We are excited to announce that we are moving back to our normal Sunday gathering home next week, Sunday, November 1. We are also going to be providing Genesis Kids for the first time since the pandemic began. Our services will be at our normal time, 10 AM (don’t forget this is Fall Back Sunday for Daylight Saving Time). Here are some details.
Safety
It is our desire to make our gatherings as safe as possible for people at this time. Of course, it is not possible to provide complete safety from COVID, but we will be implementing measures that we would ask you to follow.
- Masks must be worn at all times by anyone over the age of 9, per St. Louis County and Rockwood School District requirements. Masks are encouraged for those from ages 2-9 (and required in Genesis Kids). The exception will be those leading in worship, as we will sufficiently separate all who are speaking or leading music from the congregation and from others on stage.
- All people attending will need to register upon entry. The purpose of this is for contact tracing, if needed.
- We would request that if you or anyone in your family has run a temperature over 100 degrees, has a persistent cough, or any other symptoms consistent with COVID-19 that you would not attend but join the service via livestream. We would also ask that if you or anyone in your family has had immediate contact with a person who has tested positive or who has COVID-19 symptoms, you would not attend.
- Follow social distancing guidelines – this means that we need to honor the six foot separation distance with anyone not in your family, and parents will need to be responsible for their children observing social distancing. We will need people to come ready to honor this.
- Feel free to sit as a family. Rows will be distanced six feet apart. Please put at least three chairs distance in your row between your family and others.
- Genesis Kids will be provided for children ages 2-5th grade. Due to Covid concerns we will not be providing care for babies and one year olds. See the procedures and plan for this below.
- We will not be providing coffee or any other food or drink items. Feel free to bring your own coffee or bottled water.
- We encourage our people to arrive early so we can get seating arranged before the service starts. We also ask that people fill in the sections farthest from the doors first.
- At the end of the service, we ask that each family bring their chairs and place them on the rack while maintaining social distancing.
- Adults will need to use the restrooms on the west end of the building, or on the back side of the gym. In the past these facilities were reserved for our kids, but with Genesis Kids moving to the cafeteria area the rest of the church will need to use these restrooms.
Genesis Kids Plan
Check-in
- Families enter on the right side of the building doors and check-in at the Genesis Kids welcome table to the right of the library. If there is a line at the check-in families should wait six feet behind the family in front of them.
- After checking kids in families enter worship together.
Worship Dismissal – 2s-5th grade
- During last song before the sermon, children will be dismissed in three separate groups based on their last name. A-G, H-M, O-Z. We need children to walk calmly together staying together with others in their family. Parents should assist younger kids if needed.
- Kids exit at front gym door (south end of gym) and walk to the cafeteria. They will be given hand sanitizer when they enter the cafeteria area.
- Kids will sit at tables with family. Two small families may sit at one table across from each other. This includes 2 and 3 year olds. We will not separate them, for now.
- Genesis Kids volunteers are stationed:
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- 1 at Gym door
- 1 by couch/Welcome Table
- 2 in Cafeteria to manage seating.
- 1 Main Teacher in Cafeteria
Pick up
- Parents wait at Welcome Table, volunteer will checks tags and walkies are used to dismiss kids from cafeteria.
- We ask that families do not linger by the Welcome Table to avoid crowding.
General Safety
- Masks always need to be worn by anyone ages 2 and above. (This is the rule for Rockwood School District.)
- Parents are encouraged to take their children to the bathroom prior to service to limit the need for bathroom breaks.
- Hand sanitizer will be used upon entering and leaving the cafeteria as well as after any bathroom breaks.
