Beginning Easter Sunday, April 4th, the stone has been rolled away and we will begin holding in-person services at HTCC! While this is exciting for many, we ask that you only participate at your comfort level. We would love to see you, but we do not want you to feel pressured into attending in person. We will still have fully online streaming, as well as zoom prayer and small groups meeting throughout the week. Want to get involved sooner? Join the welcome team! Keep reading on for more details.
How many people can come?
We will allow up to fifty attendees starting April 4th. There is no need to register, but seating is first-come first-serve. If we have reached our maximum capacity we will either invite you to trinity hall to watch the live-stream or ask you to watch from your mobile device in your car.
What precautions are being taken?
We will have wider rows of seating, and chairs will be separated into sections for different sized households. We ask that you do not sit with anyone that isn't in your household.
Mask wearing will be strictly enforced. The safety of those in attendance is our top priority and that includes having everyone wear masks. (We will allow removal of masks briefly for communion and for those that are presenting on stage.) If you have health reasons for not being able to wear a mask, we kindly ask that you participate in worship online from your home.
Participants will have their temperature checked and will complete a verbal COVID questionnaire upon entering the building. (Volunteers completing the screening will turn away guests exhibiting any COVID symptoms.)
Financial gifts are encouraged to take place digitally, but we will also accept physical gifts for in-person worship.
What will service look like?
We are excited to be able to have a hybrid worship experience. We will do our best to not favor in-person or online attendance over the other. We value everyone's ability and comfort to participate in the safest capacity for them.
We will have in-person elements that interact seamlessly with our online live-stream. During the service we will have a live music, sermon, communion, & prayer time which will be streamed on our worship webpage. Some of our worship music from the choir will be pre-recorded and will be played on our screens and streamed with the online broadcast.
Because of safety reasons, we will not have a "meet & greet" in person, but rather encourage everyone to participate in the live chat on our worship webpage! There will also be no time of in-person fellowship before or after the service. We hope that instead, you will join us on zoom prior to worship for Adult Sunday school or after service for pastoral care with Dr. Rev. Brice Thomas.
What do I do After I arrive?
Please arrive at the church with enough time to get checked into worship between 9:30-10:00 AM. If you arrive early, please remain in your vehicle until 9:30 AM. Check-in will begin at the main entrance by the sanctuary. Once you enter the building, you will be guided through different check-in stations before you enter the sanctuary. Please follow the X's on the floor to keep a 6-foot distance between all participants.
Station 1- (Main Entrance) Here, you will verbally answer our COVID screening questions while we take your temperature with a contactless thermometer. Before your drive to the church, be sure that you can answer 'no' to all of the screening questions and have a temperature lower than 99.9 F. Any persons that have a higher temperature or answer 'yes' will immediately be asked to leave.
Station 2- (Lobby) Here, a welcome team member will check you into worship with an iPad. This allows us to have record that you have passed all of the previous screening. If you are not yet in our system, you will be guided to the Welcome Center to get registered.
Station 3- (Sanctuary) Once you enter the lobby / sanctuary, we ask that you keep a 6-foot distance among all other people that are not in your household and wash your hands in our restrooms. If you need to leave the building for any reason, to re-enter, begin the check-in process over. To avoid too much gathering in the lobby, please enter the sanctuary and find your seat until the service is over.
After worship, we ask that all attendees vacate the building, exiting via the lobby doors.
How Do I Register To Attend In-Person Worship?
At this time you do not need to register for in-person service. However, we are limited to 50 people in the building, so we suggest arriving early to ensure your seat. We will begin checking in our congregation around 9:30 AM!
I am so excited to see you in person for worship and online at our worship page during the many weeks to come. I want to give a special shout-out to all of the vestry members, staff, & volunteers for their continued dedication to our church and community during these challenging times. If YOU would like to get involved on the welcome team, please fill out this form so we can get you trained and ready to welcome our congregation back safely! God can do great things through us.
Aaron Bostwick