The Session voted to resume in-person worship beginning Sunday, October 11. We understand that many of you are uncomfortable gathering, so the service will be recorded and available on-line thru Facebook and YPPC.org. For those of you who choose to attend the worship service, safety will be a major concern and things will be a bit different than when we were last together on March 15th. Our Safety Taskforce created a plan to allow for a safe worship experience. Some of the changes are:
• Everyone over the age of 3 must wear a mask
• We will have an abbreviated service, much like we have been offering online
• The Hymnbooks and bibles have been removed from the pews and we will have no congregational singing. You are welcome to bring your own bible.
• No bulletins. Martha will create an order of worship, just as she has been doing and email it to you on Saturday. This will also be available on YPPC.org. You are welcome to print out your own copy or go to YPPC.org on your phones and follow the service there.
• No nursery will be offered. Children are welcome in the worship service and activity packets will be provided to entertain them during the sermon. Meghan will also be in attendance to assist parents/grandparents in any way she can. We all need to be prepared that our worship service may be a bit livelier than usual and embrace this “new normal”
• Seating will be done on a first come, first serve basis and Ushers will seat you from the front to the back of the sanctuary, so you may not be in your usual seat. We will make every effort to eliminate close contact and to follow the CDC guidelines on social distancing. At the end of the service, Ushers will release you in reverse order. If you love sitting in the front, then get to church early. Families will be seated together, but all others will be socially distanced.
• Ushers will greet you before entering the Sanctuary for a temperature check and to provide masks if you do not have one.
• Our Passing of the Peace, if we include it, must be done by waving, smiles, and winks from our seated positions. I know this is a huge sacrifice for us, but it must be done to assure the safety of all.
• The Fellowship Building will be closed, only the Sanctuary will be open.
• The offering plate will not be passed, rather a box will be placed in the vestibule where you can place your gifts to the church.
• No Fellowship – this may be the hardest part of all, because we enjoyed this time so much. However, under the current pandemic, this cannot be done safely.
To make this work and to minimize risk to everyone, we need your cooperation. The last thing anyone wants is for YPPC to be the next “hot spot”.
• Please maintain social distancing outside and inside the building.
• Please refrain from hugs, handshakes, and clustering.
• Please worship online if you are not feeling well. Most of us have had some contact with the outside world and we need to err on the side of caution.
• Please use hand sanitizer before entering the sanctuary.
• Please be patient and understand that all new procedures are in place for the safety of all in our congregation.
Thank you for your cooperation and dedication to a safe return to worship.