Reopening 2.0

THIS POST WILL BE UPDATED as events warrant. Please watch this space for further information!

On September 12 – almost exactly the one-year anniversary of the last time we did so – All Saints will be returning to in-person worship. The situation is still evolving, of course, and we hope and pray that vaccination rates will continue to climb; serious illness will remain low; and children under 12 will be able to be vaccinated soon, so that restrictions can continue to be eased. We are aware, however, that prudence may sooner or later require that we move in the opposite direction. In the meantime, though, here is the plan!

Worship will continue to be live-streamed on Zoom for the foreseeable future.

Precautions

As we were a year ago, we are restricted to a maximum of 50 people in worship, and you will have to register for a place and sign in once you arrive. The link for September 12 is here, or you can call the office at 514-631-3601. If you will be bringing small children and want to make sure that we are prepared with a sectioned-off space for your family, you can call, or email gburson@montreal.anglican.ca.

We will continue to have hand sanitizer available in multiple locations, seat household bubbles 2 meters apart, and minimize movement around the space while worship is taking place. We will keep the windows open for ventilation for as long as that is tolerable given the weather.

Music

We are allowed to sing as a congregation under the new regulations. The choir will probably return gradually to something closer to its accustomed level of participation over the coming weeks.

Bulletins

For the time being, the primary means of following the service will be the slides on the screens in the sanctuary; the font size will be increased to make the words easily visible.  We will make a trial run of providing a simple paper announcement sheet so that information about upcoming events can be taken home. Your feedback on how this works is welcomed!

BASes and hymnals have also been returned to the pews, so those who want to see the music for the hymns will be able to.

Eucharist

Our worship services will include Holy Communion from September 12 until further notice. The congregation is still limited to partaking only of the bread. The hosts will be distributed from the chancel steps, and you are invited to step aside and consume the wafer before returning to your seat. If you wish communion to be brought to you in your pew, please make sure to sit in one of the spots on the aisle so that I can reach you without having to lean over anyone else.

For the moment, there will be only one service at 10:00 AM. If we are able to stay open and there is a desire to revive the 8:00 service, we are certainly open to doing so in the coming weeks or months. We are also conscious that those who don’t feel ready to venture back into public worship may still be longing to participate in Communion. I am more than happy to arrange to bring communion to your homes if you are open to that. Additionally, if we revive the 8:00 service, hosts from that service could be picked up during the 9:00 hour and consumed at home while tuned into the 10:00.

Coffee Hour

Coffee hour is an option, though under very strict restrictions. If you are interested in helping to make it happen, please let me know! (As of the parish meeting on Aug. 29, we have decided not to try to do coffee hour for at least the first few weeks.)

Vaccination

We have been informed that places of worship will not be required to use the government’s vaccine passport checking system. It is not entirely clear whether this means that we are not permitted to require vaccination. We do strongly encourage everyone for whom vaccination is a possibility to be vaccinated, for your own and everyone else’s protection, especially for the protection of those who cannot be vaccinated yet, or ever.

Cleanup

You are invited to come to church from 1:30-4:30 PM on Friday, September 10, and/or Saturday, September 11, to help clean up and prepare the space for the grand reopening!

Thanks so much to the Corporation, Tech, Building, and Worship Committees and to everyone else who has worked hard to prepare us for this next step in our pandemic journey. I can’t wait to see you in church!

In God’s peace,

Grace+