Week beginning June 14

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Star Trek characters joke about playing bagpipes at 3 AM.

FROM THE OFFICE Staff will be working from home via Zoom meetings. If you need immediate assistance during our absence, please contact Pastor Jeff at 570-220-3631 or Sarah Young 570-932-1753. We will respond to your emails and call as soon as possible, remotely. Thank you.

VISITING? If you’re not a member or regular attendee of St Luke Church but have been “visiting” us during this time of online worship, we’d love to connect with you! If you’ve been watching from afar or have just been using this time to “check us out” online, please send us an email at info@stlukeweb.com!

KNOW OF ANYONE WHO CAN’T ACCESS THE ONLINE WORHSIP SERVICES? The staff has come up with some ways to reach people who are not “online”. But while we’ve called several whom we suspect might need to take advantage of those options, it’s still our best guess. So, if you know of someone who has no access to the services and has not yet been contacted by the office, please let us know!

PASTOR JEFF CAN NOW DO HOSPITAL VISITS! He has received his “card” from UPMC Williamsport and is now cleared to visit people in the hospital.

Return to Worship Plan: St Luke Lutheran Church

As we return to in person worship, there is a lot of uncertainty as to the effect that this and the other re-opening efforts around the county will have on the number of cases of the virus.  The county’s “Green Phase” is not an “all clear”, as there are still many recommendations and guidelines to follow.  In an effort to help our return be safe, we have developed a plan for this return. 

Timeline: In person worship will resume on June 21 with services at 8:00 am and 10:30 am. Both will be in the nave.  Online worship will continue for those who choose not to attend in person worship at this time. 

What we’re asking you to do:

  • Please wear a mask into and out of the church.  If you do not bring a mask with you, one will be provided. 
  • Please do not sing upon our initial return.  This was as hard a decision to make as it is to hear, but most experts are saying that group singing increases the chances of transmission exponentially.  It is believed that singing was the major factor in those instances where churches in other states have opened and re-closed due to multiple cases of the virus among their members who were in attendance. 
  • Please socialize outside of the church building.   Perhaps one of the things we are all looking most forward to is the opportunity to greet and fellowship with one another.  During the first few weeks, we ask that you do most of your socializing outside of the building.  You can certainly continue to talk once inside, but we ask that you proceed directly into the Nave and not stand around in hallways or other spaces.  For socializing, feel free to catch up in the courtyard, prattle on in the parking lot, or fraternize on the front lawn!  
  • Once inside, proceed to your seat and sit only in places marked by a bulletin.  Bulletins will be placed at a six feet distance from each other, every other pew.  This restriction does not apply to members of the same household, who may sit closer together.  However, we ask that they not sit in pews with no bulletins and give ample room for others to sit in the remaining designated spaces. 
  • Please use non-touch means of passing the peace.  As we did in the weeks leading up to quarantine, please use gestures like the peace sign, bowing, etc.  Bonus points may be offered for creative greetings. 
  • Please leave nothing in the pews.  Take your bulletin and anything else with you.  This will help in the efforts to sanitize the space between services.  It’s kind of a shame that we won’t get to see your bulletin-doodles, though. 

This may seem like a lot, but please know that these measures are intended to be temporary, until there is more evidence that the risk of infection has significantly decreased. 

Other measures that are being taken:

  • Because it involves the sharing of food, the practice of communion will be adapted. 
    • Servers will use gloves.
    • We will use communion wafers rather than sharing a loaf of bread. 
    • There will be no common cup.  The elements will be served in disposable cups for the wine/juice and condiment cups for the wafer.
    • Distribution of the elements will be done differently – please note the instructions at the beginning of the service. 
  • The hymnals will be removed to avoid having an additional items to clean between services.  The bulletin will include the entire service. 
  • Children should remain in their seats during the children’s message, rather than coming forward.  Pastor Jeff believes that we’re all children at heart anyway, so he’s looking forward to giving the children’s message to the entire congregation. 
  • The service will be shortened to reduce the amount of time spent indoors.  The focus will be on the essentials: Word, prayers, and communion. 
  • The restrooms in West Hall will remain open, but all will be encouraged to wash thoroughly after use. 
  • The offering plates will not be passed.  Instead, plates will be placed in the aisles and at the back of the church for you to place the offering either before or after the service.