-19 can spread.   We are evaluating whether the Bells can record after Phase IV, but our music will continue to be both virtual and/or solo performances. 

Q:   My committee would like to meet at the church.   What do we do?

A:   In the coming weeks, guidance will be provided on where and how to reserve spaces for meetings during Phase IV.   Each room in the building will be analyzed for capacity to meet safe distancing guidelines.   Dependent on your meeting size, a room may be scheduled. Participants will be required to “log in” and “log out” as they enter/exit the building and to practice social distancing and safe practices.

Q:  Will the restrooms be available?

A:  Yes, but they will be limited to one person at a time and signs or locks will be in place to control access.   They will be disinfected as required.

Safe Church Committee

Mike Foley, Chair                                     John Aten

Jay Carr, Senior Pastor                            Tom Seibert
Dave Aumuller                                          Steve March
Herb Spooner

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html

[2] https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2