"Reopening Prospect"
Some reading materials before we meet tomorrow evening...
ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD MEMBERS
I have set up a Zoom meeting for tomorrow evening at 7:00 and will send you all an invite asap. (It may not be until I get back to my office computer in the morning.)
Most of us have been in "reactive mode" since the Covid pandemic resulted in our current shelter-in-place reality. First we reacted to the two-week plan, then re-reacted when the shelter order was extended to a month. Now we've all been doing business as ab-normal for the better part of two months, and it is still extremely hard to predict what the near future will hold in terms of "in-person" gatherings.
It is unlikely that we will be enjoying larger in-person worship gatherings anytime soon. It is more likely that restrictions on small gatherings (including Bible studies, small groups, staff being allowed to work in their offices, youth meetings, and other in-person meetings with less than 10 attendees) will ease by the end of May. Whether or not individuals are ready to step back into such activities remains to be seen.
I would like for us to have a virtual meeting again tomorrow evening at our regular 7:00 time to discuss ideas for reopening Prospect.
One option that I mentioned last week is "parking lot church." I did order an FM transmitter that could be used for this purpose (we may return it within 30 days and would only have to pay shipping). This allows the speaker(s) to use a microphone that transmits a short range FM signal. Attendees remain in their vehicles and tune their radios to a designated frequency. Several small churches within our conference are doing this... Most large churches realize it isn't a good option for them... Many middle-sized churches, like Prospect, don't know what to do. It seriously limits the music that can be offered (no organ or piano on the front sidewalk of the church...) but it does give members some sense of togetherness.
We can discuss this option, perhaps as part of a June transition, tomorrow night.
A next step, when Illinois reaches "Phase 4," will include the possibility of gatherings of up to 50 people... but only with serious, intentional plans for disinfecting between gatherings, no social gathering time between services, etc.
Online worship services will likely be a necessity for the foreseeable future as some folks won't be risking public gatherings for more than a year and others have simply gotten used to this option. Down the road, Prospect may choose to prerecord a weekly service with up to 50 members in attendance, while also hosting 2 (or potentially 3) "live" Sunday morning services. This would allow the church to conceivably host 150 in person attendees in addition to its online worshippers. These may be discussions that merit Pastor Vonck's input more than mine...but I certainly don't want to leave us unprepared for her July 1st arrival.
As for now, what changes can/should be made to our online worship offering? It may be time to look for a more professional videographer (then yours truly).
What creative elements can we imagine?
Are any changes needed?
Next, how do we continue to improve on our efforts to help members stay connected and grow spiritually Monday through Saturday? I believe that this is the most important question facing the church. If the church isn't helping people stay connected, feel Christ's presence amidst the challenges we're all facing, and grow in their faith...our problems will continue long after the shelter-in-place orders have been lifted.
Other potential topics: The possibility of a "virtual" Vacation Bible School. Pat Campbell has been researching this possibility and most publishing houses (and our conference staff) are trying to help local churches envision such a plan.
As of now, Chaddock says they would be willing to host our team the last week of July. Most of the work they typically have us do is isolated from everyone else on their campus. This would make housing (sharing hotel rooms) and meals much more difficult. This will likely need to be part of a June discussion among members who intended to go to Chaddock.
I've included several articles related to moving forward and succeeding in the present.
The first two links are UMC resources...
The next is a "neighboring well" article from Northpoint Church in Georgia.
The fourth is an article from Bishop Beard speaking directly to the conference's guidance towards reopening local churches.
The fifth mentions a "forgivable loan" being offered by the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. (I plan to submit our application for this loan within the next week.) We would/will likely receive around $4500 from the conference.
https://files.constantcontact.com/72d8f968001/d8118a15-bc4b-4040-89e0-d6d9e1432a86.pdf
d8118a15-bc4b-4040-89e0-d6d9e1432a86.pdf
WHEW!!!