First United Methodist Church Durant and Caddo

First UMC and COVID-19

Here is the most current information we have about reopening the church. Your church staff and some of the lay leadership have met and reviewed recommendations and guidelines. Barring further governmental COVID-19 related delays, church will reopen on June 7 for 10:00 service. While that is exciting news, there will be some noticeable but necessary changes to our normal worship routine. These measures are being put into place to protect the safety and health of all church members. Therefore, we ask that all attendees comply with the following measures to better protect you, your family and your church family. 

• First, we strongly encourage all who are sick or immune compromised to stay home and continue to watch the worship service on the church website. The morning service will be posted within an hour after it concludes, so by noon.
• We ask that you not arrive more than 15 minutes before the service—so not before 9:45. And, we won’t linger in the building when the service is over.
• There will be only 2 entrances used to access the church. These will be the two north entrances at the east and west ends of the hall. They will be marked. This will allow our ushers to take temperatures of all members when entering into the church. If you are running a fever you will be asked not to attend worship that day.
• Facial masks will be required while in the church and for worship. We’ll have a supply of masks available or you can bring your own.
• You’ll be encouraged to use hand sanitizer upon entering the church. There will also be several bottles of hand sanitizer placed around the sanctuary for your use.
• For the time being, coffee/breakfast foods will not be provided. 
• There will be no “meet and greet” time during the service.
• We won’t use service bulletins or hymnals.
• The choir won’t sing and we won’t have congregational singing for some time. We’re still working out how music will be part of worship services.
• Instead of passing offering plates, we’ll have stationary containers to collect offering. Or, giving can be done online.
• Seating in the sanctuary will look drastically different as there will be groups of chairs set 6 feet apart around the sanctuary.
• We won’t celebrate Holy Communion in June, but will probably wait until July.
• Until further notice there will be no adult Sunday school classes meeting.
• For now, there will not be any children’s programming. This includes Sunday school, children’s worship and nursery. There will be a table set up with materials for the children to help keep them busy and entertained during worship time. Crayons will be returned to marked locations, then sanitized and reused for the next week’s service.
• For the safety for all involved, there will be no VBS this summer. This was a difficult decision. All materials will be saved and used next summer.

This is Phase One of reopening. All items will be re-evaluated on a regular basis and changes will be made when conditions allow. We’ll continue to communicate with you any new information as the situation changes. Please know we are doing all of this to best protect you and your family. Thank you for patience and understanding during this unusual time. What a joy it will be to worship together again!