Regathering Information for Grace Church
October 27, 2020
Thanks to the work of the Regathering Committee and Chris Berry, we have received approval from the Diocese to re-gather for in-person worship under the following guidelines and provisions, and provided that the number of positive covid-19 cases remains below 3% of those tested on the Vineyard. Should that percentage of positive cases on the Vineyard reach 3% or more, we will notify you by email that in-person worship is cancelled and that we will revert to our online zoom worship on Sundays. If the 3% level of infection is reached, meetings and small group meetings will not meet in any of the parish buildings.
Because we know that many are not yet ready to be in church physically, we have invested in our wireless capability so that we will be able to continue our ability to hold services online. The difference is that now we will be holding our zoom worship service from inside Grace Church.
Our intent is to offer the same service at the same time to those physically in church and those online. Now that we have the internet capacity, the decision has been made that all Grace Church events, religious services, meetings, small group work, etc., will be available in person and online.
Parish Committees and Groups
Starting on November 2, all Parish Committees and groups will be able to meet in the Parish Hall, subject to the following conditions.
• All in person meetings need to have a zoom link for those not yet ready to gather in person
• Meetings (except for Vestry Meetings) are to be held in the Parish Hall between the hours of 9am and 1pm to allow for cleaning between meetings and before the offices are closed for the day.
• All meetings must take place between Monday and Friday. We are not scheduling or hosting weekend meetings except for Church services at this time.
• The kitchen, including the coffee machine and kettle, is not available for use at this time.
• Please schedule your meeting with Maureen O’Malley, our Parish Administrator, in advance.
• The Andersen Room is not available because it is too small for physical distancing and harder to clean.
Church Services and Worship
Subject to the 3% number of positive cases on the Vineyard, we are able to re-gather for in-person worship at Grace Church under the guidelines and protocols of the Commonwealth and the Diocese of Massachusetts:
• Seating is limited to 40% of capacity and 6 feet minimum distance between persons not in the same household bubble. For us, that means 26 people in the church and 12 in the Parish Hall, for a total of 38 maximum per service at this time.
• There will be no congregational singing, as singing increases the possibility of infection;
• Sunday School and Coffee Hour are suspended at this point;
• The 6 foot distance is to be maintained during the Exchange of the Peace; and
• Offering plates are to be placed at the back of the church and not passed among/to the Congregation.
• Masks are required throughout the service and will be provided as needed.
• Everyone is required to wash their hands before entering the seating area.
• For potential contact tracing purposes, those present will be asked for their name(s) and contact information. Should anyone present test positive for Covid-19, a copy of the record of attendance will be given to the Tisbury Board of Health.
Conditions unique to Grace Church
• We have two congregational seating areas: the Church itself and the Parish Hall.
• If you enter the Church from William Street, you will be asked to remain in the church throughout the service, unless you need the restrooms. If such is the case, please follow the directional arrows on the floor to comply with the distancing requirement.
• If you enter the Parish Hall from Woodlawn Avenue, you will be asked to remain in the Parish Hall throughout the service.
• Wes Nagy and Jan Hyer will remain seated at or next to the piano throughout the service.
• In the Church, seating is available at the ends of every third pew; in the Parish Hall, chairs have been set up at a 6’ distance.
• Families or members in the same household bubble will be seated next to each other, either by all sitting in the same pew in Church or by moving additional chairs together in the Parish Hall
• In order to reduce the possibility of infection, both the Church and the Parish Hall will be seated from the front. This means that the front row of seating areas will be filled first, and then moving to the back. Exiting will be from the back rows first so that people are not walking by each other.
• There will be an usher at the entrance to the Church and at the entrance to the Parish Hall. Please be ready to sanitize your hands as you give them your name and contact information and then sit where they indicate.
• A bulletin will be placed on the designated seating areas in advance. This reduces the need for shared materials and indicates seating. Please bring the bulletin home with you.
Bathrooms and Cleaning
• The bathrooms (and everything else) will be cleaned before Sunday. There will be a can of disinfecting spray in each bathroom. Please spray the toilet and sink handles after use.
• The Church, Parish Hall, and bathrooms will be cleaned after each service.
