Monday, May 4th, 2020

Church Family,

I want to share our plans for reopening the church building for worship. Our Safety and Security team along with our deacons have met weekly to assess the church’s situation, discuss ministry, and make plans for the future. Since Governor Abbott’s first Executive Order concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, he has maintained that churches provide essential services and that it would be unconstitutional to require their closing. The Texas Attorney Generals office in conjunction with the Office of the Governor has been publicizing “Guidelines for Houses of Worship During the COVID-19 Pandemic” to coincide with the Governor’s Executive orders. As a church we have willingly tried to abide by those guidelines which had included keeping our buildings closed to groups of more than 10. On April 30th, Governor Abbott's “stay at home” order expired and a new Executive Order went into effect which allowed most business to open at 25% or 50% capacity depending on the number of confirmed cases in the county. Along with this new Executive Order came new guidelines for houses of worship which include:

Health protocols for serving your attendees: 

1. Strongly encourage the at-risk population to watch or participate in the service remotely. 

2. Designate an area inside the facility reserved for the at-risk population, or offer a service for at-risk population attendees only.

3. Ensure proper spacing between attendees:  

       A.  Keep at least two empty seats (or six feet separation) between parties in any row, except as follows:

                i.   Two or more members of the same house hold can sit adjacent to one another, with two seats (or six feet separation) empty on either side. 

                ii.  Two individuals who are not members of the same household but who are attending together can sit adjacent to one another, with two seats (or six feet separation) empty on either side.

    B.  Alternate rows between attendees (every other row left empty).

Health protocols for your facilities:

1. Regularly and frequently clean and disinfect any regularly touched surfaces, such as doorknobs, tables, chairs, and restrooms.

2. Disinfect seats between services.

3. Disinfect any items that come into contact with attendees.

4. Make hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, soap and water, or similar disinfectant readily available.

5. Place readily visible signage to remind everyone of best hygiene practices.

6. If a church or place of worship provides meals for employees, volunteers, or attendees, they are recommended to have the meals individually packed for each employee, volunteer, or attendee.

7. Maintain rigorous sanitation practices like disinfection, hand washing, and cleanliness when preparing or serving anything edible. 

Taking into consideration these guidelines, results of the congregational survey, and our particular context, we have developed a plan for reopening our facilities. 

This Sunday, May 10th, our morning service will be in the sanctuary at 10:50AM with the following adjustments: 

• FBC Seymour will follow the guidance provided by "Guidance for Houses of Worship During the COVID-19 Crisis" provided by the Texas Attorney General and "Minimum Standard Health Protocols: Checklist for Churches/ Places of Worship" provided by the Texas Governor's Office. These guidelines will be posted at each entrance.
• Hand sanitizer will be available at the front doors.
• Only the front doors will be open and no other parts of the building will be accessible. 
• Facemasks will not be required for attendees.
• Greeters will open all doors during entry and exit.
• Greeters will wear face masks.
• Ushers will seat attendees and maintain social distance of 6 feet between individuals or families. 
• The wings of the sanctuary will be open:
• The West wing will be available (not required) for those at-risk who choose to separate themselves from others.
• The East wing will be available (not required)  for those who wish to wear a mask and avoid contact with those who choose not to wear a mask.
• Every other row in the sanctuary will be closed.
• The nursery will not be open this Sunday.
• Offering plates will not be passed but collected during dismissal.
• Lord’s Supper elements will be furnished in self-contained servings.
• Dismissal will be by sections in order to maintain social distance.
• All other gatherings remain canceled indefinitely. 

We will continue to Livestream the service.

Our Safety and Security Team will continue to meet with our deacons weekly and make adjustments as necessary.  We understand that this plan will not meet everyone’s needs or desires but represents our best effort to return to corporate worship while providing a safe environment.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the church office.