Here’s the date we’ve all been waiting for: Sunday, September 6! That’s our tentative reopening date, as outlined by St. Mark’s leadership.
Details were included in a letter sent to members and friends by the Worship Committee last week.
As part of the planning process, the Worship Committee distributed a survey, asking respondents their preferences about returning to in-person worship. St. Mark’s building has been closed since mid-March in an effort to slow the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Seventeen people are ready to return as soon as possible. Sixty prefer to wait until Delaware enters “Phase Three” status — or later.
The plan now is to re-open St. Mark’s for a single 10 a.m. service. The plan is tentative and will follow state guidelines, with proper safety measures and volunteers in place in our worship area.
The following recommendations were made by the Worship Committee:
- Greeters will ensure that names are gathered, temperatures taken and will distribute homemade face masks, if needed
- Ushers will distribute communion items from a table prior to entering the sanctuary and provide guidance as people move to pews and leave the service.
- The congregation will not sing or speak during the service.
- Communion will be consumed in the pews
- The offering will be collected in a basket at the rear of the church
Several volunteer roles are essential for us to re-open. If you are planning to attend when the building is first opened, we ask you to prayerfully consider filling one of these roles during this time of transition:
- Greeters – take temperatures, gather names, hand out face masks, if needed
- Ushers – monitor communion table elements, guide worshippers to their pew, count the number of worshippers in attendance, dismiss worshippers at the end of service, take offering to the church office.
- Liturgist/worship leader – Read the prayers and scripture
- Sound board – operate sound board and livestreaming equipment
In order to familiarize you with these recommendations and roles, a video will be produced to illustrate the manner in which worshippers enter, attend and exit the church.
We hope that you prayerfully consider volunteering for one of these roles and that you will attend church at St. Mark’s when you feel it is safe for you to do so according to your personal needs. Services will be livestreamed for those continuing to worship from home.
Our prayer is that you be blessed by our worship service wherever it finds you!
Please indicate your willingness to serve by filling out this form by August 14 so that we may prepare for returning to Sunday worship on September 6.
