Dear Bayside Family,
“Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.” (Psalm 111:1,NRSV)
I write to update you on the status of in-person worship at BUMC Church. For the past few months, we have focused solely on worshiping together in live online. Our work was guided by a desire for safety and the creation of the most effective and impactful worship and connection experiences. I have had numerous questions about when we would return to in-person worship. As of now, we are planning to re-open in-person church services on July 26. We also plan to continue to have our current live online worship.
We are guided by the New York Conference of the United Methodist Church, which stipulates the rules we must follow for in-person worship. The rules are as follows:
· No choir, bands, or congregational singing.
· Highly recommended seniors over 65 remain at home until we work through the initial church re-opening phase.
· Family households with children can sit together to keep a social distance from other families.
· All must wear masks, and their temperature will be taken at the entry point.
· The Church will provide Masks and sanitizer if one needs.
· All gatherings must follow strict social distancing of 6 feet.
· No coffee, snacks, or fellowship time.
· No Sunday school and Youth Ministry in person, but continuing by Online.
We will continue to monitor the CDC and the New York Conference/Bishops Office guidelines. The pandemic has caused hardships in many ways, and we have all had to learn to do familiar things in unfamiliar ways. What has been constant is the abiding grace of God and the resilience of the people of Bayside United Methodist Church.
I look forward to re-opening our Church to in-person worship on July 26 and continuing our gatherings online.
Let us look forward to lifting our voices in praise of the One who knit us together.
Rev. Jung Ung Moon
Pastor
