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Sunday Worship Procedures

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has given us opportunities to learn to be the church in new ways, it has also taught us what a privilege it is to gather together. So even though some of our processes have changed, we are excited and thankful to be gathering once again in familiar spaces for prayer, for fellowship, and for worship.

Love One Another

John 15:12 tells us, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

So what does it mean to “love one another” – and our community – as we return to worship?

Three Services

To manage traffic in the buildings and ensure that each worship space is sanitized, we are currently offering three services.

• Downtown Traditional – 9:00 AM – Downtown Campus Sanctuary
• Trinity Traditional – 11:00 AM – Trinity Campus Sanctuary
• The Table – 11:00 AM – Downtown Campus Sisk Hall

Livestream

• We are livestreaming each of the above services for those who choose to continue worshiping from home. Recordings of the services will continue to be available online.

Pre-Registration

• We ask that everyone pre-register in Realm to attend in-person worship. This will be easiest if you have a Realm account, but we can accept guest registrations as well. If you are not able to use Realm to register, you may call the church offices at 864-232-7341 (Downtown) or 864-233-8114 (Trinity.)
• Volunteers will be checking registrants in as they arrive. This assists with space planning and with contact tracing, if necessary.
• Space in each service is limited, so early registration is encouraged. Registration opens on Monday for the following Sunday’s service.
• For more information about registering for your preferred service, please go to these pages:
  • Downtown Traditional Registration
  • Trinity Traditional Registration
  • The Table Registration

Safety Measures

• The church staff will be diligent in providing clean, sanitized worship spaces.
• Hand sanitizer will be available at all entrances and exits.
• Entrances, exits, and traffic inside the church will be carefully managed.
• Restrooms will be available, but the capacity of each will be limited.
• Hymnals and all other materials will be removed from the pews.
• Offering envelopes will be available at check-in, and the offering will be collected at secure stations manned by church tellers at the exits. Online giving via Realm is also encouraged.
• Masks will be required at all times inside church buildings and will be provided to anyone in need of one. (Special thanks to church members Jane Johnson and Lee Robirds for making and donating masks to our church!)
• There will be no congregational singing, but worshipers may participate in spoken liturgy and prayers.

Children

• Children old enough to wear a mask are welcome to attend services with their families.
• Nursery is currently offered for children four and under, and is required for children two and under. Please register your child for the nursery at the same time you register the rest of the family for worship.

Those at Risk

• We ask that those who are at risk prayerfully consider whether they should attend worship. According to the CDC, the following are categorized as “at risk”: People over 65, people who are immunocompromised, and people suffering from asthma, diabetes, chronic lung disease, hemoglobin disorders, liver disease, serious heart conditions, and severe obesity.

Media Disclosure

• Because the services are being livestreamed to the internet, it is possible that anyone participating in the service could be recorded.

Worship Covenant

We are asking all who are attending in-person worship to commit to the following:

• I will take my temperature before leaving for church, and I will not attend worship if I am running a fever, feeling ill, or have reason to suspect I’ve been exposed to COVID-19.
• I will wear a mask at all times when I am inside a BSUMC building, and I will maintain 6 feet of distance between non-family members and myself.
• If I am diagnosed with COVID-19 within two weeks of attending a worship service, I will report this to the church so that others who attended the same service can be warned of possible exposure.
• I understand that any group activity poses a risk of contracting COVID-19 or another illness. In attending in-person worship, I assume that risk willingly and will not hold the church responsible if I become ill.
• I will bring my children under the age of 3 to the church nursery for the duration of the service. I understand that children under 3 are unable to be in the worship space since they are too young to wear a face mask.

FAQ

When will my Sunday School class/Bible Study/Community Group be able to meet at the church again?

Adult Sunday School classes may currently meet on alternate Sunday evenings between 5:00 and 6:00 PM. The schedule for Sunday School can be found here. We hope to begin phasing in other types of small group gatherings soon.

When will my favorite service time be offered again?

We have heard from several people who will miss their usual service/time, and we are sorry that we’re unable to offer as many options now as we did prior to the pandemic. We do plan to add additional worship times as we move out of this phase of re-opening and into the next, and as it becomes necessary due to space constraints in this time of social distancing. Right now, the Re-Opening Task Force prefers to have only one service in the building at a time so that we can focus on getting people in and out safely and so that we can make the most efficient use of our volunteers. We will let everyone know as that changes.