In person services: planning for the rest of the year.
John Ritchie updates us on the plans for the autumn agreed by Kirk Session.
The numbers attending the 3pm Sunday services have not come close to fully using the available capacity of the church, and have declined slightly over the initial 4 weeks. Feedback from those attending has been that they miss being able to share fellowship before and after the service (prohibited by the current guidance). Not being able to have any congregational singing also makes it feel quite different from pre-lockdown worship. Of those who have attended the 3pm service, nearly all also watch services online.
It was agreed by Kirk Session that we would continue the 3pm services as planned until Sunday 11 October, but after that a rethink was needed.
Kirk Session spent some time considering whether an All-Age Morning Service was the best option, to ensure the congregation kept contact with as many families and children as possible. There were mixed views from the parents at the meeting on how popular this would be, and this reflected the range of opinion from discussions people had had with other families. The online materials were well liked, and many felt this worked better than a service in the sanctuary would, at least the kind of service we can hold under the current restrictions.
On balance it was agreed that a more traditional 11am Service would work better. It could contain pre-recorded elements, including worship songs, but with a sermon given in the sanctuary by the minister. Prayers and bible readings could be pre-recorded also, but these might also be led live in the sanctuary on occasion. Live music, including organ music, can be included under the current guidance. This service would be live-streamed on the internet.
As with the afternoon service, attendance at the 11am service will need to be pre-booked, and there will be a limited number of seats available (currently 50, but this may change if government guidance is updated).
An earlier 10.15am Service online only, aimed at children and families, will continue.
It will take some time to get the Sanctuary ready for live-streaming, and so we will return to services online only for a few weeks after 11 October. The plan is to then ‘reopen’ for an 11am service on Sunday 15 November.