Respectfully submitted,
Deborah Medders
Joan Merry
Maureen O’Malley
The Rev’d Stephen Harding, Rector
Regathering Committee
Thanks to the work of the Regathering Committee and Chris Berry, we have received approval from the Diocese to re-gather for in-person worship under the following guidelines and provisions, and provided that the number of positive covid-19 cases remains below 3% of those tested on the Vineyard. Should that percentage of positive cases on the Vineyard reach 3% or more, we will notify you by email that in-person worship is cancelled and that we will revert to our online zoom worship on Sundays. If the 3% level of infection is reached, meetings and small group meetings will not meet in any of the parish buildings.
Because we know that many are not yet ready to be in church physically, we have invested in our wireless capability so that we will be able to continue our ability to hold services online. The difference is that now we will be holding our zoom worship service from inside Grace Church.
Our intent is to offer the same service at the same time to those physically in church and those online. Now that we have the internet capacity, the decision has been made that all Grace Church events, religious services, meetings, small group work, etc., will be available in person and online.
Parish Committees and Groups
Starting on November 2, all Parish Committees and groups will be able to meet in the Parish Hall, subject to the following conditions.
• All in person meetings need to have a zoom link for those not yet ready to gather in person
• Meetings (except for Vestry Meetings) are to be held in the Parish Hall between the hours of 9am and 1pm to allow for cleaning between meetings and before the offices are closed for the day.
• All meetings must take place between Monday and Friday. We are not scheduling or hosting weekend meetings except for Church services at this time.
• The kitchen, including the coffee machine and kettle, is not available for use at this time.
• Please schedule your meeting with Maureen O’Malley, our Parish Administrator, in advance.
• The Andersen Room is not available because it is too small for physical distancing and harder to clean.
Church Services and Worship
Subject to the 3% number of positive cases on the Vineyard, we are able to re-gather for in-person worship at Grace Church under the guidelines and protocols of the Commonwealth and the Diocese of Massachusetts:
• Seating is limited to 40% of capacity and 6 feet minimum distance between persons not in the same household bubble. For us, that means 26 people in the church and 12 in the Parish Hall, for a total of 38 maximum per service at this time.
• There will be no congregational singing, as singing increases the possibility of infection;
• Sunday School and Coffee Hour are suspended at this point;
• The 6 foot distance is to be maintained during the Exchange of the Peace; and
• Offering plates are to be placed at the back of the church and not passed among/to the Congregation.
• Masks are required throughout the service and will be provided as needed.
• Everyone is required to wash their hands before entering the seating area.
• For potential contact tracing purposes, those present will be asked for their name(s) and contact information. Should anyone present test positive for Covid-19, a copy of the record of attendance will be given to the Tisbury Board of Health.
Conditions unique to Grace Church
• We have two congregational seating areas: the Church itself and the Parish Hall.
• If you enter the Church from William Street, you will be asked to remain in the church throughout the service, unless you need the restrooms. If such is the case, please follow the directional arrows on the floor to comply with the distancing requirement.
• If you enter the Parish Hall from Woodlawn Avenue, you will be asked to remain in the Parish Hall throughout the service.
• Wes Nagy and Jan Hyer will remain seated at or next to the piano throughout the service.
• In the Church, seating is available at the ends of every third pew; in the Parish Hall, chairs have been set up at a 6’ distance.
• Families or members in the same household bubble will be seated next to each other, either by all sitting in the same pew in Church or by moving additional chairs together in the Parish Hall
• In order to reduce the possibility of infection, both the Church and the Parish Hall will be seated from the front. This means that the front row of seating areas will be filled first, and then moving to the back. Exiting will be from the back rows first so that people are not walking by each other.
• There will be an usher at the entrance to the Church and at the entrance to the Parish Hall. Please be ready to sanitize your hands as you give them your name and contact information and then sit where they indicate.
• A bulletin will be placed on the designated seating areas in advance. This reduces the need for shared materials and indicates seating. Please bring the bulletin home with you.
Bathrooms and Cleaning
• The bathrooms (and everything else) will be cleaned before Sunday. There will be a can of disinfecting spray in each bathroom. Please spray the toilet and sink handles after use.
• The Church, Parish Hall, and bathrooms will be cleaned after each service.
Respectfully submitted,
Deborah Medders
Joan Merry
Maureen O’Malley
The Rev’d Stephen Harding, Rector
Regathering Committee
A Journey by Stages: the Diocese of Western Massachusetts & Diocese of Massachusetts' Guidance from our Bishops for Re-Gathering
Click on the image or here to be brought to the full document from our Bishops.
Scroll down for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Mandatory Protocols...
