Session Notes

Your Session sat for its regular monthly meeting this week. It was another virtual meeting by Zoom…but that may be changing. 

Being careful not to get ahead of ourselves, we’ve begun to plan a safe transition back to in-person gatherings in our church building. 

Whatever we do will be phased in, with small groups first and worship probably last (and probably no sooner than September). We’ll take it cautiously and evaluate how things are going --and how we all feel about things -- as we go along. 

We will not be in the vanguard of churches rushing to reopen (although we note one church in our Foggy Bottom neighborhood and another church in our Presbytery are). 

We will always be attuned to guidance from the CDC, the District and other authorities. This will mean changes in the way we do things – mask requirements, entry, exit and seating procedures, strict cleaning protocols, to name a few. We’ve already purchased special disinfecting equipment. 

We are committed to continuing our virtual worship service online, even after the sanctuary reopens. Hybrid worship is probably a permanent part of our (and most other churches’) ministry going forward. 

In fact, we’re installing the necessary technology (cameras, switcher) in the sanctuary now, thanks to planning done last year by a group led by Amy DeLouise. It will be a great leap forward from Laura’s laptop camera. 

Miriam’s Kitchen, by the way, is going through this same process and we will synchronize our planning with theirs.  

Changing subjects…here’s some good news. Despite our inability to gather in person, we have sufficient interest to hold new member classes in March. Also, our campus ministry group is active again, and planning a couple of Easter season events with students. 

That’s it for this month. Thanks for reading, and please share your thoughts with us about reopening. We’re all navigating uncharted waters together in the post-vaccination world.