Worship In Person

Important COVID-19 Update: The sanctuary is open on Sundays.

St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church exists in joyful response to God’s saving grace for the world through Jesus Christ. Every Sunday morning at 10:30 we are gathered as a community by the Holy Spirit around the gifts of the risen Christ in Word and Sacrament. We are richly fed with the bread of life at Jesus’ table, and we share from our abundance with all in need. Our congregation is currently seeking to address issues around food insecurity in our community.

Hospitality and Returning to the Sanctuary

To make the sanctuary at St. Timothy’s a welcoming, safe, and comfortable place for all the following measures have been put into place:

Before Leaving Home

Please do the following before leaving your home on Sunday morning:

· Take your temperature.

· Screen yourself for COVID-19 symptoms 

If you are running a temperature or exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms, join us for worship over Zoom and consider seeking COVID-19 testing.

Masks

Masks covering nose and mouth are to be worn at all times by anyone over the age of two. Please bring your own mask to worship. If you come without a mask, you will be provided with a disposable mask at the entrance. For sanitary reasons, gloves are not permitted in the building.

Greeters and Cleaning Procedures

Two volunteers will greet you as you arrive and provide you with a disposable mask if needed. Greeters will serve on a volunteer basis and disinfect all surfaces after the service. A list of frequently touched surfaces which may need disinfecting will be provided by the church office. If you are willing to serve as a greeter, please contact the church office. 

Entrances and Doors

All foot traffic will enter and exit through the Grove St. entrance. If you will need to use the ramp by the parking lot, please RSVP to the church office before the service so a greeter can open the door for you. The doors to the sanctuary will be left open for contactless movement through the building. 

Arrival

St. Timothy’s can currently welcome up to 20 households in addition to the pastor, cantor, and assisting minister each Sunday. Use hand sanitizer before entering the building. Please stagger entry into the building to maintain six feet of physical distance between people of different households. 

Sanctuary

Hand sanitizing stations have been installed at both entrances to the sanctuary. Additional bottles of hand sanitizer are on the windowsills in the sanctuary. All windows will be open on Sundays, and the air conditioning will be on. The Lord’s Table, the ambo, and the baptismal font have been moved into the chancel. 

Seating

Seating groups of one, two, and three chairs are spread throughout the sanctuary at intervals six feet apart. There is one group of four chairs. Persons in the same household are invited to sit together. Please select the seating group that best fits the size of your household and DO NOT move the chairs. 

Worship Aids

Bulletins will be provided in every seating group. Members of the same household may be asked to share. Please take bulletins home or throw them in the trash when the service ends. All ELW’s, offering envelopes, pencils, and loose papers have been removed. 

Order of Service

We will use the liturgy for Service of the Word in the early weeks of Phase 4. Later in Phase 4, we will reintroduce the liturgy for Service of Holy Communion. The service will begin at 10:30 a.m. and last approximately 30 minutes. We will refrain from communal singing and speaking in unison.

Holy Communion

In person communion services will resume later in Phase 4. Individually packaged cups filled with grape juice will be provided at each seat. You are invited to bring your own bread from home. While Holy Communion is best celebrated in person with one loaf and one cup, all who are participating over Zoom are welcome to continue celebrating the Lord’s Supper with us in their homes during Phase 4. 

Restrooms

The restroom outside the main offices is the only open restroom. Wipe down all fixtures, light switches, and door handles with cleaning solution after using the facilities. 

Streaming

Worship services will continue to be streamed live over Zoom and posted to Facebook during Phase 4. A weekly Mailchimp will be sent out with the Meeting ID and Password prior to each Sunday service. All Zoom participants will be streamed from the church laptop on the screens in the sanctuary.

Assisting Ministers

Assisting ministers have the option of leading worship in person or remotely over Zoom. If leading over Zoom, the assisting minister’s video will be projected on the screens in the sanctuary. If leading in person, the assisting minister will be provided a lapel mic and lead from the choir chairs throughout the service. The assisting minister is responsible for wiping down the lapel mic when the service concludes.

Coffee Hour

Coffee hour will take place outside while observing physical distancing and over Zoom following the service. Bring your own coffee.

Other

Please mail all offerings into the church office. Note that the sandbox is currently covered and not open for use. Likewise, the book cart has been moved into storage and is not available for use. The baptismal font has been emptied of water and covered.