We are moving Communion back into the Sanctuary!! We are still not going to be forming tables at the communion rail, but at least we won't be in the Narthex anymore!
New Process for Communion – walk through in front:
click or tap for the Communion Practice Update a pdf that includes a simple graphic and rational for the the changes.
Hi everyone. We are excited and bit nervous to have worship this Sunday. We thank you for your responses to the survey, the willingness to sign up ahead of time, and your wiliness to be patient as we take this important step.
Click for the Special Reopening Newsletter that went out at the end of May. It has information about how to sign up for worship, what to expect when you come to worship, and what is happening during phase 2 of reopening.
Sign up for worship
We hate to sound unfriendly, but please sign up for worship. There is a good chance we will not have space if you just show up. We will continue every week, most likely for the entire summer. Every Monday, we will clear the list of names registered and begin a new sign up list. For those who attend one Sunday, we ask that you wait until later in the week to sign up so those who haven't attended have the chance to sign up.
Live stream will continue and be even better!
We are super excited that the sound coming through on the live stream will be much better than it has been. The audio will now come off of our sound system which means it will be much clearer and louder! We are moving the camera to the balcony so our video will suffer a little, but the audio, well, Mama Mia!
Sunday Morning Bible Study at 10:30 - The Psalms
We have settled on studying some of the Psalms for the summer. These poetic meditations bring the word of God to us in a way that narratives and histories simply cannot. They express a more personal experience of God and His majesty, glory, justice, mercy and grace. The Psalms are expressive and honest, thought-provoking and rich in texture. The Psalms serve as a means for us to interpret life around us and point us to Christ. They serve as an excellent launch pad for our own prayers. Follow this link to join with Google Meet Sunday Morning Bible Class - 10:30 or catch us on Facebook. Note the change to 10:30. This is to allow more time for communion after the worship service.
Tuesday Morning Bible Study at 8:30 - Luke
Normally we take a break during the summer, but since travel and other social activity is decreased, we will continue at least for a while longer. Follow this link to join with Google Meet Tuesday Morning Bible Class - 8:30 or catch us on Facebook.
Update Saturday, May 30
After a long discussion, reviewing the survey results, and considering the pros and cons, the Elders in conjunction with the Parish Planning Council have decided that St. Johns will move to Phase 2 of our reopening plan. We will resume in-person worship services on Sunday, June 7 at 9:00 am. During Phase 2 the in-person limit will be 80 people which is under 25% of our capacity and allows for social distancing.
There are two things we want to emphasize right from the start:
Gathering for in-person worship will be risky, that is simply the nature of viruses. We will be doing everything we can to make St. Johns a safe place to worship and asking our members to act responsibly and with a spirit of love and grace toward each other.
Click for the Special Reopening Newsletter which has information about how to sign up for worship, what to expect when you come to worship, and what is happening during phase 2 of reopening.
Update Thursday, May 21.
You may have seen on the news that the Minnesota Catholic Conference as well as the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, the Wisconsin Evangelical Synod, and the Evangelical Synod have declared their intent to open churches on May 26 and begin in-person worship services on May 31. This comes after numerous attempts to work with the Governor for fair treatment of churches.
President Fondow's Cover Letter to Pastors and Congregations
The letter sent to the Governor and to the State Attorney General.
St. Johns is still evaluating our plan and
the PPC will be meeting to discuss this further.
Below are the reopening plans we have discussed so far:
This is the four phase plan guiding when we will offer public worship service and what we are doing to make these gatherings as safe as possible.
Public Worship and Expectations Survey
It is only 10 questions long and you may remain anonymous. This is the same survey that was emailed to members on our email list and will be included in the newsletter. Please only fill out the survey once. We invite the general public to respond to this survey as well.