We are looking forward to seeing everyone very soon!
As we approach the date of re-opening Grace Lutheran Church, we would like to send out a few reminders to all church members.
Worship Schedule is as follows (beginning Friday, May 29th):
Friday Service at 10:00 AM – This service is designated for those members who are over 65 years old and/or have an illness that could compromise their health. We wish to keep this service closed to those who are not in this category to ensure a protected environment for those who need it.
Sunday Services at 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 AM – The Sunday morning services are open to all members of Grace. There will be no Bible Study or Sunday School classes until further notice.
*Please contact the office to submit your choice of service time by responding to this email, calling the church directly at 843-871-5444 or by email at: office@gracesummerville.org (Guests and visitors are welcome also, but we need to limit the number of people in the building at any one time. Please see the note below.)
SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR OUR RE-OPENING
The following are guidelines that the church Elders have compiled in order to keep everyone safe and healthy during our transition back to live services starting May 29th. The plan is to provide the safest environment we can for holding a service with a controlled number of people in the sanctuary. We are asking that our members do their part in helping by adhering to these procedures.
Upon entering the church, we request that everyone wear a mask of some type. We will have some masks available as needed, made by our craft ladies. Please bring your own if you have one.
An Elder or Usher will open the door to reduce number of people touching the doors.
We ask that people maintain their social distancing as they enter.
Some chairs have been removed to allow for distancing in the sanctuary. We do not want all chairs to be filled. Families may sit together but everyone else needs to distance at least one empty chair away from others.
We have removed all hymnals and the full service will be in the bulletin and in the power point presentation. Please take your bulletin home or throw it away after the service.
The church will be cleaned and sanitized once a week.
Communion will be done on a walk by procedure. People will be ushered up the middle aisle. Pastor will supply the bread and then they will walk left or right to an Elder holding the individual cup trays. Members will dispose of their cups and return to their seats. We remind everyone to self -distance as they process.
Offerings will be taken on your way out of the sanctuary.
When service is over, we request that members depart immediately to the portico or parking lot. If they choose to get together and talk in the parking lot that is up to them but we remind them to self- distance remembering that just because you want to talk does not mean the person you are talking to wants to talk. So, please respect everyone’s space and wishes.
We will not be offering coffee and snacks between services.
Grace Hall will remain closed.
We want to limit attendance at any service to around 40 people. We request every member contact the church to advise which service they plan to attend. The church will also be calling members to take reservations. We believe that offering 4 services will help us spread out the attendance enough but if required, we will start offering a 5th service.
We will not be offering Bible classes or Sunday school for the time being.
We will continue to offer the on-line services.
Please, no hugging, hand shaking or passing the peace. ☹
Individual Confession and Absolution and Communion is available at church during the following hours:
Friday from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, will continue for now
Sunday from 8:00 AM – 11:15 AM through May 24
*An elder will greet you before you come in.
*Office hours are M – F from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Be sure to visit our YouTube and Facebook pages for both new and old content.
Note to visitors:
If you would like to visit Grace Lutheran Church as a guest, please contact the church office at 843-871-5444 to discuss signing up for an available service. We would be happy to plan for your visit!
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