GUIDELINES FOR REOPENING ST. PAUL BLOOMFIELD

The reopening date for St. Paul is Sunday, June 14. We will follow the Bishop’s recommendation on reopening with safety procedures in place. We are also reviewing and following the Michigan and CDC guidelines for business reopening. On our first day back, you will notice some significant changes in our service.

1. ARRIVING

A. When you first enter the building lobby, you will be greeted by volunteers standing behind a table with a see-thru Plexiglas partition. We want to be warm and welcoming, but we also want everyone to be safe. They will welcome you back. It’s been a long time not to see each other.

B. The volunteer will ask you some questions, such as, “How are you feeling today?” If you feel sick, please stay home and enjoy the sermon via our website at spumc.net.

C. They will either give you a face covering, or you can bring your own, to wear the entire time that you are in the building. If you choose not to wear one, then enjoy the sermon on our website.

D. You will receive a bulletin. Irene will safely prepare the bulletin and it will sit for a few days. It should be safe, the virus doesn’t like paper and soft material. In it will be the songs and scripture for the service. Hymnals, bibles, offering envelopes and pens will be removed from the pews until further notice. If you need something, contact the ushers and they will bring you a clean one.

2. SANCTUARY

A. We will be practicing social distancing while inside the building. This means staying 6 feet apart, about two arm lengths. Every other pew will be designated for St. Paul. The alternate pews are for Gospel Temple church, which meets after us. Sit with your family and practice social distancing from other church family members.

A number of pews in the rear will be cordoned off to minimize the sanitizing of the sanctuary after the service. Please, only sit in the pews that are designated for us.

B. Social distancing also means no hugs, handshakes or even elbow bumps. The congregation needs to demonstrate the correct behavior to any one who doesn’t follow our guideline.

C. The bulletin will contain the songs and bible verses for the service. Hymnals, bibles, offering envelopes and pens will be removed from the pews until further notice. If you need something, contact the ushers and they will bring you a clean one.

D. There will be no liturgist for now. Pastor will read the scripture for the day. All prayer requests or celebrations must be written down and announced by the pastor.

E. The ushers will not be passing the collection plates. They will be placed on either side of the aisle in the rear, similar to communion Sunday. Thank you for your continued support during the shutdown.

Simple Give is an online, easy, safe and virus free way to donate using our website. In these times, this is the safest way to give with the least direct contact.

F. We will all be wearing face coverings in the building. Singing is encouraged.

Choir will not meet in the summer months. A fall choir decision will be made later.

G. Communion will be done in one of two ways. Either a virtual communion led by the pastor or individual servings of juice and bread will be used.

H. Hand sanitizer will be placed in appropriate places.

3. AFTER THE SERVICE

Social gathering has always been a fun time for the church family as people meet and eat in the parlor. There will be a social time at the end of the service in the sanctuary, where we are observing social distancing. The parlor will not be used and there will be no food served.

We all look forward to returning to our beautiful building. However, the virus remains active. We will make the live service as safe as possible with the procedures presented today. Still, each person will need to assess their risk for attending. We will continue to record the service and make it available on our website. We will be broadcasting the service live at some point in the future.

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