Winter Worship Online
Summary of Changes for Winter Worship
Congregants will be encouraged to stay home starting November 29th
Worship will stream live at 10am from the sanctuary
Sunday School will be conducted via Zoom at 9:30am
Staff and volunteers will not be required to participate for in-person worship
Small group and mission opportunities will continue, with as much as reasonably possible taking place online and without physical gatherings
The sanctuary will be open during worship hours, but there will be no greeters, ushers or Sunday School. The public face of our Sunday worship experience will be for online worship only
Christmas Eve will likely have one online family service at 3pm and one outdoor candlelight service at 9pm
With Covid-19 cases surpassing the highest numbers the country has seen so far, the reopening team met to discuss possible responses to this for Grace United Methodist Church. The general options were to change nothing, to increase restrictions and last, to close the church building and move to online only worship. We reviewed the current data for the eight towns with the highest number of members in our church (not surprisingly these are also the closest eight towns to Grace). We found that cases are exponentially increasing in all eight towns, totaling over 1,000 active cases and that some of these towns are the highest case counts in Bergen and Passaic County. The spread of this virus is very near to our church, and projections show an additional 200,000-400,000 cases in our country every day through February. We also reviewed the Bishop’s statement that reiterated the Governor’s order to reduce indoor gatherings to 10 people and, though religious services are exempt from this order, encouraged our United Methodist Churches to review building usage plans. He also thanked those churches that have returned to online worship only.
With all that in mind, we discussed what direction made the most sense for our church. Of course, at the fore of our minds is the safety of our congregation, but we also recognize the burden the pandemic has placed on volunteers as well as the spiritual toll it is taking on our congregation. To address the safety of our congregation, we recommend that people in our church stay home on Sunday morning starting November 29th. Our Sunday morning worship can be viewed from home for the vast majority of our congregation and this is the safest way for all of us to navigate the danger the next few months pose to our people. We propose Sunday School also moves to online only November 29th, using Zoom for interactive instruction at 930am.
We also know that the previous process for individuals to prerecord portions of the service and have one or two people edit it together is very labor intensive, requiring literal days of extra work. A much easier process is to have those leading worship gathered together in the sanctuary and to stream the service live. We propose that this group of worship leaders continues to gather Sunday morning, while continuing previously established protocols of wearing masks and practicing social distancing. The service, then, can be broadcast live to the church community at 10am. We recognize that some worship leader staff and volunteers may not be comfortable with this, and that this is perfectly acceptable considering the risk from the pandemic. We expect anyone on the team unwilling to gather in the sanctuary for the broadcast to let the Pastor know for planning purposes. The pastor has committed to leading worship in the sanctuary, but there will be no adverse effects on employees or volunteers unwilling to participate during the pandemic.
Concerning the spirits of those in our church, we will continue to encourage folks to worship online, gather in small groups and participate in missional opportunities. Our church-wide study in Advent is a fantastic opportunity for our congregation (and beyond) to find spiritual meaning and purpose with a new community amidst the pandemic. Our missions team continues their food drive and the stocking collection with winter hats and gloves. For those few who still desire in-person worship despite the increased risk, the doors will be open during the live broadcast, but there will be no greeters, ushers or Sunday School. We strongly discourage our congregation from attending in-person Sunday morning worship, and the public face of our church will be that of an online worshiping community only.
For those that are thinking ahead to Christmas Eve, our thinking at this point is to move the 3pm family service to online only, and to move the 9pm candlelight service outdoors. People will be able to attend the service outside in a socially distanced manner, or watch by remaining within their vehicles and listening to the service via radio. There are a number of details to be worked out for Christmas Eve, but this represents our general thinking at this time.
These are challenging times, but we know our church will remain faithful to the larger mission of making disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world and to fulfilling our vision which is to be an inclusive community passionately following Jesus Christ. We encourage you to pray for our church and our leaders, but especially for those who are suffering from the pandemic and its wide-ranging effects. Despite all that is happening, “we have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul…(Hebrews 6:19)” and that hope is Jesus Christ, so keep the faith and the church of Grace will be here for you, whatever may come. God bless!
Congregational Survey Results
My family and I have been here at Grace UMC for several months now and we have been filled with joy getting to know this congregation and this community (even during a pandemic)! Usually a pastor spends the first year in a church getting to know the people and learning about how this particular church operates. I know I still have plenty of people to meet and things to learn! One thing that I have already learned about is this church’s unique ministry to those on the margins of society through the reconciling ministries network, a group that wants us to live out our baptismal vows to “resist evil, injustice, and oppression.”
