We are so excited to be taking our next steps in our reopening plan. On September 13th we will begin offering weekly, in-person, Sunday worship services that will be live streamed. This represents a significant turn of our “dimmer switch” towards our new normal. We’re excited to share some details with you about how this is all going to work.
As we read these plans let’s remember that our identity has not changed. The same community-minded, relational spirit that has long defined Neighbourhood Church remains in place. We are now, as always, committed to being followers of Jesus who treat one another with gentleness, kindness, and patience.
We need to also remember that God has been preparing us for this moment. Even as we continue to grieve the loss of the familiar and as we adopt practices that feel more formal than what we’re used to, let’s remind ourselves that we are doing so willingly as an act of love and service to one another and to our city.
COVID Protocols:
In June we published our COVID protocols for our community. We have since modified them slightly to include things like mandatory mask use during singing. Please re-familiarize yourself with them by clicking here.
Sign Up:
In order to attend an in-person service we will need you to sign up in advance. This will allow us to ensure that we remain within our 50-person capacity. We have selected an easy-to-use website specifically designed for churches reopening during COVID. A link to sign up for the upcoming Sunday will be emailed to the congregation every Monday. Follow the website’s prompts and reserve spaces for each member of your household that will be attending.
Frequency of Attendance:
There are over 200 people who call NC their church home. To ensure everyone has an opportunity to attend in-person services we ask that you sign up for one service per month.
However, if there are still spots available for Sunday’s service on Friday morning, an additional email will be sent to the congregation; these spots are available to anyone, including those who have already attended a service that month.
Sunday School:
We will be offering Sunday School for kids in preschool-grade 6. A more detailed email regarding the plan for NC kids will be sent to parents.
Church At Home:
The in-person service will be live-streamed for those who are unable to attend. We are thinking creatively about how to help those at home to feel as much a part of our service as possible. A couple of examples include the continuation of Sarah’s Korner (so that kids at home can still have Sunday School) and we are working on a way to have viewers at home comment or ask questions during the sermon portion of the service.
Newcomers:
A huge part of our church’s mission is to welcome outsiders into our community. We don’t want to lose this aspect of our calling in the COVID era and so we will be reserving a limited amount of spots each week for visitors & seekers. If you have someone from outside the church that you would like to invite to attend please contact one of the church staff members.
Growing Pains:
As we ramp up, we fully expect there to be some growing pains. Some of our ideas will work well others will require modifications as we go. During this time of transition we ask for your patience and feedback about what is working well and what is not. We fully expect it to take several weeks to hit our stride in our new normal.