Team Members: Pastor Ashley Harness, Pastor Rebecca Voelkel, Paul Thuras (Lyndale), Pastor Laurie Pound Feille, Pastor Dan Adolphson (on sabbatical), Martha Harris (FCC), Pastor Rhonda Hlavinka, Paul Harper (Salem), Deb Murphy (SH Staff), Rick Bowman (SH Staff), Karn Anderson (SH Staff), Laurie Zaepfel (SH Staff), Building Committee Rep: Mike Cackoski
The SpringHouse Safe Re-Opening Team, consisting of SH clergy, SH staff, a representative from each congregation, and a representative from the building committee, have met 2 times over the past 2 months to work on a plan for reentering our building in the safest and most faithful ways possible. While there are still many questions, and COVID’s consistency is its unpredictability, we have put together some plans in order to move forward and look to working on details to bring them to fruition in the months to come. We appreciate the patience and faithful support of all of our SpringHouse congregations during this time of uncertainty AND excitement.
Here is what we know right now:
When can we worship in person and inside?
The big picture: we are hopeful to be able to worship indoors and in person at some point this fall with our goal being October. However, this is contingent on several factors:
COVID Specific Factors:
- Vaccinations being available to children (many are projecting this to happen in late summer or early fall)
- Community vaccination percentage
- Current rate of infection (number and stability)
- Local, state, and national mandates
- MDH and CDC guidance
Building Specific Infrastructure Factors:
- Internet capability for continued livestreaming for all three congregations. Hardwired connections and WiFi are currently being evaluated and necessary improvements/changes will be made.
- Technology needs for “hybrid” worship for all three congregations is being evaluated. (i.e. screens, projecting, sound, and general connection capabilities) What do we need to come back into the building together and continue to offer online worship simultaneously?
- General building preparedness. The building has been used in completely different ways this last year and there is a lot of work that will go into preparing spaces for people to inhabit them again. In addition, we will need to have a specific plan for logistics that matches our building COVID requirements, which may include sanitizer stations, specific entrances and exits, etc.
A date continues to be a moving target, but we are hopeful by October we will be phasing back into our building for worship and community life together.
When can other groups meet in the building again?
We are working on the infrastructural and procedural issues around our building and COVID that need to be addressed before we can schedule any small groups. The goal that the team came away with is that we hope to be able to welcome SOME small groups, in a phased fashion, into the building starting as early as July 1. Our goal will be to work with some of the groups that are essential from the community (i.s. recovery groups that have met for a long time at SH) and congregational small groups and move toward a larger number of our regular community wide rental groups.
What about masks requirements, distancing, and vaccinations?
There are many questions that are still being wrestled with. We will, first and foremost, continue to follow the most conservative mandates that our local, state, and national leaders provide. Beyond those, and when those are no longer “mandates”, we will have a SpringHouse policy that we are comfortable with and provides the safest options for everyone. These procedures and guidelines are still being discussed and will be brought forward as they are crafted so that we have clear plans in place by July 1 for the possible opening of the building to specific small groups and by fall for in-person worship and all that comes with it.
