COVID 19 response

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As our community deals with COVID 19 we are adjusting what we do.  We remain the church of Jesus Christ and seek to minister and witness in His name.  
    -  We resumed on site services on Sunday, June 21st.  Face coverings - either a cloth mask or a disposable one - are required.  If you do not have one we have them at the entrance.  Services are conducted at 9am.  While we retain music during worship we are following the hymns but not singing them.
    - To provide for social distancing in the sanctuary we have blocked many of the pews.  When you see the closed markings we're trying to be safe, not unwelcoming.  As well, when the weather permits we keep windows open for fresh air.  When the weather is cold we have a fresh air intake providing part of the furnace air and maintain one of the choir loft windows open to exhaust air and not recirculate it.  
    - We have resumed observing the Lord's Supper (Communion) the first Sunday of each month.  We will share Communion at the end of the worship service in a safe manner for those who wish to partake of the Sacrament.  Congregants will remain seated in their pews and the deacons, who will be gloved, will provide individual cups of grape juice and individual wafers for each communicant.  Both elements will be held until we partake of them, in succession, as a congregation.  

    - We have added a new page to this website for Sunday morning worship.  Each week this will have pdf and mp3 versions of the sermon, lectionary and welcome for those who wish them.  It also has links to youtube versions of the morning hymns, prelude and postlude.  This is continued even after we resume worship onsite for those who are unable to join us in person.
    - We encourage you to find a devotional you enjoy. https://odb.org is the link to Our Daily Bread.  
    - We will include a link for monthly communion on the first Sundays of the month for those who do not attend the in person worship service but would like to share in the Sacrament.
    - We are suspending community public suppers until the dangers of large gatherings is over.
​    - We are suspending Sunday evening Bible studies until the pandemic is past.
    - We are implementing new food bank procedures in order to best sustain that effort.  Click on the Food Bank page of this website for more details.  One of these procedures is that besides maintaining not less than 6' separation to others each customer is required to wear a face mask, including a homemade one, to cover your nose and mouth.  
    - We are following CDC and the Governor's direction regarding meetings.  This means that group meetings hosted in the church are suspended.  The Streaked Mountain Wood Carvers are the only exception to this since they are long time community partners and will ensure that our COVID protocols are followed.  During fair weather they meet outside in the pavilion following public health guidance.
    - Please read through the pdfs buttoned here for more information about what resumed worship may look like. 



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Maine Phase 1 Guidance for Religious Organizations
Humanitarian Disaster Institute Guidance for Resumed Worship Services
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  • Home
  • About
  • Come
  • Sumner Food Bank
  • Sunday Morning Worship
  • What we are doing because of COVID 19 concerns
  • Gallery
  • Pastoral Search
  • Annual meeting reports - 2020