BETHEL & COVID-19
The following reflects current guidelines for worship as determined by Bethel's Board of Administrators.
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We are currently meeting inside for worship on Sundays.
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During worship, all must wear masks and physically distance from other families/pods.
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Please continue to use hand sanitizer and behave in the safest ways possible.
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The kitchen is open. Anyone cooking or preparing any food or beverage for a group of people larger than five must wear masks while working.
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Bethel has begun offering coffee and lemonade as well as treats for fellowship time in the narthex after worship.
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For meetings and other events outside of worship time masks are strongly encouraged but not required.
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Bethel reserves the right to revise these guidelines at any time if COVID cases begin to increase in the community.
Our process and rationale.
We surveyed our elected leaders, as well as our families with youth and children, to determine our comfort level as a group. This way everyone was represented in the survey. We created the above guidelines based on those survey results, other feedback we have heard from members, CDC guidelines, and advice from Dr. Osterholm of the University of MN.
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Wearing masks still protects others, especially our children who are not yet eligible for vaccinations. Parents/guardians can choose to give more permissions, but we default to them so that we can keep our children as safe as possible.
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As we move inside, because we still want to sing during worship as a congregation, masks and physical distancing will be required for everyone’s safety. Our sanctuary air exchange does not allow us to replace the air in the suggested manner to keep one another safe without masks, so we choose to require masks. Again, we also do this to keep our children as safe as possible, as well as those among us who are or have family members who are immuno-compromised.
Bethel Lutheran Church is continually reviewing procedures and practices for use of the church building. These procedures and practices will follow the rules and guidelines set forth by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), and the Minnesota Department of Public Health with support from the Minneapolis Synod of the ELCA. Please contact the church with any concerns, questions or comments.
For more information regarding reopening of Bethel's building and resuming of in-person services, please email: bethel@bethel-mpls.org or call (612) 724-3693.
ELCA RESOURCES & GUIDELINES
For resources and guidelines regarding COVID-19 from the ELCA, both locally in Minneapolis and nationally, see the following links.
NATIONAL RESOURCES
