June 15, 2021
This pandemic has changed our lives and the life of our church. With the initiation of the Ontario government’s “Roadmap to Reopening” Step 1 the team met on Thursday, June 10th to discuss “Going Forward”. It is our sincere hope that by Thanksgiving we can enjoy an in-person service and also a livestreaming service, for those unable to attend in-person.
The team has been asked how do we get there from where we are today? What will our music program look like? Will we be able to hold committee meetings in the church? Why are there renters in the church and yet we are not holding in-person services? We all have questions as we enthusiastically and patiently wait for a time when the Church and the Building are Open!
The team doesn’t have all the answers, but we do know that the medical community is still concerned as noted by a member of the Ontario Science Table, Dr. Andrew Morris who wrote that that the Delta (or B.1.617.2) variant has taken off in the UK, and is rapidly spreading in Ontario, the US, parts of Africa, and many other countries. It has two particular features that make it troublesome: people are less protected from the Delta variant following a single vaccine than with other variants and it is about 40-70% more transmissible (the most recent UK government estimate is 66%).
With this and other potential challenges forthcoming, the team believes to be successful and to meet the required Health and Safety needs of our membership, the opening of the church building must involve a thoughtful and careful approach. Keeping the Shining Waters Regional Council directive, front of mind, we continue to recommend that staff work from home when feasible. Individuals that need to be in the church building are to follow the COVID Response Team – Staff in Building and Recording of Onsite Worship Service Policy of October 14, 2020. There are many guidelines in this document, including wearing face masks/coverings and appropriate safe distancing. All access to the building is to be coordinated through Ann Fraser.
At our recent meeting the team approved changes to staffing, such as we now have a custodian present in the building Monday to Friday. That said, we are not yet at a point where church members may access the building, to see our beautiful renovation, visit the church office, etc. If someone is in need to discuss an issue with staff, please continue to call or email.
The good news is that once the government’s Step 2 is in place then training of the audio/video (A/V) equipment can begin with the members of the Technical and AV Team. Fraser Holman, Chair of this team or Ann Fraser will be in touch as to scheduling in-person training. In addition, Ann Fraser will coordinate the Music Director and the Worship and Nurturing Spirituality Committee’s access to the church building to relocate the choir supplies.
To address renters in the building these are groups that are allowed and regulated through the Toronto and Ontario Public Health Departments. They must also follow the established Leaside United Church’s (LUC’s) COVID policies. The children will be mainly outside in Trace Manes Park and will be supervised when in the church building. The building will be used for washroom facilities and in the event of inclement weather.
In September, following the completion of the A/V training, a livestreaming pilot can begin. This could involve livestreaming and/or recording by any of the Minister, Music Director, Soloists, Technical Lead, and Stringed Ensembles. The choir will continue to be virtual, for the time being.
Once the livestreaming pilot is completed and ready-to-launch then in-person worship can begin, perhaps by late September. It is hoped that following the success of LUC’s livestreaming pilot, we can provide both an in-person service as well as continue to livestream.
The decision as to what other in-person events can take place in the church building will require congregational input. A Health Screening Form/Declaration will be required which will include the following, “As you are aware, COVID-19 can be transmitted by asymptomatic people and accordingly, the statements made by you contained in this declaration cannot provide certainty that the virus will not be transmitted. The church is a public place and there may be individuals present who have not received their COVID-19 vaccinations. There is no HVAC system in the building”.
Please note, these are the reopening plans and are dependent on governmental regulations. The team will continue to keep you informed as regulation changes occur and subsequent modifications to LUC’s current policies are adjusted.
Respectfully submitted by Anne R.
Chair, COVID Response Team
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