Community Chat

[alicedee]

We received letters stating changes that include:

...Limit of 125 in the church

...Eliminating one Sunday Mass, as thorough cleaning has to happen afterward.

...Everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask

...No passing the basket...there will be spots to drop your offering

...Communion Host only in the hand...no Cup.

...Social distancing n the pews

...No choir

...Final blessing will be before Communion...after receiving, people will leave the church...preventing everyone leaving at the same time.

They will continue to stream Mass online for those who can't/are not comfortable attending.

[Mom2Dogs]

@BrandiDavis   What you describe sounds like Catholic or maybe and other religion....Lutheran?  Not sure.

In my church communion is a single, small cup that you drink from and then put in a holder in front of your chair.  The bread is  on a plate (small pieces) everyone takes their bread from that plate and then passes the plate.  Communion is done 1x per month.  We NEVER kiss the hand of our minister or pastor as some call him!!

[Greeneyedlady21]

For personal reasons I left my church long before this pandemic. If I had found another one I would not be going to services now, would not be comfortable with that.

[CelticCrafter]

---

@golding76 wrote:

We have the limited numbers, too.  You must "register" to attend the service, and an usher will lead you to your seat when you arrive at the church.

Offerings will be given at the end of the service as we exit.  (Place donations in a basket.)

Every other pew empty.

Families who have sheltered together may sit together.

You must arrive in your own vehicle, not a Lyft, Uber or public transportation.  Someone may bring you and take you home, though.

Give your full name and address and contact info upon entering the narthex.  The list goes on and on.

---

If you can be dropped off and picked up how do they you aren't being dropped off in an Uber or Lyft?
As far as providing name, address, etc., that would be a no for me.  I have nothing to hide however certain "requirements" rub me the wrong way.

[DiAnne]

I don't think there should be a ban on church services as long as you are not endangering anyone else but the basic problem is unless that is only place you go you will be.  

[golding76]

CelticCrafter,

I wasn't clear about having a friend or relative bringing you to the church and taking you home.  The presumption is that that individual would accompany you to the Liturgy.  I've scratched my head over this directive, and I'm thinking that they want you to be able to go home immediately if any COVID-19 emergency arises.

As for registering your name and contact info, that is so they are able to contact -- with relative ease -- all who have attended a service where, it is later discovered, someone or an individual clost to them came down with coronavirus.

All I know is that I will not be attending services in person for a very long while.  That saddens me, but I do not want to put myself and others at risk. 

[noodleann]

---

@golding76 wrote:

CelticCrafter,

I wasn't clear about having a friend or relative bringing you to the church and taking you home.  The presumption is that that individual would accompany you to the Liturgy.  I've scratched my head over this directive, and I'm thinking that they want you to be able to go home immediately if any COVID-19 emergency arises.

As for registering your name and contact info, that is so they are able to contact -- with relative ease -- all who have attended a service where, it is later discovered, someone or an individual clost to them came down with coronavirus.

All I know is that I will not be attending services in person for a very long while.  That saddens me, but I do not want to put myself and others at risk. 

---

But if the proper protocols are followed,  there should be no chance of contact sufficient to transmit the virus, right?

ETA that stores don't require you to share your contact info to shop, so why would a properly run church service be any different?

[wilma]

---

@alicedee wrote:

We received letters stating changes that include:

...Limit of 125 in the church

...Eliminating one Sunday Mass, as thorough cleaning has to happen afterward.

...Everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask

...No passing the basket...there will be spots to drop your offering

...Communion Host only in the hand...no Cup.

...Social distancing n the pews

...No choir

...Final blessing will be before Communion...after receiving, people will leave the church...preventing everyone leaving at the same time.

They will continue to stream Mass online for those who can't/are not comfortable attending.

---

@alicedee 

Sounds exactly like the rules in place at my parish, except only allowing 75 people. I’m staying home since I am at risk. 

[golding76]

noodleann,

In my heart of hearts, I regard all these directives as attempts to stave off the virus, to keep it from spreading easily.  I do not think that these directives will be 100 percent effective; therefore, an errant coronavirus droplet can float from a fellow parishioner's cough to me (if present in the congregaton) when the first sign of his or her infection becomes evident (a cough that sent a droplet my way).

I try to be very realistic about what is possible and what is not possible.  I'm all about best practices, though.  If we can stop an easy transmission, I'm all for slowing down this pernicious infection.