Dear people of Plymouth,
Greetings everyone. We miss being with you all!
We want to share with you the work that our Re-opening Committee has been doing.
Below is a plan the committee has been working on with both of us and Zach. With the recent trend of increased Covid-19 cases in South Florida, while we see this plan as safe, prudent and solid, we have decided to delay picking a specific date to begin. This will give us the flexibility to gauge the situation and make time-sensitive decisions and adjustments as needed. We nevertheless want to share this with you so that you can see the direction we are looking to go.
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“Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
Psalm 96:9
These words, which are inscribed on the communion table that is in our beloved Plymouth sanctuary, remind us that we are a people called to worship the Lord together.
It is hard to believe that it has been more than four months since we last gathered in the sanctuary for in-person worship. We have missed you all so much and we are pleased to announce a plan to begin gathering again for worship.
We announce here a
two-stage process
for returning to worship in the sanctuary – both of course, with the type of social distancing guidelines we included in the re-opening survey. Those details are included at the end of this email - click on the red box below marked "Guidelines for Sanctuary Worship".
- In the first stage, we continue to pre-record our traditional worship service and post it online at 10:00 A.M. on Sundays. In addition, on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 P.M., we begin offering on a weekly basis a simplified half-hour worship service in the sanctuary.
- In the second stage, we return to traditional 10:00 A.M. worship in the sanctuary. These worship services will be live-streamed so that folks who do not attend in person can watch at home, either at 10:00 A.M. or anytime thereafter.
In both stages, it will be vital for members to comply with our social-distancing guidelines – including wearing masks at all times in the sanctuary and being seated only in authorized areas. We are counting on members to make wise and considerate decisions about whether to come to services. Most importantly, if you are in a high-risk category, or have had any symptoms or have been exposed to anyone with Covid-19 within two weeks of the given worship date, or are not feeling well in any way, you should not attend.
Seating capacity in the sanctuary will be significantly reduced because of the need to maintain at least 6 feet of distance between worshippers. With that in mind, we will temporarily have an online (and phone) reservation system. Those details will be sent out as we get closer to the exact date.
The Re-opening Committee recognizes that worship during this pandemic, as described here and below, will be different than that to which we are all accustomed. Needless to say, we are taking these precautions to ensure everyone’s health and safety. Note that, at all times, we will comply with local guidelines, which will be watched closely. And any changes to our plans will be communicated in a timely manner.
The Re-opening Committee also believes that this two-stage process gives Plymouth the flexibility to learn as we go. Please read the below guidelines and let us know of any questions or feedback.
And please be sure to thank the members of the Re-opening Committee, who worked so closely with us and Zach - Tim Battle, David Bianchi, Dr. Bonnie Blomberg, Edith Houlihan, Celeste Miller, Rich Richards, Tony Scornavacca, and Dr. Fred Telischi. They have generously given their time and expertise in this effort to reopen our sanctuary, with everyone’s safety as the overriding priority.
With gratitude in our hearts for all that the Lord has given to us, blessings and love,
Pastor Al and Pastor Moira
