LATIMER CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

COVID REOPENING PLAN

(REV D)

31.08.2020

Introduction – By Iain Clements

As Christians we worship the Lord in all we do, we can pray to him everywhere, and we have personal access to his word in our language. These great truths must not blind us to the fact that there is nothing more important in the life of the church than our gathering together to worship and receive from him in the ordinary means of grace. This is the normal way that we are built up as Christians (personally and corporately). It also puts Christ on display to the world around. It has been a great tragedy that for a season churches have been closed and pulpits empty. Internet worship is no substitute. 

While it is understandable that we will be nervous about gathering together, our great desire should be to do this at the earliest opportunity if it safe to do so. Everything we do in life involves an element of risk and coming to church is no exception. We should seek to eliminate all unnecessary risk to enable us to do all we have been commanded to do by the Lord. 

Although the government do not ultimately have the right to restrict the worship of the church, and before God we are free to disobey if they do that (while accepting there will be consequences), our basic disposition towards human authorities should be submission and respect. This is particularly true in times such as these, as we recognise that in the instructions given the government are rightly seeking to preserve life. 

As well as loving God, worship should also involve loving our neighbour. We have written these instructions to follow the government guidance and in so doing we are seeking to keep each other safe. It is also important to do all we can to show the watching world, and any visitors who come amongst us, that we are doing the right thing - while recognising that we cannot always satisfy those who are determined to oppose the gospel.  

While we recognise that these instructions will change the way the services feel for a while, there is great opportunity here. It is a chance to focus on the essentials of gathering together - to receive the ordinary means of grace of the preaching of the word, and the sacraments, and to pray. It allows more opportunity for Scripture reading. It enables the children of the church to grow up Lord's day by Lord's day under the preached word of God. And we pray that in this difficult time, others will come in to hear and to trust in Christ. 

These instructions will change as the government guidance changes. 

What we are and aren’t allowed to do : An Overview

We are, at all times, to be compliant to the government guidelines outlined within the introduction section which stipulates a number of things that we can and cannot do. We must therefore follow these guidelines at all times and much of the rest of the document will be based on these principles.

What we can do?

· Meet together to worship and conduct services / meetings for this purpose.

· Hold Communion Services

What we cannot do?

· Meet together when it is not possible to keep a 2m social distance without other measures being in place

· Have physical contact between different households or bubbles

· Sing/Chant

· Partake of food and drink apart from as part of a communion service

· Undertake Life Groups / other children’s activities as we have one before : this is not specifically banned but additional measures would have to be in place in line with the DFE which may not be possible at this time.

Who can attend Church?

Anyone who is showing signs of, or are suffering with, any of the following should not attend work or any services/activities held at Latimer Church

· a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)

· a new or persistent cough – this means coughing a lot more for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough it may be worse than usual)

· a loss of change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you have notices you cannot smell or taste anything or things smell or taste different to normal

· Is a vulnerable person (until August 1st) (by virtue of their age, underlying health condition, clinical condition or are pregnant)

Provisions will be in place on an ongoing basis for anyone who is unable to attend due to the above – see below under “during services”

Under the guidance we are required to take details of those who enter the church and take part in the worship service to assist with the track and trace strategy. A Name and Contact Number will be taken as a minimum but where possible an address also. These will be kept for a minimum of 21 days as per the government guidance and following GDPR rules. To do this a register will be kept in the entrance to the church for people to complete as they enter the church.

Personal Hygiene

One of the best forms of protection against COVID 19 is good personal hygiene at all times. Signs will be placed at key points around the building reminding people to follow the basic principles of personal hygiene. Below are some principles which should be adopted to reduce the spread of COVID19 and will be encouraged by the Minister and the Stewards.

· Washing your hands more often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; use hand sanitiser where soap and water is not available

· Use paper towels to dry hands; where sanitiser used allow sanitiser to dry naturally

· Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

· Avoid close contact with people who have symptoms

· Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin and wash your hands or use hand sanitiser

· Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces – focus on door handles, toilets, pulpit area, entrances and exits, handrails

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/best-way-to-wash-your-hands/

As hand washing facilities will not be easily available on entering the building it is requested that everyone who enters uses sanitiser provided free of charge at the entrance point. This will be touch free to reduce the risk further. Along with soap in the toilet and washing facilities, additional hand sanitisers will be available at key points around the building eg Toilets, communal areas etc which should be further used where required.

