1050 East Avenue • Rochester, New York 14607 • www.asburyfirst.org
Return to In-Person Worship Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Who needs to wear a mask on campus? A: Inside, everyone should wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. Outside, masks are required for anyone who has not been fully vaccinated and encouraged for everyone else. Q: Will masks be required? A: Inside, yes. Outside, they are required for those who have not been vaccinated and encouraged for everyone else. Q: CAN I help lead the service if i am not vaccinated? A: No, while all are welcome in our worship services, we have a policy that anyone participating in leadership of our service (pastors, choir, acolytes, readers, etc.) will need to be fully vaccinated. Full social distancing is not always possible in the chancel and we believe that this, alongside mask-wearing, will help mitigate risk. Q: What do you mean by "fully vaccinated"? A: Fully vaccinated means that it has been more than two weeks since you received your first dose of the J&J vaccine or the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. Q: What If I've Had COVID, does that count as "fully vaccinated"? A: No. You must have had the actual vaccine. Q: If Someone is wearing a mask, does that mean that they have not been vaccinated? A: Not necessarily. Anyone is welcome to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status. Q: Will there be childcare? A: We will have childcare offered during the 11am service. All of our nursery workers will be masked and children over the age of 2 will be masked as well. Q: Will there be singing? A: Yes! Masked, but yes! Q: Do people have to show their vaccination cards to get in? A: No. Our first value as a congregation is being “open to all,” which means the vaccinated and un-vaccinated alike. Some members of our congregation will not be able to be vaccinated (currently no one under 12 is eligible). While we strongly advocate that everyone who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated, we are loath to segregate members of our congregation on the basis of their vaccination status. Q: Will there be coffee? Cookies? A: We will not have coffee or cookies available after or between the services. Q: Can I ask someone about their vaccination status? A: Our recommendation is to not ask about vaccination status as it has the potential to exclude members of the community who might not be able to receive a vaccination, are not eligible, or have a personal reason for not receiving a vaccination. Q: When will we return to our pre-pandemic worship schedule? A: We are beginning the fall with one worship service at 11am that will be both livestreamed and in person. We recognize that not everyone is comfortable coming back yet and hope to have as many people as possible. We will reassess in a couple of months. We recognize that this last year has permanently changed the way that some people will worship with us, and we want to be open to adapting to the new reality faithfully. Q: Will there be communion at any of the services? A: As of right now, we do not plan on having in-person communion prior to World Communion Sunday (October 3). At that time, we will make a judgement based upon the recommendations of our COVID-19 Taskforce. Q: Will there be Sunday School? A: Yes, we will have Sunday School that meets during the 9:45-10:45am hour every Sunday morning. While the weather is nice, we hope to host it outside. Q: Will there be Children's time/enrichment? A: Yes, we will have children's time during the worship service in which children are invited forward . Then, for those who choose, children are invited to join others for a special enrichment program. While the weather is nice, we hope to host it outside.
September 22, 2021
Return to In-Person Worship Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), ctd.