PANDEMIC COMMUNITY GUIDANCE: MOVING FORWARD WITH OUR SAFE GATHERING PLAN
Dear Mount Olivet,
We begin this new year in realistic hope as the COVID vaccine becomes more accessible. We know more about this disease than we did nine months ago, and so we look ahead to the shifts in how we can gather at Mount Olivet. Within this hope, our priorities remain the same:
1. Health and safety of our church community: members, staff, and Mount Olivet Child Learning Center families
2. Focus on essential ministries: Livestreamed worship, the daily operations of the Child Learning Center, and our weekly Community Meal
3. Ministries to Mount Olivet Members
4. Community use of the building
The Pandemic Response Team has created and the council approved a Safe Gathering Plan based on the Hennepin County 14-day case rates. Schools use this data to guide learning models. The case numbers will guide our next steps in gathering, including how our building will be used. The plan details are below as well as linked to our website www.moply.org.
Safety Protocols
All phases of the plan require masks, social distancing, completion of health waivers, building cleaning, and a request process for Mount Olivet small groups to gather inside the building. As always, if you are high risk for contracting the virus, sick or have symptoms, please stay at home and utilize on-line options.
Communication
Each Thursday we will communicate via the website and the weekly e-lert the current case numbers and what phase we are in. We will require two weeks of decreasing cases (or cases within a level range) before a shift will be considered. Additional time will be necessary for staff to communicate changes, prepare the building, and coordinate their work.
Small Groups
When we move from red to yellow, we will open the building to Mount Olivet small groups. Gathering youth to meet in person is our priority, and the Faith Formation Team has created plans to welcome a limited number of small groups to the building on Wednesday evenings. Mount Olivet small groups will have a request process to schedule rooms and gathering times. We will reach out directly to small group leaders with more information soon.
Moving from yellow to green allows for larger group sizes and more flexible meeting times. In this phase, we would likely invite all 5th-12th youth back into the building on Wednesday evenings, gathering in large rooms only with others in their grades. Online opportunities will still be available for those who choose. Look for communication from the Faith Formation Team with more details about these plans.
Worship
When we move from red to yellow or green, we can worship outside, weather permitting. Gathering indoors for worship (up to 50) will begin if weather does not permit outdoor gatherings and if cases allow us to move to the green phase. Indoors or outdoors, the in-person worship will be live streamed for those who prefer to stay at home.
There are many nuances to this plan, and we continue to commit to timely, transparent communication. This pandemic is ever-changing, and our life together may not follow a linear pattern. Your flexibility and feedback are appreciated.
An open question-and-answer session via Zoom is scheduled for Wednesday, January 20 at 7pm with staff, Pandemic Response Team and Council members. You can register to receive the zoom link HERE.
Additionally, the Faith Formation Team will be holding a parent forum via Zoom on Sunday, January 24 at 7:30pm. Watch for registration information or contact Beth McGrew-King.
You can find the details of each phase located HERE. We will continue to update this page as we progress, posting documents, plans, and other communications.
If you have specific questions, please send an email to contact@moply.org. Thank you for your commitment to Mount Olivet.
In hope,
Pastors Beth and Joel
Pandemic Response Team:
Ron Frehner, Scott Grinde, Joni Marti, Chris Poe, Beth Olson, Bob Swanson, Stephanie Weiland
Church Council:
Lindsay Bondy, Brenna Finley, Joe Himmelberg, Paul Nelson, Lauren Schroeder, Mike Scott, Dawn Strommen, Bob Swanson