Reopening Task Force Final Report Summary

The Board would like to thank the Reopening Task Force for their hard and thorough work and their comprehensive final report. Kim R (chair), Cindi H, David K, George C, Larry L, Rosemary, Wanda E, and Wendy H served on the task force.

The reopening plan and supporting materials are available under the “Reopening Tab.” Here is a summary of the most critical points combined with some plans we have going forward.

Standard Precautions

Throughout this information, “standard precautions” mean:

  • Mask wearing for all who enter church (except a lone speaker at the podium)

  • Social distance of 6 ft indoors (outdoors, by mutual consent) between “bubbles/pods.”

  • Frequent hand washing/sanitizing

  • Taking temperature at door (touchless thermometer)

  • If not feeling well, congregants stay home

Metrics

The Reopening Task Force identified metrics for a variety of activities on our church campus. We are using data from COVID ActNow, The Board will make the most conservative decision based on numbers for Kingsport Metro and Johnson City Metro areas.

  • Average NEW CASES over the last 7 days

  • Average INFECTION RATE over the last 14 days

  • Average POSITIVITY RATE over the last 7 days

The following are the various levels of reopening.

metrics trimmed.png

Church Services—General

Green

  • Standard-length in-person services

  • Standard precautions

Yellow

  • 45-minute in-person service AND live Zoom service each Sunday

  • Reduced capacity

  • Standard precautions

Red

No in-person services, live Zoom services (hopefully beginning in October, also recorded and posted on the YouTube channel)

Religious Education

The RE Collaborative (REC) will not offer formal classes on Sunday mornings until young children can also be vaccinated. Until then, the REC with collaborate with the Families Group to organize fellowship activities in outdoor spaces around the Tri-Cities for connection. The Youth Group will meet for a few events this year incorporating standard precautions as well.

Green

Standard precautions

Yellow

Standard precautions if volunteers are available

Red

None

Coffee Hour

Green

  • Standard beverage service

  • Individually wrapped food

  • Indoors or outdoors

  • Standard precautions

Yellow

  • Bottled water provided

  • Individually wrapped food may be possible

  • Outdoors only

  • Standard precautions

Red

  • None

Committee, group meetings, gatherings

Green

  • Precautions determined by the science at the time

Yellow

  • Outside or inside

  • Standard precautions

Red

  • 10 or fewer

  • Standard precautions

Last of all

The various documents under the “Reopening” tab include much more information, including guidelines for live music during services, what needs to happen before we can meet in person, and what an in-person Sunday might look like, so we recommend that you look at the full Reopening Plan for more information.