return to In-person worship faqs

Frequently asked questions:


What time will service begin? 

Service will begin at 10:00am.  

 

How do I register to attend in-person worship? 

You may call the church office at 717-763-7632 or log into our website at www.graceumlemoyne.org.  

 

What time will the doors open? 

Doors to the sanctuary will remain locked until 5 minutes prior to the service. 

 

Will masks be required?

Face coverings worn over your nose and mouth are required 100% of the time you are in the building.  This is the simplest way we can prevent the spread of the virus and love our neighbor.  We will vehemently enforce this requirement. 

 

Will we be able to sing/pray together? 

Sadly, for the time being, we will not be able to sing together.  We will, however, have special music each week, during which we can reflect on God’s great love for us.  We will also be unable to recite prayers together.  The worship leader will lead in a prayer, however, we encourage you to say the prayer in your heart. 


Will the service still be offered online? 

Yes!  We are an online church!  We will continue to be so.  We are actively looking for ways to continue to engage our online community in mission and ministry in their local contexts and in ours! 


How will we celebrate Communion?

Communion will not be celebrated for the time being. 


How will we pass the peace of Christ with one another?

There will be no formal “passing of the peace” as we have come to understand it during the service.  We are also discouraging congregants from shaking hands or hugging (VERY DIFFICULT, I KNOW!)  Instead, greet each other with a peace sign (two fingers), a wave, a bow greet one another  the way they do in Tamil Nadu, India:  Simply place your hands in a “prayer position” just below your eyes and greet each other with the phrase “Namaste”, which means “the holiness in me bows to the holiness in you.” 


What if I’m uncomfortable returning to worship?

There is not a space on Earth that we can create where God cannot be!  God is present as you worship in your home and God is present when you worship in the sanctuary.  I assure you, there is no theological or spiritual reason to believe that worship in the sanctuary is the “major leagues” while worship online or at home is the “minor leagues”.  No…they are the same thing!  If you are uncomfortable returning to in person worship at this time, WE UNDERSTAND!  We will look forward to seeing you as soon as we can see you!  Further, if you are uncomfortable returning to worship at this time, we still value you, we still love you and you are still a loved and precious child of God!  DO NOT FEEL PRESSURED TO RETURN TO IN-PERSON WORSHIP IF THIS IS NOT THE BEST DECISION FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY! 


You may also join us in the parking lot at 8:30am!  

 

What is our capacity?

Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Health updated indoor capacity standards.  We are allowed to have twenty-five percent of our seating capacity.  This puts our capacity at around 40 people until further notice.  We are following the recommendations of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church and other health organizations.  If and when those recommendations change, we will revisit our recommendations. 

 

What happens if a number of people more than our capacity register? 

Week by week, we will decide if there needs to be a service added.  If so, the service will begin at 11:15.  We will ask registrants if their schedule will allow them to attend this service.  We will attempt to “even out” the attendance as much as possible.  For example, if 36 people register, we may try to have two services of 18, rather than one of 30 and one of 5. 

 

What about visitors? 

We will ask each registrant if they would be willing to offer their seat to a visitor that would “randomly” show up at our church.  If they are willing and a visitor comes, we will simply alert the participant and direct them to the Sunday School Auditorium, where they can listen to the service with other worshippers. 

 

How will the sanctuary be sanitized between Sundays? 

We purchased a device called a “cold fogger” which creates an extremely fine mist of disinfectant.  The solution is safe for our pew covers and immediately sanitizes and kills 99.98% of viruses.  Between Sundays, the sanctuary will be sanitized, using this fog/solution.  

 

 What about Sunday School? 

At this point, Sunday School will be online only.  We continue to monitor and check into ways to resume in-person study.  Our online Sunday School class will continue to meet at 11am.  

 

What do I need to know when I get in the sanctuary? 

While there will be a greeter or greeters to help, most of the information can be found in this fun safety video we created.  It’s a parody of a safety video for the ride “Soarin’” at Disney World. 


Can I see a list of the safety protocols approved by the church council? 

You sure can!  They appear on our website.

Any other questions?  Please contact us at 717-763-7632 or via email at office@graceumlemoyne.org


WELCOME BACK! 

 

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