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When will we have in-person worship begin in the Sanctuary? 

We will begin with one in-person worship service on March 21 at 9am that will also be livestreamed at 9am and then available for watching on demand afterwards through our website or YouTube channel.  

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How long will we have only one service? 

We intend to continue with the one 9am in-person worship service as long as the Covid-19 cases in our immediate area stay in decline or plateau at a safe level. If there is a spike in cases, the Covid advisory team of CTUMC lay and staff members will evaluate responsible options to keep our members and community safer. 

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How many people can be in the Sanctuary with social distancing? 

It depends on how many are in a family group sitting together, but we have 45 seats available to reserve online in advance for each week’s service. We will also have staff and Ambassadors who will be present, but not part of those reservation seats. Available rows will be open and other rows will be closed off with ribbon. 

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Who are the Ambassadors? 

During this transition phase of Stage 3, we are combining the roles of the Ushers, Greeters and Safety Response Team into one new group called Ambassadors. They will help greet and guide people to the worship experience while encouraging safety protocols and helping with sanitizing. If you are interested in being part of this team, please contact the church office at (314) 842-2060 or info@concordtrinity.org. 

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How do I make a reservation? 

Beginning at 10am on the Monday before the upcoming Sunday worship service, the link for our registration tool to “pastorstoolbox” will be open from the church website registration button or from the link sent to you weekly in the all-church email. If you do not have internet access, you can call the church office beginning at 10am to request the number of seats needed for your family group. For the first few weeks, you will only see the Sanctuary as an option for worship reservations, but in time we will also open Trinity Hall as an additional space for worship. You will then see the Sanctuary option and Trinity Hall option for reservation with a limited number for each space.  

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How will it work for Easter worship outside on April 4 at 10am? 

Reservations will open at 10am on Monday, March 29 for Easter. We will have this open for 150 reservations. Attendees will park in the back parking lot and bring their own chair, blanket and rain gear (if necessary) to the front parking area to find a spot socially distanced from others. Face masks will be required for this service even though outside. We will be borrowing a portable sound system from La Trinidad to project sound out to the parking lot for music and preaching. 

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What will worship in Trinity Hall be like when it is added?  

In Trinity Hall, worship will be live streamed to the two screens hanging from the ceiling. Tables with chairs will be set up with social distancing for families or couples. This will be like watching and participating in worship at home, except with a small group of your church family in Trinity Hall. 

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What does it mean on the online reservation form to enter all the first names of those in attendance in the same box? 

The system does not allow us to add multiple attendees under one family name, so we are asking people in the box with their first name to put all first names of everyone in their party and then the last name. For example: Mary, Bob and Katie Smith. You will also answer the question about how many seats you are reserving. 

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If we have a reservation for a Sunday in-person worship, what do we do? 

Arrive at church between 8:45am-8:55am and enter for worship through the outside Sanctuary doors only. Masks are required to enter. Doors will be propped open to limit touching of surfaces and an Ambassador will be outside to welcome you. Enter through the doors where you will receive a squirt of hand sanitizer, and then an Ambassador will check you in. Please let us know if everyone from your party is present. You will then enter through the center doors of the Sanctuary and find an open row where no one is seated already. Please pay attention to those around you and try to position yourself to allow for a six-foot radius.

 

Can I bring my own hand sanitizer? 

Absolutely. We will have some available, but if you have a special preference for your hands, bring it with you to help us do what we can to mitigate risks. 

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If I’m vaccinated, do I have to wear a mask? 

Yes. It is church policy to provide the safest environment we can for all at this point in our re-entry to in-person worship. 

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Why do I see pastors and some staff not wearing masks at times? 

Pastors Mary and Laura will be wearing their masks except for when they are speaking up on the chancel. Lori, Director of Worship Arts, will also at times be singing a solo without her mask. This is so the sound is clearer through their respective microphones and when maskless, they will always be at least 6 feet or more from the nearest person.  

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Why did I see someone enter through the Main Office doors on Sunday? 

Staff and scheduled volunteers will use the Main Office doors on Sunday for contact tracing and serving preparations. If you’d like to use these doors, we’d love to have you join the serving team. 

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Will we have bulletins, hymnals and Bibles available? 

No. Again, trying to limit things that people will be handling, there will not be bulletins, hymnals, name tags or Bibles available. You are encouraged to bring your own Bible if you’d like. Any needed worship information will be on the screens in the Sanctuary. 

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Why are there no cushions in the pews? 

The fogging disinfectant that we have for use in the building works on solid surfaces only and not fabrics, like the cushions, without saturating them. If you need a cushion, please bring a chair cushion from home to use and then remove with you from the building. 

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Will there be singing and live music in the Sanctuary? 

For most Sundays, we will have special music pre-recorded and played through the screens during worship. There will be live reflection music, but congregational singing will need to be limited to humming behind masks for now. We will not have responsive prayers in Stage 3, but will encourage attendees to quietly pray the Lord’s Prayer during the service. 

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How long will worship be? 

The goal is to have worship last from 30-45 minutes to allow for meaningful worship, but limit exposure time in a confined space. 

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Which bathrooms will we use? 

The bathrooms used for worship in the Sanctuary will be the two unisex bathrooms in the hall of the main office entrance. Inside each will be disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer along with the hand soap. We ask that after each use, the bathroom handles (doors, faucet, toilet) be wiped down with disinfecting wipes and wipes thrown into trash can. In the future when Trinity Hall is added as an additional worship space, that location will use the bathrooms across from TH kitchen area. Limiting bathroom spaces helps with better sanitation before and after worship services. 

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Will we have a place to visit with our friends? 

We will not have a gathering place for visiting during Stage 3. The focus will be on getting people safely in and out of worship. Visiting can be done on the parking lot outside after service or by deciding to meet friends at a park or restaurant after. 

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Can I bring my own coffee?  

At this time, we are asking you to have your coffee at home before you come to worship, or to wait and have it afterward. Because drinking coffee necessitates you to remove your mask, for the safety of everyone in the building, we ask you to have your coffee at home.  

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Will we have Sunday School during worship? 

We will not have any other groups meeting in the building during worship in Stage 3. There will not be nursery care, Children’s Sunday School, Youth Sunday School or Adult Sunday School. 

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Will small groups be able to meet during the week? 

With staff approval and safety protocol training, a small group can make reservations by contacting Nancy Merrell in the church office for a time to meet in the church during the week, but you have to think about things from a blank slate perspective. We will only be using the gym, Trinity Hall and room 102 daily with only one group in each space per day. This means you most likely will not be in the same space or able to meet at the same day and time as before. 

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What if my group just wants to meet outside the church some afternoon or evening during the week? 

We welcome small groups to use the space around our building to gather outside, but we still ask that you call the church office to let us know. We can let you know if that space is already being used at that time and we can make our property manager aware of who might be showing up so you aren’t considered “suspicious” activity. You might have noticed that we do have frequent vandalism in the back parking area, so we try to do what we can for property surveillance and security. 

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When will we move to Stage 4 with a second service on Sunday morning? 

That’s the million-dollar question that the Covid advisory team will be considering in connection with learning more about the impact of the vaccines and continued mitigation efforts for larger group gatherings. We will continue to look at CDC and local health department recommendations along with guidance from our official church leadership in the Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. While we can’t give you a definite date, we will keep looking at our best options to add another service when needed and look to expand activities in the building.