The Covid-19 Task Force, comprised of OPC session members, has been meeting regularly to consider
issues related to the pandemic and how we can best reenter our building in the near future. The work of
the Task Force has revolved around four basic areas:
- ) Sanitizing our building and keeping our members safe
- ) Worship and how to best reenter the sanctuary as a congregation
- ) Christian education and other OPC groups, and
- ) Outside groups and their safety as they begin to use our facility again.
In the past month, your Task Force has focused on the following:
1) A church-wide survey to measure the feeling and attitudes of our church members.
2) Developing protocols for in-person worship, including expectations for worship leaders, congregation
members, and preparing the sanctuary. It quickly became obvious that certain practices would be
different in the near future, including spaced seating, wearing masks, limiting the number of participants
at any one time, no congregational singing, discouraging gathering before and after worship, eliminating
coffee fellowship for now, and a number of other issues related to our safety.
3) Our Livestream online worship is a strong asset to our congregation and will continue to be available
even after the sanctuary is reopened for in-person worship.
4) Development of protocols and strategies for adult and youth Christian education, including Sunday
School, WILD, and Jr. and Sr. High Youth Groups, as well as Bible studies and committee meetings.
5) Discussion of appropriate sanitizing practices. We have focused on both preparing the building for
occupation again, and issues related to keeping the building safe and clear of the virus once we are
gathering regularly in the facility.
6) Consideration of the needs and safety of outside groups who have used our building, including AA,
Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts, various sewing groups, and others.
7) Evaluation of the Covid virus numbers as provided by the state, with particular emphasis on the
situation in Kendall and the surrounding counties. The rising or falling of these numbers will have an
impact on our attitudes about the safety of in-church activities.
8) Evaluation of the actions of the local school district, particularly as it relates to whether the students
are being taught in-person or by distance, and the status of various school activities and sports. Many of
our members, and their children, are impacted by the status of school functions, making this an
important consideration for our committee and the session.
The OPC Covid-19 survey indicated that there is a high level of concern among our membership
regarding safety at this time and that while reentering the sanctuary for worship is a desired goal, there
seems to be strong support for waiting until the time is right. Due to the continuing impact of the virus in
our area, the Task Force has not set a date for beginning the process of reentering our building, but
continues to plan ahead. We will keep you informed about this process and will eventually make a
recommendation to the session regarding the use of the OPC building for worship, education, meetings,
and fellowship.
