Malone: Centenary UMC’s building will reopen for in-person worship —

Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021
10:00 am in the Sanctuary

So many of you have asked, “When do we get to worship together in person again?” I wanted to let you know that we will plan to have our first in-person gathering on Easter Sunday, April 4th! Please join me in prayer toward that end!

We will however continue to experience some changes in how we gather:

• Those at greatest risk of infection [Frail elderly 65+, Immuno-suppressed persons or family members, etc.] should carefully consider remaining at home utilizing the digital resources Centenary UMC provides on our website: www.malonecentenaryumc.org
  or by utilizing our Sermon by Phone at 518-216-0092 for the weekly message.
• Malone: Centenary UMC encourages that as each group of people qualify for immunization, make an appointment to be immunized as soon as possible.
• Until all are immunized and the public mask mandate has been lifted, we must wear masks and continue to observe social distancing of at least 6 feet for non-family groups.
• The front entrance will be the only access into Centenary UMC so that each person can be greeted and attendance taken. [Parking in the Village Office lot or on Main Street will give us the safest access.]
• We plan to worship in our Sanctuary in designated areas to maintain social distancing.
• We will utilize greeters at the church entrance to record attendance, check temperatures, and maintain social distancing on the entrance staircase or in the lift.
• In the sanctuary, ushers will greet you to safely seat you before the service and they will also dismiss you from worship in in an orderly way to maintain social distancing.
• We will again use a “digital” bulletin rather than pass paper to one another.
• The offering plates will be stationed at the back of the sanctuary for your gifts, tithes, and donations, rather than passed hand to hand.
• We will utilize quieter responsive readings and singing, with masks, during worship. (The CDC has continued to caution that normal choral activities can have an aerosol effect and can be an infectious practice if not moderated.)
• We will schedule and observe communion with the same adjustments in our practice as we utilized in the fellowship hall – communion wafers without a shared cup for now.

My goal continues to be “safety first” for all of us as we come back to an in-person faith community. We need to faithfully observe this “new-normal” for the foreseeable future.

For more information, please access the entire letter
from March 28, 2021 — LINK