September 2020
Dear Fellow Members,
Open for Worship
I am pleased to be writing to you to let you know that the Church will reopen for Sunday Morning Worship from Sunday 4th October 2020.
However, as in all areas of our lives, when you come to church things will be very different from before the Covid-19 Pandemic. These changes are necessary first and foremost for your safety and in order that we are complying with the guidelines set out by the Scottish Government and the Church of Scotland.
Many of these changes will be very familiar to you but there are additional measures particularly relevant for places of worship.
Here is a list of the new procedures
- Facemasks must be worn at all times
- 2 metre distancing must be maintained and physical contact avoided
- Hand – Sanitisers are in place and must be used on entry and exit.
- Test and Protect arrangements mean that your contact details will be recorded.
- Comfortable Seating is set out and you will be directed to a seat – couples / families from the same household may sit together
- Numbers attending worship is limited to 35
- Hymn Singing is not permitted but we will play hymns / other appropriate music
- Offerings/ FWO Envelopes should be placed in the offering plate on entry – alternatively we can help you to donate by standing order or online.
- Teas/ Coffees will not be available before or after worship
- Single occupancy of toilets. new locks have been fitted in the inside door of the toilets to ensure that only one person is in the toilet area at a time.
- Lift to Church : Sadly we are not permitted to offer lifts to church by car.
Services will take place in the Church Hall initially to allow for all these measures to be complied with and to ensure that the cleaning of the rooms and surfaces can be undertaken thoroughly and safely on your behalf.
I would like nothing more than to be able to welcome everyone back to church next Sunday morning but as with the wedding (6 people ), baptism (18 people ), on-line communion and funerals (max. 20 people) that have taken place in the last 6 months, we all know that for now that is just not possible. I am therefore going to continue to provide Morning Worship Online which you can access through the Church Website or Facebook page.
A Note of Caution
The Kirk Session and I understand that not everyone will feel comfortable about coming back to Church at this time and we would urge extreme caution if you were in the shielding or high risk categories during the lock down period. Please think very carefully about any existing health conditions, especially respiratory, that you may have before you decide to attend church.
Book Your place
We are introducing a booking system therefore we would ask that you telephone the church office (01241 877068) on Friday mornings between 10 am and 12 noon or send an e-mail to church.office@old-and-abbey-church.org.uk if you intend to come to Worship. This will help us to ensure that we are able to accommodate everybody.
I recognise that none of the above seems very welcoming but pleased be assured that the Elders who are on duty are looking forward to welcoming you and will assist you as you navigate your way through the new procedures. Finally, if you have any questions about the return to services please contact either myself, Carole our Session Clerk or Moira in the church office on the numbers listed below.
Yours faithfully,
Rev. Dolly Purnell
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Carole Munro Session Clerk 01241 874133
Moira Steven Office Administrator 01241 877068
Dolly Purnell Minister 01241 872196
