Grace Church's Guidelines & Background for
making the in-person worship decision
The following document of March 25, 2021, is the Guidance and background that goes into our decision
on re-gathering indoors and in person for worship and meetings.
on re-gathering indoors and in person for worship and meetings.
March 25, 2021
Update from the Re-gathering & Worship Committees
In response to Bishop Gates & Harris’ March 4 guidance for not re-gathering indoors for worship until at least April 19, the Re-gathering and Worship Committees had a joint meeting earlier this week. The purpose was to think about our own circumstances at Grace Church, the wider context of the Vineyard, and what public worship might look like as we move through the Spring.
Summary
After discussion, the Regathering and Worship Committees agreed that It was not safe to regather for indoor in-person worship at this time. Online services will continue to be offered at 10am on Sundays until further notice, and will be supplemented by an outdoor in-person service at 8am on Sundays, beginning on Easter Sunday, with an 8:30am outdoor in-person service on Palm Sunday.
Grace Church Committees and Groups of less than ten in number may meet in person in the Parish Hall, provided that all present have received their final covid-19 vaccination shot and the suggested time period for safety has elapsed. Online participation for every meeting and service will continue to be provided by Grace Church
Community Suppers, Lobster Rolls, and Project Headway are deemed essential services and will continue their operation under all applicable guidelines and parameters.
Grace Church will continue to assess the context of Martha’s Vineyard through Memorial Day before making its next decision about the viability of regathering for indoor in-person worship.
Grace Church will continue to follow the guidelines and parameters of the Commonwealth, our Diocese, the Town of Tisbury, and common sense in order to protect the safety of our congregation, parishioners, and all who use our buildings.
Context
Philosophy of Response
Our guiding philosophy throughout this past year has been the safety of our parishioners and those who use the building. Our commitment to keeping everyone safe is unchanged. We have and will continue to observe the parameters and guidelines of the Commonwealth, our Diocese and the town of Tisbury for indoor and outdoor gatherings at Grace Church.
OODA Loop as Model for Response
Throughout this past year Grace Church has developed its response to our local covid-19 conditions by using the OODA Loop model: (Observe, Orient, make a Decision, Act on that decision, then starting the process over, based on the new circumstance generated by one’s action). Following this model, our planning over the last year has generally not looked more than one or two months ahead as a block of time, due to the rapidly changing conditions we have experienced.
Block of Time
The next block of time for us is the Easter Season which takes us up to Memorial Day. After that (in general terms), blocks of time are the summer and Labor Day. Beyond Labor Day is too far ahead to plan for specific actions on our part.
Conditions
The unfolding vaccination process in the Commonwealth and across the country remains uneven, with “anti-vaxxers” refusing to receive the vaccination. The unevenness of the process and the lack of universal vaccination, together with the emerging variants of the covid-19 virus make this time period more susceptible to infection and more dangerous to our congregation, which is older, than the pre-vaccination time.
Seasonal Influx of Population
Martha’s Vineyard’s population is not a stable one. Seasonal residents and visitors flood the Island in the summer and shoulder seasons. Even with the on-Island vaccinated population, the threat of infection from a resident of a state where the standards for masking, distance and vaccination are less stringent is high.
Diocesan Approval to Re-gather in Person for Worship
Following the Diocesan guidelines, the Re-gathering Committee of Grace Church developed a plan for re-gathering in October 2020, and received permission from the Diocese to re-gather for in-person indoor worship when circumstances allow, subject to the diocesan guidelines for in-person indoor worship. At this time, that permission does not have to be re-sought.
Types of Worship
Grace Church, with the support of its congregation and parishioners, has successfully made the transition to online worship and offers online Morning Prayer and online Spiritual Communion, both with music and hymns.
Indoor in-person worship is not yet possible before April 19, as per the Bishops’ March 4 directive, with the possibility that it may not be possible until a date after April 19.
Outdoor in-person worship is a possibility for Grace Church, which held outdoor in-person worship services at Christmas and on Ash Wednesday.
In-Person Meetings
In-person meetings of some Grace Church groups and committees with a ten person limit are now able to be held in the Parish Hall, if all in-person participants have received their full complement of vaccination shots, and if the meeting is held two weeks after the most recent second vaccination (or similar time frame if the vaccine requires only a single dose.)
Online availability of Religious Service and Meetings
Grace Church will continue to make all of its meetings and service available online to those who wish to attend but are not able to.
Lobster Rolls, Community Suppers, and Project Headway
Lobster Rolls, Community Suppers, and Project Headway are all classified as essential ministries of Grace Church and will continue to operate as such, subject to all applicable health and safety guidelines.
Conclusion
Grace Church will continue to be guided by the guidelines, parameters, and direction from the Commonwealth, the Diocese, the Town of Tisbury, and common sense to ensure the safety of our congregation, parish, and visitors.
Outdoor services will begin to be offered at 8:30am on Palm Sunday, and at 8:00am each Sunday thereafter, subject to the limits for outdoor gatherings. If there is higher demand for outdoor worship than the size limit permits, we will add another outdoor service(s) to meet that demand.
The Regathering and Worship Committees will continue to meet to reassess our context on the Vineyard and to evaluate our context with regard to the ongoing guidelines from the Commonwealth, Diocese, and Town of Tisbury.
