Covid hits our private school - an update of sorts

[Matryoshka]

15 minutes ago, kand said:

We do the zoom coffee hour with breakout rooms as well. The only problem is that means I need to get out of my pajamas before church 😁. 

🤣🤣🤣 So true!!!  #2020problems.

[Matryoshka]

1 hour ago, Seasider too said:

Love the coffee rooms idea!

I enjoyed the streamed service at first. But they’ve gone to a conglomerate service that includes short segments for each demographic, which (to me) lessens the quality of each portion. Our teaching for adults has shrunk to a little over half the time it used to get, and since now the “audience” is the whole wide web, it’s more geared to newer believers. Which is a terrific ministry in itself, it just doesn’t satisfy the same, iykwim. I was already struggling with the  performance feel of worship, watching that online has exacerbated that. 
 

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, or if my expectations are too high, but honestly, if covid had happened ten years ago, and lasted 9 months, I feel very sure that during that time our family would have received at least one personal phone call from a pastor. Instead I have been solicited one time by someone wanting me to come into the building to babysit. Anticipating someone will ask if we have reached out to our pastor instead, yes, but just get group messaging in return. Oh, we do get a lot of messages in the sermons about continuing to give. 
 

Wow sorry to be a Debbie Downer today. I’m just still camped on the thought that churches (and private Christian schools!) shouldn’t blindly force the old norms, but should look for more out of the box ways to stay connected and foster connections. Really shepherd people, not simply continue to offer a consumer product. Gosh y’all, that’s another thread indeed. 

We're a small church - also not evangelical, not sure if that makes a difference in messaging/feel.  But very much not slick.  The pastor Zooms the sermon from her kitchen table on her laptop.  Different families have been given a turn lighting a candle at the beginning of services.  We still have "Word for All Ages" for the kids even though there aren't that many in attendance.  The kids I think are going to a break out room during the actual sermon - but other than that we all stay together for the service.

I just joined the Membership/Welcoming Committee this year.  Trying to figure out how to bring in new people (we just finished minister search during Covid!  New minister comes in February, I think...), and also making current members feel welcomed - it is a challenging time, that's for sure, without a lot of easy answers.  Our church has not always been as good as it thinks it is about embracing new people - it's just human to go talk to the people you know and not notice there's someone new standing awkwardly around.

ETA: One thing I really like about the randomly assigned break out rooms is that you end up talking to people you might not otherwise.  In some ways I think it could be an opportunity to get to know a little better some people at church that you might just know from name or face.

Edited December 15, 2020 by Matryoshka

[sassenach]

2 hours ago, Seasider too said:

Hey I am OLD. I understand that small churches aren’t perfect. 
 

I’m sorry your husband is bearing so many burdens. It is a weird place to be, there’s no seminary class on how to pastor in a pandemic. 
 

One day, when we are all less covid-weary, I’d like a discussion on the actual topic of pastor as vocation. Because that - in the general sense of hey we should probably rethink how we do church in America - probably needs investigation. I do feel pretty sure they are carrying the weight of things that aren’t necessary (ie, capital campaigns for bigger buildings). And I am sure that many of the sheep aren’t bonding in a way that lightens the pastoral load (because we are intervening early at helping one another). Like I said, a topic for another day, and I am definitely expressing my personal POV as opposed to a well ordered proposal. I need to more thoroughly think it through myself. Forgive me if I have offended you in any way. 

Totally not offended! These are good thoughts. 

[Tenaj]

We had to run to the school today to pick up a fundraiser order.  I sent my son in wearing a mask.  Of course, no one else was wearing a mask!  If I don't laugh, I'll cry!  It's just really ridiculous!

[matrips]

On 12/14/2020 at 7:03 PM, importswim said:

I had to check where you're located (it's not by me) because we've had a very very similar situation here, right down to the basketball teammate testing positive December 4th! 

People here are making me feel like I'm being ridiculous for quarantining. Others who have been affected are not telling anyone and not quarantining. I'm seriously re-evaluating friendships over it. It's super sad.

We had our basketball team test positive as well the first week of December.  It must be the indoor sports. Because their school had golf, track, football, soccer etc with no issues.  Which makes me extra comfortable with outdoor sports and activities, and masked, distances indoor activities (not sweaty kids all touching the same ball and maybe or maybe not wearing masks). And at my sons school, at least several cases seemed due to ice hockey.  So again, sweaty indoor activities seem risky.  But all their outdoor sports seemed fine too.

[ScoutTN]

9 hours ago, vonfirmath said:

We distance. Most wear masks. There is singing. Still no spread.

 

This is our church too. 250 people per service in a neo-gothic cathedral sanctuary that comfortably seats 1100. Masks required and reminders of proper wearing given. All the regular parts of worship except no plates passed for the offering and individual, prepackaged communion elements to pick up on the way in. 

