When Covid-19 hit early in 2020, industries across the globe had to make drastic changes. One such area was how individuals worship. Sunday church services had to be suspended to keep people at home and stop large groups of people from gathering together. While these places of worship soldiered on and worked to provide at-home service options, things haven’t been the same as they were before the pandemic. Luckily, as professionals learn more about this disease, they discover ways to reopen safely and securely.
If you work for a worship place, you are probably looking forward to welcoming your congregation back into your facility. The next step is to guarantee durable protocols to keep everyone safe while welcoming them with open arms. The church really is all about community, so it has been hard to be kept away for so long. That being said, the pandemic is not over. Take extra precautions to sanitize communal spaces, utilize social distancing, and continue virtual options for those that feel more comfortable at home. If you need an extra consultation, here are a few ways churches are getting ready to reopen their doors safely.
Fixing the Building
Without people in and out of the building for many months, there may be a few things to bring up to snuff before welcoming your congregation back. Take the time to fix up the building in whatever way you can. If you’ve had a rough winter up north, Grand Rapids window contractors with years of experience can help you get replacement windows to improve energy efficiency. Window installers can work easily when no one is in the building, so it’s a good idea to hire these contractors before everyone comes back to service. Do a great job making your church’s exterior and interior look great and feel comfortable for your church members to feel glad to be back.
Safety First
Because Covid is not entirely contained, you’ll need to be taking drastic safety measures to ensure everyone in your congregation feels comfortable. Start by blocking off sections of seats of pews that follow social distancing guidelines. You’ll also want to eliminate interactions as much as possible during the service. Rather than a usual greeting of shaking hands and sharing hugs, you may want to encourage air high-fives and waves from across the room. One day we will hug again, but for now, it is better to be safe than sorry. Likewise, you’ll want to implement mask standards while congregants sit in church. If Christian brands’ true message is to love their neighbors, then it should be second nature to take these extra precautions to keep their fellow man safe.
Replenishing Supplies
There are certain supplies you need to run a church service. From church candles to offering trays to communion sets. As you get ready to welcome congregants back, consider safer ways to perform holy communion. Communion supplies can even be disposable now, and in individual wrappings so everyone can enjoy without having to share. Having your own individual wafers and juice will help keep everyone safe for communion service.
Scheduling Worship
While you may want to throw open the doors and welcome the whole congregation back at once, that may not be the safest option for the current climate. Instead, many worship places have found it beneficial to schedule different service times and only allow a set amount of people in. Create a sign-up method so you can monitor numbers and make sure everyone is staying safe and distanced. You’ll soon be able to have larger gatherings, but for now, this may be the best course of action.