As we prepare to return to in-person worship in Emmanuel’s sanctuary, there are several necessary 
protocols we will be asking everyone to follow. Let us know which service you will attend HERE
Please Read All Below
We know the learning curve on what’s required may be steep, so we ask for your attention and patience as we navigate these changes together.
Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the following:
In order to create as many convenient spaces for people to attend worship as possible and because Sunday School classes will continue to meet online and not in person for the time being, we are introducing new Sunday worship times for this first phase of in-person worship: 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM. These will be identical services. The Live Streaming will continue at 11 AM each Sunday.
Childcare is available but we ask you to reserve by Thursday of each week. CLICK HERE All children are welcome in the worship services; and, if needed, the commons will be available as a comfort room for you and your child.
In order to lessen the chance that a seat will not be available for you in the sanctuary and to more evenly distribute participants between the two service times, we will have an online reservation system in use each week for worship attendance.
Reservations will be available on Emmanuel’s website or by calling the church office during business hours. We ask that you let us know if you plan to attend. You will be able to see how many spaces are available at each service before you make a reservation.
Each Sunday, we will be doing well-checks and temperature readings of the staff and all worship volunteers, and we encourage all attendees to do the same.
Those who are ill or who are in an at-risk category should continue to participate in worship via the live stream service.
To allow us time to prepare the worship space for each service, we ask that you not enter the building prior to 15 minutes before each service. If you arrive early, please remain in your car until 9:15 or 10:45 AM respectively.
There will be four exterior entrances in use from the parking lot into the building. Each door will be
staffed with a volunteer who will open the door for you and direct you to the Sanctuary. The doors in use will be:
- The long ramp door near the church office. (north side of the building)
- The covered door into the gym area (north side of the building)
- The two Narthex doors around the sanctuary entrance. (south side)
- All other exterior doors will remain locked.
Bring a mask if you have one and wear it whenever you are in the church building. If you do not have one, we will have unused masks available at each entrance. Since vapor/droplets travel up to 10 times farther during loud talking and singing, it is imperative to wear your mask while talking or singing.
Plan to enter the worship space (Sanctuary) from the rear doors (Narthex).
All other doors will have signs on them directing you to the rear (Narthex) doors.
Once inside the sanctuary, gloved and masked volunteers will assist you in finding a seat and will hand you a worship guide. Alternating pews, every other row, will be in use in the sanctuary.
The rows will be switched between services so that no one sits in a seat occupied by someone else from the previous service. All hard pew surfaces will be cleaned prior to each service. Please plan to dispose of your own worship guide following the service.
All attendees from the same household should sit together, children and youth should sit with their family. Children must remain with parents at all times.
At the end of the service, volunteers will guide you in exiting the sanctuary through the rear doors into the Narthex. To make dismissal as orderly as possible and to allow for physical distancing, the rows will be dismissed one at a time beginning from the front of the sanctuary.
If the sanctuary fills to capacity during the 11 AM service, Room M2 will be set up as an overflow room with a live stream of the service to accommodate those unable to be seated.
Offering plates will not be passed during the service. We will continue to encourage online giving. If automated giving is not an option for you, drop boxes for offerings will be provided as you exit the Sanctuary.
Please make every effort to maintain a minimum of 6 feet between you and others at all times.
For now, there will be no fellowship time before or after the services.
Restrooms will have suggested capacity posted on the doors.
If you plan to attend in person worship, please register for one of the services (9:30am or 11am) HERE