Zero transmission. 

[ScoutTN]

12 minutes ago, matrips said:

We had our basketball team test positive as well the first week of December.  It must be the indoor sports. Because their school had golf, track, football, soccer etc with no issues.  Which makes me extra comfortable with outdoor sports and activities, and masked, distances indoor activities (not sweaty kids all touching the same ball and maybe or maybe not wearing masks). And at my sons school, at least several cases seemed due to ice hockey.  So again, sweaty indoor activities seem risky.  But all their outdoor sports seemed fine too.

My son's flag football league had zero cases. They played Aug-Oct. 

[matrips]

8 hours ago, Seasider too said:

I have not been to church since March. I really miss it. Online services are not the same. I’m thankful that the sermons are podcast, I do listen, but feel very disconnected. I feel like my church is going to great lengths to continue to do things the old way, when they need to take a step backwards and reach out in more personal ways. All these months, they’ve certainly had the time. 
 

Are churches not allowed to meet? Ours have been open since the summer. Everyone is masked, and seating is distanced.  Every other pew roped off, and within the pew, people sit about 6’ from others.  No touching.  And they have a cleaning crew go in after each service with some kind of sanitizing machines.  All hymnals etc removed.  Papers are printed out and you must take them with you.  
 

and our kids youth group uses a much bigger room than they used to and everyone is masked etc

it seems to work fine.  I’m grateful we haven’t had lockdowns since the spring. Our online services were not keeping our teens engaged (nor me); we needed to get back into church. And our church will have extra Christmas services to help make up for the fact they can’t cram people in anymore.  And they forewarned us that it may happen that everything fills up and you can’t attend 🤷‍♀️

I hope your church is able to figure out something safe for all of you.

 

[kokotg]

1 hour ago, matrips said:

We had our basketball team test positive as well the first week of December.  It must be the indoor sports. Because their school had golf, track, football, soccer etc with no issues.  Which makes me extra comfortable with outdoor sports and activities, and masked, distances indoor activities (not sweaty kids all touching the same ball and maybe or maybe not wearing masks). And at my sons school, at least several cases seemed due to ice hockey.  So again, sweaty indoor activities seem risky.  But all their outdoor sports seemed fine too.

There was an outbreak on the softball team at my husband's school, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was because of socializing inside apart from practices/games. 

[frogger]

15 hours ago, kbutton said:

Ours too! We have no idea what is going on most of the time. I don't understand why we don't have Zoom options for small groups and Bible study. Our church records a special sermon for online. Pre-pandemic, all sermons online were recorded during a live service (and they feel very different as a result). 

It is strange that they don't just record live. Maybe they don't want a recording of not following mandates?

 

Are you not allowed to start your own study? That's what I did. Are you allowed to advertise it in the bulletin or ask they announce it in the recorded sermon? It doesn't make sense that the people planning all the in person stuff have to also plan the virtual stuff. It would would make more sense to start your own little group. 

[vonfirmath]

12 hours ago, matrips said:

Are churches not allowed to meet? Ours have been open since the summer. Everyone is masked, and seating is distanced.  Every other pew roped off, and within the pew, people sit about 6’ from others.  No touching.  And they have a cleaning crew go in after each service with some kind of sanitizing machines.  All hymnals etc removed.  Papers are printed out and you must take them with you.  

🤷‍♀️

 

 

We feel very lucky to be living where we do. There are parts of the US where churches are not allowed to meet. (Or not indoors -- which as it gets colder makes it more difficult)

[matrips]

32 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

We feel very lucky to be living where we do. There are parts of the US where churches are not allowed to meet. (Or not indoors -- which as it gets colder makes it more difficult)

Same here.  Life seems pretty normal here and I’m grateful for the freedoms.

[TCB]

3 hours ago, Choirfarm3 said:

Oh yes, our church is back to normal. They social distance, but very few wear masks. I could sing in the choir. They are having youth sans masks and ladies events.  I just don't feel like that is safe. So I am an outcast.

I’m sorry. I know that feeling too. At some point they will have to take responsibility for their actions. 

[matrips]

5 hours ago, Choirfarm3 said:

Oh yes, our church is back to normal. They social distance, but very few wear masks. I could sing in the choir. They are having youth sans masks and ladies events.  I just don't feel like that is safe. So I am an outcast.

I wouldn’t be keen either without the masking.  Our church has signs before enter:  “Mask please, so we don’t have to ask”.  They are mandatory at our church.

[lulalu]

I worked at a private school during the swine flu time. Basically happened just as you describe. One child spread it to the school by coming in ill. We had to close for 2 weeks because so many were out ill. We had the school cleaned well, and then started back up.