OUR UPDATED COVID-19 PROTOCOLS

May 26, 2021

Dear Grace Parish Family,

In response to the recent release of new guidelines by the CDC and the new diocesan guidelines approved by our Bishop, Grace will adopt these updated COVID-19 protocols, effective immediately:

General protocols:

• We will no longer require reservations or sign-ins for our worship services.
• We will no longer require anyone to wear a mask outdoors on our campus.
• We will resume receiving the sacrament of communion at the altar rail in the Church without requiring social distancing.
• For the sake of others, we request that people not in the same family remain three feet apart when standing in line for communion.
• We will continue to offer wine only by intinction for the time being.
• We suggest you stand a few feet back from the rail if you prefer to be socially distanced while receiving communion.
• We will no longer have restrictions on the number of people in worship and in other rooms on campus (of course, the parish hall is unusable until further notice), except for capacity limits set by the fire code.
• Protocols for the fully vaccinated:
• Proof of vaccination is NOT required
• You are no longer required to wear a mask anywhere on our campus.
• You may sing in services without a mask. This includes vaccinated musicians and choir members.

Protocols for the unvaccinated:

• We strongly recommend that everyone who is not fully vaccinated wear a mask inside our buildings in accordance with the CDC and diocesan guidelines. This includes children over the age of 2, while we support our parents in making wise decisions on behalf of their unvaccinated children.
• Because some will need to continue to wear masks and physically distance for important health reasons, we are setting aside worship spaces with socially distanced seating. If at any time you feel a need for more social distancing, please reach out to an usher, who will gladly help accommodate you.

***Special Seating set aside in the Church for unvaccinated and immunocompromised people will be: the upper balcony, the first two rows on both sides nearest the chancel, and the side chapel.

The Peace
Vaccinated persons may exchange the Peace with a handshake or embrace, however, I ask that you please be sensitive to the social cues given by those sitting around you. While you may be ready for a handshake or embrace, others may not. Fist bumps and elbows are still appropriate. Those who are unvaccinated should remain masked and observe social distancing.

Of course, we are not able to guarantee a COVID-free environment, and everyone on campus is responsible to observe protocols and bear any risks. Remember that we will continue to offer Sunday worship online via our live-streamed services.

It will take some time for people to read about and understand these changes. Please be courteous and patient with one another as we move into this new phase with much more freedom in our spaces. Let us not fail to give thanks to God for such progress in the fight against the pandemic, as we continue to pray for those in much more perilous places around the world.

Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Suzanne Smith