Dear Restoration,
Last week due to the prominent spread of Covid in the Twin Cities, the mayor of Minneapolis reinstated the indoor mask mandate for businesses. This recent executive order is different from ones we saw previously because it does not include churches. Rather, it applies to “places of public accommodation,” a legal term excluding religious organizations.
I’d like to take this as an opportunity to share about several new updates to Restoration’s Covid mitigation efforts.
Masks
[New] Masks Required in the Balcony. We will be designating the balcony as a “masks required” section. There is limited seating in the balcony, so please reserve it for the elderly and those in at-risk health categories.
RSVP Balcony →Everywhere Else. We recommend masks, as we have been doing and especially in light of the current surge. More on this below.
Air Purification
Special thanks to Aaron, our Parish Administrator, for working hard on the following items.
[NEW] Air Ionizing Units. Several weeks ago, the Parish Council approved the installation of air ionizing units for our HVAC system that will kill over 98% of airborne SARS-CoV-2, as well as significant reductions of Influenza and RSV. I’m happy to share that those units were installed today.
Learn more →[NEW] MERV13 Filters. We have installed MERV13 filters in our HVAC system, which run continually on Sunday mornings.
[NEW] Air Exchange. Our sanctuary’s air exchange rate is about four times per hour, and our HVAC consultant is making basic alterations to our equipment to increase this even more.
Children’s Ministry
Room Air Purification. Every children’s classroom is equipped with two HEPA filters that run constantly.
Policies. We ask families to adhere to our Well Child and Covid Policies.
Distance Worship
Livestream. We continue to offer an excellent Livestream for those who are physically sick, in an at-risk category, or have other health related reasons for staying home.
In-Home Eucharist. If you anticipate participating via Livestream long-term, please contact me about setting up a home visit to receive Eucharist.
Other Events. If you regularly participate in Sunday Worship via Livestream, we strongly recommend, but don’t require, that you to participate in other church events that may be either virtual or with smaller groups. It’s important that you remain connected to community!
Other
Eventual Two Services. The staff is currently making preparations to return to two worship services again by March. This will allow a comfortable buffer between attenders within our sanctuary. This change is contingent upon having enough volunteers available, so if you are available to serve on a Sunday Team, let us know.
A Pastoral Note
Of course no plan is 100% perfect. There is always risk of getting physically sick associated with all gatherings of people.
Last Sunday, I suspect about 85% of those in attendance wore a mask. For some, that number is very comforting and for others it is frustrating. I share this not to shame anyone or to create a false sense of security —only to point out that we who gather to worship Jesus Christ are weighing different life experiences and values which lead us to different approaches.
These are challenging times for congregations like ours. Within our congregation, there are concerns about physical health, concerns about the long-term effects of children not seeing faces, concerns about our public witness… and many other things. I ask that during this temporary storm, we strive for unity and peace.
On a personal note, Molly and I are vaccinated, boosted, and had Covid several weeks ago. We believe the jabs explain why our run with the virus was incredibly minimal. Our children have Covid antibodies through either vaccination or natural means. I am not a medical expert, but I am happy to chat with you about our personal experiences.
May we continue to pray for our civic leaders, health care workers, those who are physically sick, and those who are most vulnerable to suffering from all the other effects of the pandemic.
In order to build up the spiritual health of our community, Restoration will continue to find creative ways for the People of God to participate in embodied ministries of Word and Table.
In Christ,
Rick+
