This is an essential update about our church services for all St Barnabas members. If you would prefer to watch a 10-minute video where Stephen explains it all, click below. Otherwise, please read it below.
On 1 June 2020, new regulations came into force in NSW which allow us to have “religious services” of up to 50 people.
After much prayer and planning, we have decided to try to take advantage of this, to allow people to physically come to church on some Sundays. Obviously we can’t all fit at once with only 50 allowed! But we know that many are struggling with the lack of contact with their brothers and sisters.
On the other hand, if you are uncomfortable with the idea of returning to church in the current health conditions, there is no pressure or expectation that you will come! We will invite you, but nobody will be offended if you say “no”.
Below are some questions you might have.
How will it work?
The idea is to have small congregations at both our Fairfield and Bossley Park buildings during our 10:30am service, and a congregation for the 6pm service.
Sadly, we cannot yet restart our 8:30am service, but we are looking at different options for that much-loved group. We will keep you posted!
For our 10:30am service, we aren’t yet ready to run two separate services – especially since we would have to live-stream both of them. So the main service will still live-stream from the Fairfield building, and the congregation at Bossley Park will watch it together on the screen.
Each week, we will simply invite around 50 people (including children) to each of these services. So your turn will come fairly soon!
What about children? (Morning Church)
As always, we want to look after both children and their parents! So thanks to our wonderful leaders, there will be both creche and kids’ church each Sunday – though there will only be a few children in each, and it will probably be a little simpler than normal.
For Bossley Park, unfortunately we don’t have a suitable space for EPIC Sundays. But the Zoom group after the service can continue for those at home and at church.
One change for parents: You will need to take your children straight to creche or kids’ church as soon as you arrive, and pick them up as soon as the service finishes. It won’t work to have younger children in for the start of the service, because of social distancing.
Finally, if the leaders get sick, there is a chance that we would need to cancel creche or kids church. If that happens, we’re very sorry! Please be ready to be flexible, if it means you have to stay home with your kids and watch the live-stream.
What will the service be like?
It’s important to say this: It will feel strange and awkward. This is definitely not “church as normal”.
When you arrive, you will be met by people in the foyer who will be carrying out very important tasks: Checking that everyone knows what to do, recording names (and if necessary contact details) of everyone who arrives, counting to make sure we are under the limit, and so on. Please give them a smile and a word of encouragement!
When you walk into the church area, there will be designated places to sit, to keep people 1.5m apart. At Fairfield, there are signs on the pews telling you where you can sit (with every second pew empty), and a Bossley Park, the chair placements will be marked on the carpet.
You can sit closer to people you live with, though you might want to consider sitting separately anyway, to mix – in a socially-distanced way – with others you haven’t seen for a while.
And perhaps the strangest part: You won’t be allowed to sing during the songs! Sadly, the government has banned congregational singing, because there is some evidence that it has caused COVID-19 outbreaks elsewhere. (Apparently you spray out a lot of droplets when you sing.)
In a way, that will be the “bonus” on the Sundays when you aren’t invited: you don’t get to be with people, but at least you can sing the songs. If you’re in the service, it will be best to stay seated and treat the music as an “item”. You could listen and pray or reflect with your eyes closed if you want.
After the service, at least to start with, we will not be serving morning tea.
What if I’m not feeling well?
I hope it’s obvious – but if you are invited and you are feeling unwell on the day or have had symptoms of COVID-19, you must stay away so there is no chance of infecting others. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, sore or scratchy throat, and shortness of breath.
What are the “rules”?
There is a long list of rules that the government has placed on us to do this – which is fair enough, since we are still in the middle of a global pandemic that has a long way to go! We need to be vigilant and careful to protect the health of others.
Because of this, if you want to come to church when your turn comes, you MUST understand the conditions of entry. There are five conditions. Here’s the short version of them:
If you’re unwell, don’t come. Stay home and get tested.
Practice 1.5m social distancing, both during and after the service.
Sanitise your hands when you arrive and before you leave (available in the foyer).
No singing!
If you are asked to leave (which is very unlikely!), please comply and be gracious.
The official version of these is at the entry to church and also on our church website.
There are also rules about how many people we can have in different rooms (as well as no more than 50 people on the whole property). Room numbers are on the doors of each room – but basically, just be sensible.
Should older or more vulnerable people come?
If you are over 70 or have other health conditions that put you at greater risk, we would recommend that you still stay home and watch the live-stream service.
What about cleaning?
Again, there are very strict requirements – which means if you come, it would be brilliant if you are keen and ready to help with cleaning after the service, when we’re ready to leave. If lots of people chip in, it won’t take long.
There will be someone in charge of coordinating cleaning, so they will tell you what to do. But basically, all the surfaces that people might have touched need to be cleaned with detergent & disinfectant spray and wiped thoroughly with paper towel. There will be plenty of supplies.
Anything else I need to know?
Yes: Bring your Bible! You will not be allowed to use a church Bible (or pen etc.).
When will this start?
We have decided to run a trial this Sunday with small congregations at both our Fairfield and Bossley Park buildings. We have already contacted those who are included in this trial.
If the trial is successful, we will keep it going as our “new normal”, until things change again.
I know that might seem very sudden, but we are very confident that we have our processes and policies in place. Part of the reason it seems sudden is that the government is making changes without giving us any warning. But we have been working very hard to make sure this will be safe and as good as we can make it.
And again, if you’re uncomfortable – that’s fine! We’re not going to be stopping the live-stream any time soon.
* * *
We hope and pray that for a great many of you, this small step will be a help and comfort and encouragement – and that you can use it to encourage your brothers and sisters, and ask them how they’re going with God.
If you have any questions or concerns at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or one of the other ministers. We want to listen and care for people!
With much love in Christ,
Stephen and the St Barnabas team.
