Dear Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church members and friends,
The Reopening Committee was tasked by the session of Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church, starting in March of 2020, to created guidelines for the congregation, volunteers, leaders, and staff of the church to continue our shared ministry and activities as safely as possible. The group is made up of members of the congregation (including health care professionals who are on the frontlines of care) and staff members. The Reopening Committee has met on a periodic basis since March of 2020 until now, and held its most recent meeting on January 9, 2022 to take stock of the public health situation following the recent holiday season and with the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the virus. Here are some of the things we took into account and some of the decisions/guidance that we want to pass on to the whole SVPC community.
First, we are at yet another unprecedented stage of the pandemic. Although our local Santa Clara County area has navigated the crisis with wisdom and care, and even though the vaccination rates are very high for our overall population, the information provided by the county COVID dashboard makes it clear that COVID is spreading in our area far faster than it has at any previous point. For example, the previous highest daily case count in our county (around a year ago) was just over 2,200. As of January 9, the new highest daily case count is over 6,200. This is almost 3 times the previous high, even though most people are now vaccinated, as opposed to not vaccinated in January of 2021. We are in a new and very concerning stage of the pandemic. There is a lot of risk to all people – regardless of vaccination status – and it is as important as ever that we diligently pursue all measures available to protect the health of all. Lives will be dramatically affected by what we do as a community and broader society.
We know that this latest COVID variant might be milder in its overall health impact. There is a significant lag between the effects shown in case numbers versus a potential rise in hospitalizations and deaths. We pray that the protection offered by vaccinations, the good information gained from testing, proper adherence to quarantine protocols, and advancements in treatment will all help to reduce the numbers of people hospitalized and (as much as possible) eliminate deaths from COVID. Even as we hope for the best, we know that protecting our whole community – including those who have underlying health concerns or who cannot be vaccinated – means being willing to make hard decisions using foresight rather than waiting until tragic consequences force our hand.
Therefore, the Reopening Committee has decided that we will again refrain from all singing for in-person worship – including by fully vaccinated and masked leaders or soloists – as well as instrumental music using brass or woodwind instruments. For now, this change will continue through the end of January. The Reopening Committee will continue to pay attention to the latest numbers and reports from healthcare and community leaders, and we will provide a further update to the guidelines by the end of January. We continue to love and value the gifts contributed by all of our talented worship leaders, including instrumentalists and singers. We long for a time when we will all be able to praise God through the wonders of music – including congregational singing. We will re-open that possibility as soon as we can be assured that it is safe to do so.
In addition to this change, the Reopening Committee wants to make additional appeals to the wider community:
1) If you have not done so already, please prayerfully consider getting vaccinated. Vaccination is the most important tool we have, as a community, to prevent the spread of the disease and to reduce hospitalizations and deaths. We want to make it through our present challenges together. If you are vaccinated and now eligible for your booster shot, please get that shot. The standard practice for determining “full” vaccination is quickly shifting to include a booster shot once 6 months has passed since the last dose. Based on Reopening Committee Guidelines (and Personnel Ministry Team endorsement) SVPC will be requiring all staff, officers, and volunteers to be fully vaccinated and boosted.
2) Please continue to help each other by masking diligently at all SVPC gatherings, including worship. Masking is the most important mitigation measure we can employ to prevent transmission of COVID in our open public settings. In addition, following emerging CDC guidelines, we strongly encourage all community members to wear medical grade or N95/KN95 (best option) masks, as these have proven to be far more effective in preventing transmission than cloth masks. (We recognize that this is a reversal of previous guidance that stated that any “face covering,” including cloth masks, were sufficient as a mitigation measure.) We will continue to refrain from community-wide events where we need to have our masks off (to eat meals or share refreshments) until the pandemic is much better controlled.
3) Finally, if you have been exposed, might be COVID-positive, have any fever, tiredness, or respiratory symptoms we urge you to stay home instead of coming to in-person events – even worship. If you are worried about COVID exposure, positivity, or any other illness, please consult with your primary care physician. Follow their advice until you are sure that your health is secured and that you will not be a risk to others in the community. We know that these are hard times and that we are all longing to connect with others and to support each other. However, in these surging pandemic times, sometimes caring for ourselves and others means knowing when to refrain from showing up in person. We do hope that you will let us know if you are facing illness so that we can find ways of supporting you. And we hope that the work we have done to make many of our programs accessible online – especially our worship – will help you to continue to participate in our shared life together, even if you are recovering or waiting for test results at home.
If you have additional questions you would like to ask, or feedback that you would like to offer the Reopening Committee please email Carol Heath, Director of Community Life (carol@sunnyvalepres.com).
We want to thank each and every one of you – all beloved members of our Sunnyvale Presbyterian community – for your patience and understanding during this difficult period for our faith family. Thank you for the ways you continue to engage in and support our shared ministry together. Thank you for the ways that you are consistently changing and adapting so that we can better care for each other.
Wishing you good health and many blessings in 2022!
The Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church Reopening Committee
