Dear Friends in Christ:

We will be offering online Worship Services this weekend as well as in-house services at Church, and will broadcast a worship service online, too.

If you are unable to watch at normal worship times, you may watch any time after. The link is the same for all recorded services.

THE LINK FOR WORSHIPING ONLINE WITH US IS:

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXj4oNPdZIMLTNDwZfNdKJw

If you have trouble with the link, you can always go to YouTube.com and search for Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, Sarasota FL and you will find our page.

• NO NEED TO REGISTER IF YOU PLAN TO WORSHIP IN OUR CHURCH

• If you think you may have one or more virus symptoms please do not come to worship, but consult with a medical professional.

Thank you for your thoughtful compliance with this request for the safety of all.  

NOTE: We want to strongly reinforce our thinking that wearing a mask is an effective method to combat the virus and urge all worshippers to wear a mask (masks are required if you are singing).

Thank you. 

May 22, 2020

Dear Friends in Christ:

Please read the Guidelines and Assumption of Risk statement carefully; (see below). Consider your personal situation along with state and federal virus information before making a decision about returning to worship at this time. We will be sending out an email asking you to sign-up for worship early next week. God bless you and Beautiful Savior.

    Pastor Leavitt     Pastor Kuehn     Mike Murphy     Dick Wilson

ASSUMPTION OF RISK relating to Coronavirus/COVID-19

The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has been declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization. COVID-19 is extremely contagious and is believed to spread mainly from person-to-person contact. As a result, federal, state, and local governments and federal and state health agencies recommend social distancing and isolation.

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church (BSLC) has been defined as an essential service by the State of Florida and has put in place preventative measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, BSLC cannot guarantee that you or your family will not become infected with COVID-19. Further, attendance could increase your risk of contracting COVID-19. By attending church services, you acknowledge the contagious nature of COVID-19 and voluntarily assume the risk that you may be exposed to or infected by COVID-19 by attending a service and that such exposure or infection may result in personal injury, illness, permanent disability, and death.

I understand that the risk of becoming exposed to or infected by COVID-19 may result from the actions, omissions, or negligence of myself and others. By attending services at BSLC I voluntarily agree to assume all of the foregoing risks and accept sole responsibility for any injury or harm to my family or myself (including, but not limited to, personal injury, disability, and death), illness, damage, loss, claim, liability, or expense, of any kind.

If you do not feel well, have a cough, the flu, high temperature, have pre-existing conditions, a compromised immune system or any other condition that may cause you to be more susceptible to Coronavirus/COVID-19, you should stay home at this time.

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Reopening Guidelines

May 20, 2020

In preparation for safely reopening and restarting church activities the following guidelines were developed for the congregation by many people in the church representing many of the ministries including pastoral, staff, council, elders, health, altar guild, trustees and ushers. If at any time a person is concerned about returning to church due to the coronavirus, they are encouraged to stay home for their safety and worship via our online worship services.

General Guidelines

1. Many Lutheran churches are reopening beginning with Pentecost Sunday, May 31. We anticipate that Beautiful Savior will reopen at the end of June 27-28; please watch for official notice of reopening.  Sunday services will include 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. services including both traditional and contemporary services at 10:30 a.m.

2. For services with continuous communion. The bread will be in a paper cupcake sleeve and the wine in the traditional plastic cup. These will be on tables at the front of the Sanctuary.

3. Communion participants will be directed by an usher to the table (one on each side of the Sanctuary) where you will take one portion of bread and one cup of wine. This will be a continuous type communion with no kneeling at the communion rail. Take a sleeve with the bread and consume the bread. Then take a cup of wine and consume the wine. Please deposit the remaining trash in the receptacle upon exiting the area and before you return to your seat.

4. In preparation for worship, we are required to maintain social distance (6’) between non-household people while at church including during worship services.

5. Infants and children should remain with their parents at all times.

6. All the service information will be via the projector screens only. No paper handouts will be available.

7. Everything will be taken out of the pews such as hymnals, envelopes, pencils, etc.

8. People with the following symptoms may have COVID-19. Cough, headache, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, fever, chills (sometimes shaking), muscle pain, sore throat, new confusion or inability to arouse, bluish lips or face, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea (medicare.gov). If you have any of these symptoms please do not come to church, but review the situation with a medical professional. If you have been around people that have tested positive, please do not come to church. Review your situation with the church office.

9. The State of Florida and the CDC consider people older than 65 years old to be in a vulnerable population and should stay home in Phases 1 and 2 (Florida). Individuals with serious underlying medical conditions (such as chronic lung disease, moderate-to-severe asthma, serious heart conditions, immune-compromised status, cancer, diabetes, severe obesity, renal failure and liver disease) are considered to be in a vulnerable population and should stay home. People of any age with coronavirus concerns should stay home and worship via the online worship service.

10. People with persistent coughs could endanger the safety of people around them. If you have a persistent cough we urge you not to attend in person worship. If you develop a persistent cough while in worship we ask you to exit the church for the safety of others. Thank you for thinking of your fellow members’ safety in this.

11. Worship attendees are strongly recommended to bring and wear a mask upon entry to the church. If you plan to participate in the singing of the hymns you are required to wear a mask to protect others. We will have a few masks available for people who forget their personal masks.

12. Signs will be posted to remind people to social distance including outside entrances, in the Narthex and restrooms.

13. The nursery will be closed.

14. Outside doors to the Narthex will remain open before and after services. Sanctuary doors to the Narthex will remain open the entire time. Collection boxes will be posted outside each Sanctuary door.

15. Please move directly to your seat upon entrance to the church. Ushers will be present to assist you in finding a seat as and to help the congregation maintain social distancing. If you have special seating needs please advise an usher.

16. Only alternate pews will be utilized to facilitate social distancing. Maintain social distance in the pews as well. This leaves gaps between non- household people and is intended.

17. Ushers will help seat people to both keep social distances and efficiently use the worship space. It is recommended to fill pews starting in the front. This will minimize people having to move around and in and out of pews to let people pass. Please exit the church following the services per the pastors’ and ushers’ directions. Please exit starting from the back of the Sanctuary forward after services. We will also be using the side exits from the Sanctuary during these times. Please maintain social distancing.

18. If someone, who has attended worship, subsequently tests positive for the virus we will attempt to notify people who attended that service. This highlights the importance of signing up for a specific worship service for future contact purposes.

19. Florida has quarantine requirements for individuals who travel into Florida. If you fall into this group please see the regulations and take appropriate action. See https://www.flgov.com/wp-content/…/orders/2020/EO_20-112.pdf

20. We will continue to have video online worship services each week. We need volunteers to do this. Please volunteer if this works for you.

21. Small church groups, boards etc. can use the church for their meetings as before starting immediately. 

22. Please follow social distancing and sanitize the areas and equipment you use following your meeting.

23. Sanitation -- The Trustees have hired a new cleaning/sanitizing contractor.

24. A combination of ushers, elders, altar guild and trustees will wipe down appropriate surfaces between worship services including restrooms. Necessary supplies including gloves, masks and cleaning supplies are available.

25. People who use the restrooms are asked to wipe down areas they have touched or been in contact with. Supplies will be on hand for this purpose.

26. Elders, ushers, altar guild and trustees who will be cleaning between or after services should wear appropriate clothing for cleaning. Brief instructions in how and where to clean will be detailed.

Join us for ONLINE activities & worship.

• Here is the link you need to join us LIVE during your normal worship time this Sunday at 8 a.m..     It is our Beautiful Savior YouTube page, which we will be updating every Sunday.    
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXj4oNPdZIMLTNDwZfNdKJw