We will continue to follow our OODA Loop model of assessment, continuing to think in blocks of time of up to three months ahead of the current time.
Update from the Re-gathering & Worship Committees
In response to Bishop Gates & Harris’ March 4 guidance for not re-gathering indoors for worship until at least April 19, the Re-gathering and Worship Committees had a joint meeting earlier this week. The purpose was to think about our own circumstances at Grace Church, the wider context of the Vineyard, and what public worship might look like as we move through the Spring.
Summary
After discussion, the Regathering and Worship Committees agreed that It was not safe to regather for indoor in-person worship at this time. Online services will continue to be offered at 10am on Sundays until further notice, and will be supplemented by an outdoor in-person service at 8am on Sundays, beginning on Easter Sunday, with an 8:30am outdoor in-person service on Palm Sunday.
Grace Church Committees and Groups of less than ten in number may meet in person in the Parish Hall, provided that all present have received their final covid-19 vaccination shot and the suggested time period for safety has elapsed. Online participation for every meeting and service will continue to be provided by Grace Church
Community Suppers, Lobster Rolls, and Project Headway are deemed essential services and will continue their operation under all applicable guidelines and parameters.
Grace Church will continue to assess the context of Martha’s Vineyard through Memorial Day before making its next decision about the viability of regathering for indoor in-person worship.
Grace Church will continue to follow the guidelines and parameters of the Commonwealth, our Diocese, the Town of Tisbury, and common sense in order to protect the safety of our congregation, parishioners, and all who use our buildings.
Context
Philosophy of Response
Our guiding philosophy throughout this past year has been the safety of our parishioners and those who use the building. Our commitment to keeping everyone safe is unchanged. We have and will continue to observe the parameters and guidelines of the Commonwealth, our Diocese and the town of Tisbury for indoor and outdoor gatherings at Grace Church.
OODA Loop as Model for Response
Throughout this past year Grace Church has developed its response to our local covid-19 conditions by using the OODA Loop model: (Observe, Orient, make a Decision, Act on that decision, then starting the process over, based on the new circumstance generated by one’s action). Following this model, our planning over the last year has generally not looked more than one or two months ahead as a block of time, due to the rapidly changing conditions we have experienced.
Block of Time
The next block of time for us is the Easter Season which takes us up to Memorial Day. After that (in general terms), blocks of time are the summer and Labor Day. Beyond Labor Day is too far ahead to plan for specific actions on our part.
Conditions
The unfolding vaccination process in the Commonwealth and across the country remains uneven, with “anti-vaxxers” refusing to receive the vaccination. The unevenness of the process and the lack of universal vaccination, together with the emerging variants of the covid-19 virus make this time period more susceptible to infection and more dangerous to our congregation, which is older, than the pre-vaccination time.
Seasonal Influx of Population
Martha’s Vineyard’s population is not a stable one. Seasonal residents and visitors flood the Island in the summer and shoulder seasons. Even with the on-Island vaccinated population, the threat of infection from a resident of a state where the standards for masking, distance and vaccination are less stringent is high.
Diocesan Approval to Re-gather in Person for Worship
Following the Diocesan guidelines, the Re-gathering Committee of Grace Church developed a plan for re-gathering in October 2020, and received permission from the Diocese to re-gather for in-person indoor worship when circumstances allow, subject to the diocesan guidelines for in-person indoor worship. At this time, that permission does not have to be re-sought.
Types of Worship
Grace Church, with the support of its congregation and parishioners, has successfully made the transition to online worship and offers online Morning Prayer and online Spiritual Communion, both with music and hymns.
Indoor in-person worship is not yet possible before April 19, as per the Bishops’ March 4 directive, with the possibility that it may not be possible until a date after April 19.
Outdoor in-person worship is a possibility for Grace Church, which held outdoor in-person worship services at Christmas and on Ash Wednesday.
In-Person Meetings
In-person meetings of some Grace Church groups and committees with a ten person limit are now able to be held in the Parish Hall, if all in-person participants have received their full complement of vaccination shots, and if the meeting is held two weeks after the most recent second vaccination (or similar time frame if the vaccine requires only a single dose.)
Online availability of Religious Service and Meetings
Grace Church will continue to make all of its meetings and service available online to those who wish to attend but are not able to.
Lobster Rolls, Community Suppers, and Project Headway
Lobster Rolls, Community Suppers, and Project Headway are all classified as essential ministries of Grace Church and will continue to operate as such, subject to all applicable health and safety guidelines.
Conclusion
Grace Church will continue to be guided by the guidelines, parameters, and direction from the Commonwealth, the Diocese, the Town of Tisbury, and common sense to ensure the safety of our congregation, parish, and visitors.
Outdoor services will begin to be offered at 8:30am on Palm Sunday, and at 8:00am each Sunday thereafter, subject to the limits for outdoor gatherings. If there is higher demand for outdoor worship than the size limit permits, we will add another outdoor service(s) to meet that demand.
The Regathering and Worship Committees will continue to meet to reassess our context on the Vineyard and to evaluate our context with regard to the ongoing guidelines from the Commonwealth, Diocese, and Town of Tisbury.
We will continue to follow our OODA Loop model of assessment, continuing to think in blocks of time of up to three months ahead of the current time.