On exiting the building, sanitiser stations will also be available which will aid with reducing further the spread of the virus out of the building.

Entering and Exiting the Building for Meetings or Services

As part of the government guidance we are expected to manage the flow of people into and out of the building to aid the principle of social distancing at all times. Where possible efforts will be made to ascertain who may be coming into the church at any given Sunday to check for potential issues with seating although this isn’t always possible.

This will mean changes to the way everyone uses the building, where we sit or who we can sit near but the procedures below are to allow us to continue meeting as a church which is of vital importance. Please be patient especially over the first few weeks as we are guided through these changes. Much of the access and the seating arrangements will be controlled by the stewards who will assist in making sure everyone is aware of what’s going on and where to go

Access for Services in the Main Church Building

1. Access into the main church building for meetings / services will be via the front doors of the church. Where those with specific needs / restrictions need access, this will be managed by the stewards who will accommodate this as required to ensure everyone can be accommodated.

2. Access into the building at the doors will be managed by the steward who will help welcome and guide people into the building whilst maintaining social distancing. Access will only be via the left hand side of the church with the right hand side being left for emergency exit only. 2m markers will be placed on the floor to aid people to remain 2m distant as they move through the building.

3. A steward based in the left hand aisle, suitably distanced will direct people to their seats and it will be encouraged to fill the church from the front backwards – see seating arrangements below. Again markers will be on the flow down the aisles to assist with social distancing as people enter.

4. On the conclusion of a meeting/service everyone attending will exit via the right hand side door to assist in managing flows which will be managed by the steward.

5. People will exit the church building from the front to the rear to assist with social distancing and where this is not possible it will be controlled by the stewards.

6. Visitors on exiting the building should not congregate around the exit and where people want to have conversations these should be in places where access ways are not blocked and 2m distancing is possible. We would also ask that people respect our neighbours and community by not blocking the footpath outside the church.

Access for Services in the Rear Hall

1. Access into the rear church hall for meetings / services will be via the left hand side rear doors. Where those with specific needs / restrictions need access, this will be managed by the stewards who will accommodate this as required.

2. Access into the building at the rear hall doors will be managed by the steward who will help welcome and guide people into the building. Social distancing markers will be used on the floor as a guide.

3. Entrance into the hall itself will be via the far set of double doors nearest the corridor entrance.

4. A steward will direct people to their seats and it will be encouraged to fill the church from the front backwards – see seating arrangements below

5. On the conclusion of a meeting/service everyone attending will exit via the rear emergency doors and down the right hand side of the church to assist in managing flows.

6. People will exit the church hall from the front to the rear to assist with social distancing and where this is not possible it will be controlled by the steward

7. Visitors on exiting the building should not congregate around the exit and where people want to have conversations these should be in places where access ways are not blocked and 2m distancing is possible. We would also ask that people respect our neighbours and community by not blocking the footpath outside the church.

Seating Arrangements

Please be aware that changes to this may be made depending on numbers attending, government advice and how things work in practice. Where possible these changes will be communicated before they are carried out or communicated on the day by the stewards but below are the basic principles to be followed.

Main Church Building

· The front row of seats will not be used to ensure social distancing for the preacher and allow technical and streaming equipment to be located if required within this area. This row can only be used if the preacher is utilising the raised pulpit area and the principle of hit and miss will be followed with other rows.

· Rows should be filled from the right hand side filling in household groups/bubbles leaving 3 seats (equates to 2m between heads) between households/bubbles.

· The stewards will manage the seating of visitors and will use the forward available rows wherever possible until full unless its more effective to use the next available rows. Ie if a space is available for 2 people on one row but a group of 4 arrive the next row can be used before the space for two is filled.

· Only every other row should be utilised and the remaining rows should be sealed off to ensure social distancing remains at all times.

