United Methodist Church of Geneva Pandemic Response

April 2022

In accordance with the Health Advisory Team plan supported by Church Council at the February 2022 meeting, starting on April 18 masks and social distancing will be encouraged based upon your needs and comfort level (but not required) for all ministries of UMCG including worship. Other elements of worship that have been modified for COVID will be reintroduced in the coming months. Other best practices and recommendations of the CDC, IDPH and Kane County Health Department remain in place as we seek to do no harm and do good, while attending to the ordinances of God – the three Wesleyan rules for living. 

November 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues in our community and poses a risk to the unvaccinated and vaccinated, with the occurrence of breakthrough infections, the UMCG Church Council under the advisement of the Health Advisory Team, provide these guidelines following our foundational general rules as Wesleyans: Do no harm, do good, and attend to the ordinances of God[i] and the mandate from our Lord to love God and neighbor.

The guidance below seeks to do the least amount of harm and the most good, while using data currently available from the CDC, IDPH and Kane County Health Department and other scholarly sources specific to houses of worship and public performances.

  • We expect that all persons who attend an indoor gathering or meeting will refrain from doing so if they are not feeling well, experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19, or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 in the past two weeks, even if vaccinated. If within 14 days of being inside the church you test positive for COVID-19, please contact the church office immediately. We will hold your identity in confidence, but will inform others who may have had an exposure as a result of gathering in-person.
  • We strongly encourage everyone who is able to become fully vaccinated according to the recommendations of the CDC.  Those who are not fully vaccinated should maintain a social distance of six feet from those not of the same household.  When possible, everyone should practice social distancing.
  • Masks must be worn over nose and mouth by all person’s ages two years and older while in the church building. Masks are provided at the main entrances.
  • We request everyone entering the building to wash their hands frequently and use hand sanitizer, which can be found throughout the building.
  • Use of food and drink should be limited to those items that can be consumed briefly so as to promote mask wearing as much as possible. At this time, we do not feel that buffet or sit-down meals can be done without a greater risk of causing harm and must be avoided.
  • All meetings, gatherings, and use of kitchen must be registered by calling the church office at 630-232-7120 or emailing office@genevaumc.org.
  • When meeting or gathering in the church the HVAC fans for the occupied rooms should be set to continuous run mode prior to, and during gatherings, and reset to Auto at the conclusion of gatherings.  This is the responsibility of the meeting leader. Instructions will be posted by each thermostat.
  • When using Fellowship Hall, the outside windows should be opened, then set the HVAC fan to continuous mode, and closed after the meeting or gathering.
  • The Garden Level Classrooms and 1st floor South Classrooms should not be used for meetings or gatherings at this time.  These areas can be used for storage or other activities with limited people in the area at the same time.

We will be monitoring the situation with the pandemic in Kane County and Illinois and will make changes to our response to the pandemic that follows our foundational general rules as Wesleyans: Do no harm, do good, and attend to the ordinances of God and the mandate from our Lord to love God and neighbor.

Questions regarding how to best follow these guidelines can be addressed to the Health Advisory Team: Jim Alderfer, Cheryl Johnson, Margot Monaghan, Sharon Anderson, Scott Stevenson.

1 “By Attending upon All the Ordinances of God.” Wesley understood the ordinances of God to be spiritual disciplines that all disciples should keep—practices that keep the relationship between God and humans vital, alive, and growing. These “means of grace” enable us to grow in the Christian faith. Wesley mentioned six ordinances specifically, including: The public worship of God. The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded. The Supper of the Lord. Family and private prayer. Searching the Scriptures. Fasting or abstinence. The six ordinances listed by Wesley are NOT exhaustive; however, these spiritual practices are vital to our spiritual health.