Georgetown First Re-opening – Phase 1

We are excited to be together for in person worship! While we feel comfortable coming together in-person, there is still a need to be cautious in order to best love our neighbors and keep one another healthy and safe. The Kentucky Annual Conference has given us some helpful recommendations for reopening which, along with the orders from Governor Beshear, have informed how we reopen the facilities at Georgetown First. 

Worship

We offer in-person worship on Sunday with 3 worship services: 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00. Each service is approximately 45 minutes long, giving us ample time to sanitize surfaces in between the services. More information below.

The 9:45 service will be live-streamed on Facebook and uploaded to YouTube for those not able to attend. The 11:00 service is an inter-generational, family-friendly service.

Our safety and security team members will direct you into the building through one entrance and into the worship space.

• For the 8:30am and 9:45am worship services, the team will direct you in through the portico (door 12) and into the pews. The designated exit will be the west hallway doors facing Hwy. 25/Lexington Road (door 2) adjacent to the choir room. Worshipers will park in the front lot only.
• For the 11:00 Family Worship service, families will park in the back parking lot and enter through the gym doors.  Entrance and exit doors will be marked.

Everyone attending is asked to wear a mask as they arrive and depart and during the worship service. Pastors and staff will also be wearing masks except for when they are actually leading in the service (i.e. preaching, presiding during Holy Communion, etc).

Collection plates will not be passed. Four new offering boxes mounted in the foyer, narthex and the west hallway (outside Denise Pitts’ and Howard Miles’ office) are our new means of receiving your tithes and offerings.

It is crucial that if you are feeling unwell, or have felt unwell in the past few days, please stay home and participate in the live-stream, which will continue into the future. We encourage those in our congregation who are more “vulnerable” to continue participating through the live stream. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines vulnerable populations as:

• Individuals over 65.
• Individuals with serious underlying health conditions, including high blood pressure, chronic lung disease, diabetes, obesity, and asthma.
• Individuals whose immune system is compromised (e.g. cancer, chemo and radiation therapy).

If you plan to join us in person, please follow these guidelines closely:

• Wear a face mask at all times when inside the building.
• Follow the instructions of the safety and security team as they route people to the proper doors and seating areas. 
• Please stay at least 6 feet from anyone you did not come with.
• Refrain from hugging or shaking hands.
• If you are bringing children, it is your responsibility to keep them distanced from others.

Other Ministries

There will be no in-person Choir, Sunday school, or children’s ministries this summer. These ministries will be reevaluated before the fall for phase 2 of our reopening. Youth ministries will follow the timeline of the state for youth events. The Youth Ministry Team is planning events for later in the summer that will allow the youth to gather while following social distancing guidelines. 

Church Office

The office is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:00am-noon and 1pm-4:00pm. Please wear a mask when coming to the office and social distance 6 feet to help protect our staff. When possible, please limit in-person visits and continue to conduct business online. 

Building Re-opening 
 
In September 2020, the Trustees set the rental and usage policy for the Church for the months of October and November. The policy is to be open for church meetings and church ministries only.  There are to be no rentals to outside individuals, organizations for meetings or planned events during this time period. Food will be permitted based on the guidelines listed above.    

The Trustees will set the policy for the next 2 months at each of their monthly meetings. This Policy can be reviewed and changed at any time should new guidelines be issued by any government, it agencies or the Methodist organization.

Instructions for On-Line Worship

We will broadcast live on Facebook at 9:45am. A recording of this service will be posted on YouTube by 1:00pm.
You may access our online worship services at this address: https://www.facebook.com/GeorgetownFirst/live/ or from our YouTube channel after 1:00pm Sunday at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUuS2qpUQv4TmS1a9jYDDag.