Rear Hall

· Due to moveable seating it will be necessary to set out seating using a measure / guide. Taped markings on the floor may help in this respect and this should be completed prior to any meetings/services taking place. Seating can be set up before the meeting to reduce the risk of contact.

· Seating should always allow a 2m gap for the preacher.

· Rows should be filled from the front and left hand side filling in rows as required

· The stewards will manage the seating of visitors and will use the forward available rows wherever possible until full unless its more effective to use the next available rows. (see above)

· An aisle should be left down the centre of the chairs to allow people to exit easily and for emergency use.

In the event that someone in the middle of a row needs to move or leave during a service it is requested that those on the end of the row move out of the way to allow people to exit whilst remaining social distancing. We thank people for their understanding in advance if this happens.

The stewards will control the numbers entering the church and should the available seating be filled the 2m social distancing should not be compromised. Consideration at this point should be made to additional services or other methods to manage the number of people within the space going forward. This will be managed on an as needed basis.

Should a 2nd service be required this should be in an alternative room eg (one in rear hall, one in main church) to reduce the need for cleaning between services.

To try and mitigate the risk of overcrowding a pre notification system will be put into place to have an oversight on how many people may be at each service. This can be done by a simple email system where someone manages a list of attendees. Where numbers appear to be too large for one service, requests will be made to shuffle who attends which service taking into account space for visitors.

During Services / Meetings

Preaching

Preaching will be undertaken as normal and no additional restrictions will be placed on the preacher over and above what is already in place within this plan. The preacher should be a minimum of 2m from any other person at all times and should remain so throughout the meetings/services.

The services will be recorded/streamed for those who are unable to attend for the duration of the restrictions. The best way to do this will be assessed by the leadership to be of the best benefit to those who are unable to attend. This is still to be confirmed.

Singing / Music

Singing/Chanting is not allowed during the service and should not be planned into the service at any point. However it is possible within the guidelines to play a piano / non wind instrument which should be encouraged especially at the beginning and end of the services to keep some normality. The instrument must be cleaned before use.

The guidelines allow for speaking as a group so It is anticipated that the speaking of prayers (eg confession of sin, lords prayer) or the saying of Psalms will be allowable.

Where hymns or songs are part of the order of service these should be in video format and played onto the large screen or simply played by not accompanied. It should be discouraged to join in with these whilst they play as may be the temptation to do so.

Bibles

Although it is allowed within the guidance to utilise books for a service we will encourage people to bring their own bibles and place the scripture passages on the screen to remove this need.

Toilet and Washing Facilities

We are aware that one “pinch point” will be the toilet and washing facilities due to being accessed down a narrow corridor. Where possible we would encourage people to use their own facilities before attending the church for meetings/services but we realise that use cannot be avoided in full.

Access to the toilets will be managed by the steward limiting access to one female and one male OR multiple people per household. This will ensure that people can social distance at all times whilst using the facilities.

Communion

It is vital for the life of the church for Communion to be served however this adds risks due to the sharing of bread and “wine” in close contact. Communion services are allowed within the guidance. Both the bread and the wine will be pre wrapped by a member wearing gloves and a mask. The bread will be placed onto plates well spaced whilst the cups will be placed into the carriers with a hit one miss one scenario. These will be placed at the entrance to the venue to allow people to collect on the way into the venue for the communion service. At the end of the service the cups will be collected by a steward wearing gloves and washed thoroughly.

Creche Facilities

Should families need the use of the creche during the service this will be allowed within the creche room if there is one family only or entrance if there are two. Toys shouldn’t be used to reduce the risk of passing the virus and parents should bring their own.

Fellowship and Physical Contact

We are well aware that one of the struggles with the lockdown has been physical contact and fellowship with other believers.

We know that the temptation will be to go up to those who you may not have seen for a while, potentially give them a hug or shake their hands. We would ask you, as hard as it may be, to refrain from this as we need to ensure we keep to the 2m distancing rule wherever possible.

It is allowable within the guidance to still have conversations whilst remaining 2m distanced both inside and outside the church building but we ask that consideration is made to ensure this doesn’t hinder anyone else in following the plan or block any access routes through the church. This should be kept to a minimum and should be for the support and encouragement of the fellowship especially those who are unable to meet during the week.

