CHANGES TO FPCSB SCHEDULE & EVENTS RE: COVID-19
Dear FPCSB Family & Friends,
We want to let you know that the COVID-19 Task Force for FPCSB has been actively monitoring the Coronavirus situation and has been developing a response plan. The situation will continue to evolve rapidly, and our plans will adjust to new information as it becomes available.
At the end of this letter you will find changes in our schedule & programming that are effective immediately.
We do our best when we are well-prepared, actively engaged in efforts that further public health. Our peaceful presence as a church in the community can have a calming and deeply beneficial effect as we conduct ourselves with prudence, thoughtfulness, faith, and care.
We are adopting these changes to help protect our congregation, the members of our Early Childhood Center, and the members of our wider community. As the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has stated, “From the limited data that is available, it is possible that older adults, and persons who have underlying chronic medical conditions, such as immunocompromising conditions, may be at risk for more severe outcomes.” This describes a significant percentage of the demographic of people connected with FPCSB. Other considerations include the extended incubation period of the virus, and that people can be infected with the virus and be asymptomatic. It is therefore difficult to predict where the virus is, which necessitates proactive measures.
On Sunday, SB County Public Health Department urged businesses, agencies, and other organizations in our county to develop a “social distancing plan” geared towards reducing person to person contact. This type of plan will likely play an integral role in reducing the number of people potentially exposed to the virus. Our FPCSB COVID-19 Task Force has been working this week to assess how we can continue to serve our community while also taking preemptive protective measures.
So, out of an abundance of caution, FPCSB is taking the proactive step of implementing its social distancing plan sooner rather than later.
As a guideline, we are using the CDC’s “Implementation of Mitigation Strategies for Communities.”
A copy may be found here
.
Having consulted community health leaders, we believe there to be a strong enough consensus that we should consider ourselves in the "minimal to moderate" column on page 7 of this document.
Interpreting the language of this CDC document for us (link above), we believe this to mean:
(Wording from CDC Doc:) “Implement Social Distancing Procedures: Reduce activities, especially for organizations with individuals at increased risk of severe illness."
- Our approach should be one of preemptive protective measures taken on behalf of our most vulnerable population. Our congregation is comprised of approx. 60% 65 and older.
"Consider offering video/audio of events."
- We are already working on getting organized for live feed video (& archived video for website) of worship services. We are aiming for implementation this Sunday, March 15.
"Determine ways to provide support services to individuals at increased risk of severe disease while limiting group settings and exposures."
- Deacons & Pastoral Staff will be reaching out by phone to our older populations. Up-to-date contact information lists are being generated and circulated to Deacons & leadership.
SCHEDULE CHANGES EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:
"Cancel large gatherings (>250 people, though threshold is at the discretion of the community) or move to smaller groupings."
- Sunday morning worship will continue, but change to accommodate one service at 10:00am in the Sanctuary, starting this Sunday, March 15, 2020.
For us, worship is a central component of our life together. Since our Sunday worship gathering is not large enough to be over this threshold number, and since our sanctuary is large enough to practice "safe distances" from other individuals, we are making this change.
"For organizations that serve high-risk populations, cancel gatherings of more than 10 people."
- All Senior activities, i.e., Adventurers, Chariot of Friends, Presbyfolks, Friday Seniors, Van Ministry, are cancelled effective immediately.
Duration of cancellation is TBD.
- Wednesday Evening Lenten Worship is cancelled effective immediately, for the duration of Lent. There will be no service tonight, Wednesday March 11.
In its place, pastors and lay leaders will be offering prayers for individuals and families in the Sanctuary from 6:30 - 7:30pm for any who desire prayer. An evening audio devotional for will be offered each Wednesday through social media and on our website.
- Soul Food will have its last meal tonight, March 11th. All subsequent Wednesday night Soul Food dinners are cancelled.
Any persons over 60 are encouraged to strongly consider their personal comfort level attending the dinner this evening.
Additional Information:
- Our Early Childhood Center will remain open and active. Safe practices and procedures are in place to mitigate the spread of disease. The ECC will follow the lead of SB Unified School District regarding any consideration of closures. An updated policy & procedures document pertaining to potential closure is being finalized and will be adopted by this Friday, March 13.
- These changes are being adopted with the understanding that we all continue in our own best practices for health & safety concerning disease prevention.
Tomorrow's
Email Newsletter (delayed from today) will reflect our most up-to-date changes in detail.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to be in touch with us. Thank you for being in prayer for our church, our community, and our world.
Grace and Peace,
Reverends Charles Svendsen & Erik Wiebe
With the additional members of the FPCSB COVID-19 Task Force
· Sharon Head, RN,
Parish Nurse
· Denise Rodman,
Business Administrator
· Beth Hassenplug,
Director of the Early Childhood Center
· Jessica Gibbs,
Chair of the Early Childhood Center Ministry Team
· Jim Kreyger,
Chair of Human Resources Ministry Team
· Fred Marsh,
Chair of Finance & Facilities Ministry Team
