
In light of the Province of Ontario’s guidance that places of worship can re-open, the Session has met and decided that:
- we should target Sunday, August 16 at 10:00 am for a return to in-person worship;
- we should establish safety guidelines with respect to worship that will likely include: capacity restrictions, physical distancing, a requirement to wear masks, no group singing (including no choir), no children’s program, no nursery and no fellowship/coffee hour;
- these guidelines will be in accordance with public health advice as well as recommendations from the Presbyterian Church in Canada;
- a sub-committee of Session has been established to put the appropriate guidelines in place, and communicate them to the congregation;
- the health and safety of members of our community of faith is paramount: those who do not feel comfortable attending in-person worship should not feel obligated to do so, and it is our intention to continue to provide on-line worship resources each Sunday, including prayers, sermons, and musical selections;
- as well, circumstances may change between now and August 16. The Session will determine if changes to these plans need to be made based on current conditions;
- feedback from all members of our community of faith is most welcome as we navigate our re-opening. Please feel free to share your comments with Bruce Morrison, Clerk of Session, at clerkofsession AT guildwoodchurch.ca.
We look forward to resuming our in-person worship. May God bless you and your families as we continue to weather the present situation, and grant us guidance and wisdom as we anticipate re-opening.
This message first appeared in the June 13, 2020, edition of Tidbits.