Both of the above points are especially important around the outside of the church to ensure we show our community that we are doing our bit in the battle against Coronavirus.

Giving

Due to the risk of the COVID bug being passed through handing around the collection bags alternative measures will be put in place to allow people to give. We would encourage where people can for this to be done through direct debit or similar methods. For those who are unable to do this, the collection box will be left in the entrance and people will be able to place their gifts in here which will be left for 72hrs before being handled.

Cleaning

Apart from the general principles of personal hygiene set out above there are good cleaning principles to follow that will help prevent the spread of COVID-19. These will be followed at all times including:

· Frequent cleaning of commonly used areas and equipment between uses, using normal cleaning products

· Regular Cleaning of all used areas on a weekly basis wherever possible 3 days after a service / activity has taken place in that area.

A cleaning “checklist” will be put together in conjunction with the church cleaner along with a register of when key areas have been cleaned which will be displayed to show those areas have been cleaned.

Between the morning and evening services, where services are to be held in the front and back of the church, communal areas such as toilets will be cleaned by the stewards before the evening service.

Enhanced cleaning procedures must be in place particularly in common use areas and at ‘touch’ points which will form part of the cleaning checklist and this will include:

· Taps and washing facilities

· Toilet flush and seats

· Door handles and push plates

· Hand rails and staircases and corridors

Enhanced Cleaning should utilise Antibacterial Sprays or Wipes or suitable disinfectant to reduce the likelihood of COVID being passed around. When using antibacterial sprays to clean, paper towels should be used so these can be disposed of immediately.

Where services are to be held one after another (eg two morning services), a suitable period should be given between services to ensure common areas and touch points can be sufficiently cleaned. Where possible this should be avoided to reduce the risk but it may not be possible at all times.

Face Coverings

From 8th August new government guidance requires the wearing of face coverings within a public place of worship as law. This is for anyone over the age of 12 or above.

There are valid exemptions for some individuals and groups to not wear face coverings in these settings. This includes

· Those leading services or taking part in services where speaking is required

· Those who cannot wear a mask due to a physical or mental illness or impairment or disability

· Where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause severe distress

· If you are speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate

As a church we understand that the wearing of a face covering within the service is not normal or desirable but we ask people to abide by the guidance where possible. We will respect the above exemptions at all times and will not question those who are not wearing a face covering as many concerns and illnesses are hidden.

Disposable Face coverings should be made available for people at the entrance to the church building for services.

Protective Equipment

Protective equipment (personal and otherwise) should be used as a last resort and where possible good social distancing and good hygiene arrangements should be the first priority. However there are some circumstances where PPE or protective equipment will need to be used as outlined below.

To be worn in the following circumstances:

During Cleaning of the church building immediately following activities

· Wear Gloves and a face mask at all times. Where non disposable face masks are used ensure they are only used by one person and removed to their own house.

· Single use PPE must be disposed of so that it cannot be reused.

· Do not share your mask with anyone else

During General Cleaning of the church building 3 Days after a service

· Wear Gloves at all times.

· Single use PPE must be disposed of so that it cannot be reused.

When preparing or serving communion

· Wear gloves and a face mask.

NOTE: Before use face shields should be wiped with antibacterial wipes. Following use these should be wiped with an antibacterial wipes and kept in a clean place. Face shields should not be worn by two different people within 3 days of each wear to reduce the risk of cross contamination of COVID.

What to do in the unlikely event you become ill during the service

Anyone who develops a high temperature, persistent cough or loss or partial loss of taste of smell while within the church building should:

· Leave the building and return home immediately but ensure that the minister or deacons are informed when you get home

· Avoid touching anything and remove themselves from the other people in the building whilst you are exiting the building

· Cough or sneeze into a tissue and dispose of the tissue in a bin; if you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the crook of their elbow

· Follow the current guidance on self-isolation and not return to the church building until their period of isolation is complete

· Ensure they contact the Track and Trace system as per government guidance and advice.

Latimer Church RH REV D 31.8.2020

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