All Saints' Episcopal Church Jensen Beach, Florida
Reopening Protocols For Within The Church Campus September 2020
September 2, 2020 My Dear Friends: This Handbook provides the protocols by which the Church Family of All Saints’, our friends, and the general public, shall function when our Campus is reopened for in-persons worship, gatherings, and meetings. These protocols cover all the buildings on our Campus. The expectation is that all individuals will comply with these protocols as we seek to safeguard the health of our community and to protect our campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Saint Paul reminds us in his letter to the Church in Philippi, “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others” (Philippians 2.4). We love and are interested in you, your safety, and your health. My thanks and appreciation to the members of the Re-Entry Planning Task Force, including Eula Clarke, Pam Hurd, Lelah Marzi, Jenny McDonald, Jack Miller, Paul Neff, Julie Preast, Joan Whitting, and Bill Winsemann, for the diligent and tremendous work they have done in this process. We hope that when you visit our Campus, you will feel safe and comfortable, and pray you will continue to be healthy. With love and every blessing! The Reverend Dr. Anthony B. Holder Rector
GENERAL INFORMATION A record shall be kept of all persons who enter every building on the Campus. Our campus shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before, between, and after use. UV Germicidal light kits with filters are installed in the air conditioning systems which destroy viruses, bacteria, mold, fungi, and other microbes from the recycled air in the room. UV Germicidal light kits with filters may also assist in reducing the threat of COVID-19 and other diseases in the buildings. The live streaming of the 10 am services shall continue.
Compliance with safety measures and consideration for others are most appreciated. On the first two Sundays (August 23 and 30), a maximum of 10 persons gathered in the Church Building, including the Celebrant, Lay Eucharistic Minister, the Warden or Vestry member, Ushers and Greeters, for the 8 and 10 a.m. services. The purpose for the maximum of 10 persons on those two Sundays of re- entry was for “practice and learning from the experience of corporate worship under very different conditions and making adjustments in the light of the experience.” The plan is to move toward the maximum accommodation of households in both the Church Building and Houg Hall (exercising social/physical distancing requirements) for worship services. Reservations to attend worship services of your choice shall be made by calling the Church Office at: 772.334.0610. Deadline for reservations for Sunday Eucharist shall be on Fridays at 12 noon. Wednesday Healing Services will remain on hiatus until further notice but when it resumes, the deadline will be Tuesday at 12 noon.
While making reservations, you shall be asked your recent travel history via airplane in the last 2 weeks, whether you had contact with COVID- 19 individuals, and the state of your health (whether you have had the virus or symptoms, etc.). If any response is in the affirmative, you will need to defer for 2 weeks. If the reservation list is filled for any service, congregants may make a reservation for a subsequent service. Two seats in the Church Building shall be made available for guests. A reservation list, with names and contact information of congregants, shall be provided to the Usher prior to services for record of attendance. A record shall be kept of all persons who attend each service; the record of attendance shall be based on the reservation list, as checked by the Usher.
CHURCH BUILDING Worship Support Team members (namely Ushers, Greeters and Wardens) shall wear masks throughout the worship service and shall wear gloves when interacting with congregants. A Warden or Vestry member shall act in a supervisory role at all services. Entry shall be via the south entrance of the Church Building. Congregants needing to use the ADA ramp shall access via the north entrance. Temperature checks shall be performed on all congregants before entry. Only congregants with temperatures under 100.4F shall be allowed entry. All congregants and Worship Support Team members must sanitize their hands prior to entry. Touchless hand sanitizing stations shall be set up at the entrance to the building and will be supervised by the Ushers. All persons who feel ill are to stay at home. Individuals who are coughing and/or sneezing repeatedly, or exhibit any flu-like symptoms shall not be allowed to enter. Signage shall be placed in visible locations inside and outside the Church Building and the Celebrant shall make announcements explaining the protocols to be followed before the commencement of every service.
Services shall be no longer than 60 to 75 minutes in duration. CHURCH BUILDING All congregants must wear face masks except for children under two (2) years of age. You are encouraged to bring your own; however, a limited number of masks shall be made available if you do not have one. There shall be a physical distance of at least 6 feet between all persons attending worship services. There shall be no physical contact between congregants or with the Clergy. The Church’s hymnals and Books of Common Prayer, will not be used. Congregants may bring their own from home, if desired. Bulletins, with the full Order of Service and Announcements, shall be provided for services. All safety measures (that is, the wearing of gloves and masks) for producing the bulletins shall be exercised. Congregants are encouraged to take their Bulletins with them or to dispose of them in the trash container provided in the narthex/foyer. Congregants shall have the option of using their iPads, tablets or mobile phones, to view the bulletin, which will be online on the Church’s website or by scanning a QR code at the entrance to the Church Building. Electronic devices must have QR code capability to scan. Plan to download the bulletin before the service to prevent internet overload.
Each congregant shall individually have at least 36 square feet of space in CHURCH BUILDING the Church Building unless they are members of the same household. Seating shall be arranged from front to back on entry. Pews shall be clearly marked showing availability for seating and non- seating. Congregants shall sit in every other pew. Congregants shall be seated at least 6 feet from the aisle in a pew. Members of the same household may sit together provided they are sitting at least 6 feet from the aisle. Congregants are not expected to move around during services except in emergency situations. Once in the pew, congregants may either sit or stand at the appropriate times, but there shall be no kneeling. (Kneelers will not be used to minimize cleaning requirements). There shall be no personal greeting of the Peace. Congregants are to remain in their pews and may give the peace sign or some other signal of peace from a distance. A basket/plate shall be placed at the entrance of the Church Building and congregants are encouraged to place their offering as they enter.
There shall be no choir during the 10 a.m. Service and no choir practice. Singing shall not be allowed. Music during the 10 a.m. Service shall be played through the sound system. Baptisms may be performed with the limit of the persons attending that is required at the time that the baptism is scheduled (See Diocesan Customary on our web site for more information). Marriages and Funerals may be conducted, following the directives for maximum numbers and gatherings that apply at the time. (See Diocesan Customary on our web site for more information). The laying on of hands in prayer, anointing, etc. are suspended until further notice. Communion shall only be administered in one kind – the Bread (the Body of Christ). Congregants are to remain in their pews during the administration of communion (the Body of Christ), which shall be brought to them by the Celebrant.
The Celebrant shall wear a face mask during the administration of CHURCH BUILDING communion, and use tongs to place the Bread in the hands of congregants. The live streaming of services shall continue on Sundays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. At least one hour shall be allowed between the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services to allow for a full sanitization of the interior of the Church Building, including all restrooms, fixtures, and equipment. There shall be no assembling of congregants inside or outside of the Church Building, before or after services. Route from the Church Building to the restrooms in Houg Hall shall be through the north door of the Church Building to avoid congestion at the south entrance. (See Restrooms protocols). When leaving the Church Building, congregants shall exit through the south door (the same door they entered). Congregants will exit pew by pew (from back to front) while practicing physical and social distancing. Coffee Hour shall continue to be on ZOOM, after the 10 a.m. service. Congregants shall be given the time to return home to participate.
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