About a year ago the church was surveyed regarding the creation of a congregational covenant with the LGBTQ community. I’d like to share with you the results of that survey, but first I want to share some of my own thoughts in regards to this topic. I recognize that even bringing up this discussion is a lose/lose proposition. Some will say I have said too much, while others will say I didn’t go far enough. I am torn between what I see as two good motivations - one to build up the people of the church, uniting us to do good things in our community, and a second motivation of curtailing hateful, destructive tendencies that hurt people and injure our witness to the world. Many of you will have noticed my dogged determination in rightly interpreting the scriptures when I preach. I stay very close to the meaning of the scriptures in its original context hoping we can apply it well to our situation today. I would describe myself as obsessed with this process of trying to rightly understand the scriptures. Essentially, nothing matters to me more than what the Bible says. So, understanding the scriptures properly on this topic is the single most important goal to me, but not everyone thinks the way I do, or has the same focus on the scriptures as me. As helpful as a journey through the scriptures on this topic could be, it will not solve all of our problems. As individuals, we will still think differently about how to live in relationship with others, and those in the LGBTQ community. Instead of trying to dive into the scriptures (which I believe will be helpful for us at a future time), what I’d like to share here is a key concept behind this topic. Its something that perhaps all of us can agree on and that is, ‘who is welcome to worship?’
At the creation Adam and Eve were in the garden and communed with God. In Genesis 22 Abraham is about to offer a sacrifice in worship to God. In Exodus 34 Moses climbs to the top of Mount Sinai to receive the ten commandments. God “passed before him” and proclaimed to Moses, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” After hearing this Moses quickly bowed his head and worshiped God. Psalm 29 says, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness,” and Psalm 150, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” Over and over the scriptures describe an orientation of humans toward God as one demanding that all people worship the Lord.
The life of Jesus tells us more about worship, even as his actions pushed the envelope for many. He was called a glutton and drunkard because of his time spent with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 7:34). He healed the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman, someone who was Greek, and decidedly non-Jewish (Mark 7:26). In John 8, a woman who was caught in adultery was brought before Jesus to be judged by him. Instead he said “whoever is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” None were without sin, so Jesus did not condemn her. With a man who had leprosy, a disease so deadly and contagious whole villages were deemed “unclean” and off limits to the rest of society, Jesus “reached out his hand and touched the man (Mark 1:41).” When Jesus encountered a man who was paralyzed for thirty-eight years he told him to pick up his mat and walk. The Gospel of John explains that this act took place on the Sabbath, a clear violation of the law to not work on that day (John 5:1-18). Over and over Jesus heals, forgives, builds relationships and makes things right, even with people the religious types deem “unworthy.” In speaking about his death he reveals the purpose of his life, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself (John 12:32).” Jesus died on a cross so that all people would worship the one true God.
When I think of the modern day church, I think our role is to carry on the work of Jesus, welcoming all people, and drawing them to worship God. In the United Methodist Church we echo this sentiment in Article 4 of our Constitution: “The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all people are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, color, national origin, status, or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs [and] receive the sacraments…” There is no one that we bar from worship. We may take certain steps to protect people, such as with a violent or psychotic participant in worship. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic we have taken precautionary steps and put in restrictions so people are safe, but never do we selectively remove someone from worship. In fact, I often hear people say the exact opposite - they want more people in worship; they want everyone to participate! This is good news, and I think it reflects the heart of Jesus. We do everything we can to welcome and invite as many people as possible into worship with us. There are no restrictions or litmus tests - everyone is welcome.
When it comes to the question of the LGBTQ community and their participation in worship, I cannot find a justification for excluding them. Whatever your thoughts or beliefs, one way or another, I imagine we can all agree that in worship we are offering an opportunity for transformation. We want people to grow deeper in the faith, and this is the place to do it! This is the place we can gather to declare Jesus is Lord, and what better way can we declare his Lordship than through modeling our lives after his. We don’t ignore those the world rejects. We don’t stone those the world deems guilty. We don’t call people unworthy. We are all worthy of God’s love and so we share it with all, no matter what. You are blessed by God so that you can be a blessing to the whole world, so invite and welcome everyone in worship with us at Grace United Methodist Church.
Below you will find the summary of the survey results from our congregation. Thank you to all who shared their responses. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me at pastor.brian@gumc.org. God bless!
2020 Church Conference
Every year Grace United Methodist Church gathers for a few hours to discuss future plans, vote on people in positions of leadership and approve paperwork. Grace United Methodist Church will hold our church conference November 5th at 7pm. We will meet via Zoom.
Join meeting here: https://gnjumc.zoom.us/j/92181552435
Meeting ID: 921 8155 2435
Dial-in Information: (646) 876-9923
Our church conference includes all members of the church, so if you are a member, you are eligible to vote on all agenda items. Documents will be included below. You can also revisit this post for updates on an additional vote we will hold regarding the use of some of the proceeds from the sale of parsonage #2.
God bless!
Tricky Tray Help
Here’s a message from our Tricky Tray Coordinator, Christine Souza:
Dear friends,
We plan to move forward with this year's tricky tray event "Farewell 2020" with modifications. The drawing will be held on Facebook live on Friday, December 4th at 7:30 PM. Members of the congregation and the general public will have the opportunity to view the baskets and purchase tickets in a socially distanced manner from November 30th through December 4th. More information regarding this will be coming soon.
