The parish newsletter will be updated each month in print form, and available at service each Sunday. We always contact church members with extra important information.
June 2020
Greetings everyone…
Note from Nathan
Notices & Snippets
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Note from Nathan
Hello again everyone and welcome to “Level 1”! It has been a long journey and we have all done very well.
For our first service back together last week under “Level 2” we were required to have quite a robust Health and Safety plan, which we advertised. There are now no restrictions on us in worship, but just to make sure, our Health and Safety team felt we should retain some vigilance for the rest of the month until Term 2 ends.
This plan is attached below; basically we will be reserving the back south side of the church for greater distance between seats for those who still wish to physically distance (this probably means that not all the new chairs will be able to be put out). We will still ask people to sanitise their hands on entry and to check with people before initiating physical contact. We will retain a contact register. Morning tea will be back to normal. We trust that those who are feeling ill or anxious will exercise appropriate distancing. This is just for the next 3 weeks, then we will review.
Contact tracing is actually quite helpful, as June is statistics month for the PCANZ, and we are supposed to be recording how many people attend our worship and ‘Christian formation’ events. As our church ministries start up again, if you are leading such a group, please remember to record numbers and submit them to Nathan.
Prayer: Please continue to pray for Bruce’s position as new grant sources are sought.
Please also pray for Gail and the search for tenants for the manse. May our renting out of this property prove to be an opportunity to extend the mission of our congregation.
Youth Group: A reminder that the senior Youth Group meets next Tuesday evening in the lounge. Ross is still ‘Zooming in’ to these as our youth pastor until the end of June when his term of employment concludes. Please pray for him, his future, the quest for a replacement youth pastor, and for the youth and the groups Ross worked with so well.
Parish Council meets 7:30pm next Tuesday, place to be decided.
Peace be with you all!
IBPC Safety plan for Level 1, term 2 2020
• If you are sick, stay home
• If you have cold or flu-like symptoms, go for a Covid test.
• Everyone sanitises on entry into the building. When inside, Wash your hands, Wash your hands, Wash your hands. We will continue supplying paper towels to dry hands.
• Each group is still required to disinfect shared surfaces at the end of their sessions, such as door handles, light switches and bench tops. Internal doors will continue to be propped open for the time being, but external doors can be shut as the weather gets colder. Just please disinfect the handles. Disposable cloths and paper towels will be available for this, plus disinfectant sprays.
• Physical distancing is not required during services or other group gatherings, but consider setting space aside with more distancing for those who are vulnerable or anxious. In Sunday services we will set aside the back half of the church on the south side with spaced seating. Please check with people as to their comfort levels before engaging in physical contact.
• If cloth towels or tea towels are used, please put them in the laundry bag at the end of that session. Do not leave them out to be re-used.
• Contact tracing is no longer required but we encourage groups to keep track of who is coming on to the premises. Only the group itself needs to register on the church register, not each person. IBPC will continue to record who comes for church events and services in the church register.
There are now no restrictions on serving food and drink. Please continue to follow good hygiene practices.
Notices & Snippets
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