Covid-19 Updates

UMCG moved worship online in mid-March due to the Coronavirus pandemic.  During the summer, we formed the UMCG Health Team, which has been meeting weekly and remotely since then.  Our Health Team is made up of the pastors and Music Director, the Chair and Vice Chair of Church Council, several members from Trustees and Communications, and other leaders, including someone with a medical background.  The Team is guided by the Northern Illinois Conference Return Team Plan and CDC and state guidelines as we move through phases and procedures working toward re-opening the church for worship and other activities.  The Health Team has issued 4 Updates.

The Health Team has worked with the pastors and worship Team to hold Outdoor Worship services in local parks since August 30. Outdoor worship is limited to a maximum of 50, including leaders, and requires prior registration as well as wearing masks and social distancing at all times. Our Online Worship will remain permanently.

As we plan for eventual indoor worship, the Team, assisted by the Trustees, is working on tasks such as assessing the capacity of various rooms, planning exits, providing sanitizer and extra masks, establishing cleaning protocols, and creating a sign-in/tracking system. Before any indoor worship can take place, there needs to be adequate airflow and hourly air exchanges in the Sanctuary, or any other room that is used. The Trustees are working to evaluate the current airflow and what is possible with our equipment. We appreciate the large role the Trustees have in all of this.

Some small groups are meeting outdoors as long as the weather permits. Most of our groups and meetings are held via Zoom. As we move forward, we are doing our best to adapt to the ever-changing standards and plan and follow protocols to keep people safe when we do gather. We appreciate your support as we all realize that our routines will continue to be significantly changed, and worship will look different for some time to come. We feel blessed that we are able to gather for worship and connect with each other in groups online.