In lieu of our donation wish board, the tricky tray committee has created an Amazon wish list, which can be accessed through this link:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/15HUQA93FCV63?ref_=wl_share
You may purchase any of the items on the list through Amazon and they will be delivered directly to the church. Should you wish to purchase any of the items independently, outside of Amazon, please contact Christine Souza at csouza0167@outlook.com so she can remove the item from the wish list. The tricky tray committee is also in need of the following donations:
Themed baskets created by your family
Gift cards to your favorite restaurants
Grocery store gift cards
New items you no longer need or want that we can use to create baskets
Cash donations to use toward items for our baskets
Gift cards to Target or Walmart
We are so thankful for your continued support of this event.
Moving Back Indoors
*Updated October 17th
Our church is on the verge of moving back indoors amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. You may have some questions or concerns about the timing of this transition, so I wanted to lay out exactly what our plan is and our procedures to do our best to keep our congregation and our community safe.
Our church council has voted unanimously to resume indoor worship. *We are moving back indoors October 18th. We will transition the outdoor 9:30am service indoors. There are a number of factors that went into this decision and a clear plan has been laid out. Among other changes, people will be socially distanced when seated and everyone will be asked to wear a mask throughout the service. Below is the plan approved by the Church Council:
The Council has approved that we maintain outdoor worship as long as we can. Being outdoors is categorically safer than worship indoors. But the team also recognizes that cold weather is prohibitive for outdoor worship. We recommend folks bring coats and blankets until we transition to indoor worship. We want to maintain outdoor worship to at least October 11th and, potentially, as far as the end of October, if we have morning temperatures above 60 degrees.
When the weather is too cold (or we come to the end of October, whichever comes first), we will move indoors and remain indoors for the foreseeable future. One advantage we have over other churches is our heating system, which is radiant, not forced air. That means a potential virus will not be spread by the intake and distribution of hot air. Here are the other steps approved as we move indoors:
· Have radiant heat on, but allow fresh air into the sanctuary (per CDC recommendations)
· Have no congregational singing. Only soloists will sing
· Invite everyone to wear a mask coming into the building and keeping it on while inside
· Do a contactless temperature check for everyone entering the building
· Invite everyone to use hand sanitizer as they enter the building
· Seat families with 6 feet of distance between them
· Keep only the family bathroom open for easy clean up and maintenance
· Strategically position the preacher and musicians to maintain an additional 12-20 feet of distance
· Reduce the number of musicians leading musically
· Remove all items from pews
· Take attendance using one volunteer, not attendance pads
· Shorten the length from that of an average service to reduce potential exposure
· Continue with no coffee hour after worship
· Maintain online worship for those uncomfortable with returning to indoor worship
Sunday School, led by Chris Cauda, has formed a plan for their students and teachers. Their plan was created by a team of Sunday School leaders and the input of the pastor. Their plan will be reviewed periodically with the Pastor.
You may be wondering about the current state of COVID-19 in our area. Much of the news includes state and national numbers, but rarely do you see information regarding Wyckoff or other local towns. The perception, especially when total case numbers are given, is that COVID is on the rise. Though this may be true in some areas, Wyckoff has seen a steady decrease since May of 2020. Since September 30th there have only been 8 new cases in Wyckoff. In May there were about 6 new cases every day, in July about .8, September had slightly less at .79 cases per day, while today we are down to about 1 new case every two days (.5). Though that’s more than we’d like to see, we believe it is safe enough to resume indoor worship as cases are on the decline in our area.
With this plan in place we are excited to reintroduce indoor worship at Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Certainly things will not be exactly as they were, but we believe this is a significant step for us as we continue our efforts to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with our community and with our world. We hope you’ll join us indoors for worship when you are ready to do so!
Worship During COVID-19
August 2nd Outdoor Worship at Grace – 9:30am
We are excited to offer an opportunity for worship at Grace United Methodist Church. After over four months of closing the building and conducting online worship services only, we are eager for August 2nd when we will have outdoor worship at the church. We recognize some people are not ready to gather to worship with others, either because of concerns for safety or because of the restrictions imposed at this time for gathered worship, but for those that are, below is our plan for how worship will change as we gather together during this pandemic.
Here is what you need to know:
Outdoor worship will begin at 9:30am August 2nd and continue until further notice
Worship will take place at the FRONT of Grace UMC at 555 Russell Avenue
Please bring and wear a mask. If you forget yours one will be provided
An usher will review the six essential practices with you before entering the worship area
Bring a chair and umbrella – there is limited seating and shade available
No Sunday School or Coffee Hour will be provided at these services
The service will be recorded and broadcast online at 11am for those who prefer to stay home
There are six essential practices that will help keep our congregation safe from the spread of disease.
Members of the Church Council reviewed the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference guidelines for reopening churches, applicable state guidelines and CDC (Center for Disease Control) guidelines. After synthesizing this information we created a proposal that was approved by the Church Council. You can see the whole document here. The section pertaining to outdoor worship is here:
We know many are eager to gather together again. We will do our best to accommodate everyone, but we remain committed to the bishop’s directive that no transmissions of COVID-19 occur through United Methodist congregations. If a single case is found among our worshiping congregation, we will need to return to offering online worship only. We appreciate your feedback and will continue to work toward a safe and appropriate worship experience for all.