As I mentioned in May’s front page article, the changes in guidelines and restrictions for in-person worship would be hard to predict. That wasn’t exactly going out on a limb, but I did swerve into the right answer, anyway. On May 13th the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a change in their guidelines for vaccines and masks. That became important because much of the guidance for Salem’s insurers (and our ability to maintain important coverage) has stuck pretty closely to CDC guidelines. As most of you are probably aware, the new guidelines have stated that fully vaccinated persons (two weeks past the second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) are no longer required to wear a mask in most indoor settings.
Unfortunately, the initial news came out on a Thursday without any advance notice or clarifications (those would come early the next week), leaving businesses and organizations little time to digest the recommendations and act on them quickly. After looking at the new guidelines, Salem’s Worship Team and the Consistory have made the following changes in our in-person worship procedures:
- When weather permits, the 10:30 a.m. worship service will be held outdoors, in front of the east entrance, allowing persons to be seated under the carport, on the level surface of the parking lot, and on the edge of the lawn. Persons may bring their own lawn chairs and the church will also have folding chairs available. While persons are not required to mask, you may wear a mask if you are more comfortable doing so. The full range of worship practices, including congregational singing will take place in this service.
- In the event of inclement weather, the 10:30 a.m. worship service will move indoors. Fully vaccinated persons will not be required to wear a mask but unvaccinated persons will be asked to mask. We will seat persons in every other pew. Since the guidelines indicate that it is not safe for unvaccinated persons to sing inside, there will be no congregational singing for the indoor service.
- We will no longer ask persons to call ahead before coming to worship and there will no longer be reserved seating.
There are a number of things that need to be kept in mind as we make these changes. First, I anticipate that this will be the beginning of a number of changes that will come in the weeks ahead as we move to fewer restrictions. Those changes may happen quickly (as did the May 13th change), so be on the lookout for those changes. Second, while persons choosing not to become vaccinated assume certain risks for themselves, there are persons who do not have that choice, including children under 12 and persons allergic to the vaccine; therefore, we will continue to exercise caution to assure every person is as safe as possible at Salem. Third, decisions would be a lot easier if we knew that everyone was vaccinated, but there is no desire on my part to be part of the vaccine police. Call me old-fashioned, but “Your papers please” should not be three words that we use in church.
Finally, I continue to ask for your patience during this transition to a time when these restrictions will be behind us. As I’ve said before, shutting things down is easy: starting them back up is a lot harder. It is not just like flipping a switch. Everyone will have a different level of comfort and a different sense of timing with regards to coming back. We need to approach the situation and each another with love, understanding, and common sense.
Shalom aleichem—Peace be with you
Rev. Jim Hoppert
