Market Research

• https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/may-web-only/when-churches-reopen-phase-coronavirus-covid-19-guidelines.html

  • Has some good medical information - re: infection

• https://lifewayresearch.com/2020/05/01/few-protestant-churches-met-in-person-for-worship-services-in-april/

  • Market research on very few churches opening - survey of 470 Protestant pastors April 27-29 - 20% had a church attendee diagnosed with COVID-19 up from 5% in March

• https://www.mypeoplecheckin.com/

  • Free survey tool that we can customize from Barna Group with some questions already there - we decided it was too frequent with too many questions

Legal and Financial

• https://www.churchlawandtax.com/web/2020/may/how-to-safely-reopen-your-church-and-reduce-legal-liability.html?

  • Legal considerations - follow most stringent of government guidelines (fed, state, county, town) and diocesan guidelines

  • Shorten service times, reduce music, shorten sermon, no passing of the Peace

  • Phased approach, symptom screening, infection control, face coverings, no coffee hour, donation strategy

  • Be prepared for someone to exhibit symptoms during the service - ask them firmly, politely to leave

  • Develop reporting protocol should symptoms develop, protect clergy and staff

Health Considerations

• https://faithandleadership.com/resources-christian-leaders-during-coronavirus-pandemic

  • https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/4-2-2020-mental-health-covid-final.pdf - 1 in 4 people who seek help for mental problems contact faith leaders before clinical professionals.

Hygiene

• Surface Contamination

  • Aerosol & Surface Stability SARS-CoV-1 & -2 compared (New England Journal of Medicine)

  • Healthy Business Guidelines - Mayo Clinic

  • Need for personal microphones - sound consultants jdbsound.com, Toronto, Canada

  • Toilet flushing dynamics - solution put the lid down, sanitize - simulations from China

  • More advice re: toilets - from the NY Times 6/24/20 + checklist for toilet sanitization

• Facemasks

  • https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-face-masks-work-and-which-types-offer-the-best-covid-19-protection-11595946178?st=mb26aa049yow1o1

Technologies To Register People and Vendor Blogs

• https://www.breezechms.com/blog/showing-hospitality-as-we-reopen-our-church-buildings?

• https://www.vancopayments.com/egiving/resources - we have a Vanco account - free app to register people

Church and Choir Infections

• https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/06/coronavirus-outbreak-linked-to-eastern-oregon-church-surpasses-200-cases.html

  • June 16th 2020. At least 236 coronavirus cases have been linked to an outbreak at Lighthouse United Pentecostal Church in Union County’s Island City, a small town near La Grande. The outbreak accounts for 47% of the 462 cases reported statewide since Monday. Members of Lighthouse Pentecostal had met in April and May in large worship services in the parking lot (actually Apr 12 Easter and May 10 Mother's Day (ed: risk of older mothers?) according to Facebook) without wearing masks or heeding social distancing protocols. Church members were shown in videos posted to social media laying hands on each other during worship.

• https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/03/us/sacramento-county-church-covid-19-outbreak/index.html

  • April 4th 2020. At least 70 people at the Bethany Slavic Missionary Church were infected with Covid-19. The 3,500-member church’s founder and lead pastor, the Rev. Adam Bondaruk, 76, and his wife, Galina, are among those infected with the coronavirus.

• https://www.ajc.com/news/local/after-reopening-its-doors-coronavirus-cases-force-ringgold-church-back-online/Zx7k1h6m6Eji2bZcZFjhaJ/

  • May 19th 2020 Catoosa Baptist Tabernacle - had online services then reopened but after 2 weeks had infections, 100 miles NW of Atlanta.

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Other Denomination's Policies

• Unitarian - online services recommended until May 2021

• Presbyterian - PCUSA - legal & insurance considerations, prayers

• Insurance Board serves several denominations - UCC redirects here also has links to ECLA (Lutheran), Disciples of Christ - resource, liability, etc.

This is a sample of the type of phased-plan we might produce.