Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are writing with some additional information about our return to Sunday worship. Beginning next Sunday, August 9, we will meet at 9 am on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays of the month for a 45-minute sacrament meeting. Everyone in the ward is invited to dial in and listen to the meeting each week. You are invited to attend in person once a month, if you feel comfortable doing so. In-person attendance opportunities are based on geographic worship groups, and a ward map with highlighted groups and a schedule of attendance is attached to this message. Additional answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found below.

We look forward to the opportunity to meet together in person. We know that some are not yet able to attend because of health concerns. We have worked hard to develop a thoughtful plan for our ward, and we recognize that these meetings will be somewhat different than what we are used to. Hopefully, circumstances will allow for the full ward to be together again sooner rather than later, but for now, this is the next step in the process of the Saints gathering together again. We hope you will be patient with us and with each other as we move forward. Most importantly, we desire that all ward members feel the love of our Heavenly Father and His Son. We know that comfort and peace can be found in the truths and ordinances of the gospel, even in difficult times.

With love,

The Edgemont 7th Ward Bishopric

Bishop Andy Walker

Brother Chris Karpowitz

Brother Jordan Tittelfitz

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I dial in when not attending in person?

Dial (725) 735-9498. Please mute yourself when you dial in so that others cannot hear you. Additional details can be found in the online ward bulletin (7thward.org).

If I dial in, do I still need to bless the sacrament in my home?

Yes. The ordinance of the sacrament requires that the bread and water be blessed and administered by a priesthood holder in the same physical location. The stake presidency has instructed us that this ordinance is not to be performed via broadcast. During the sacrament portion of the worship service, your dial-in will be placed on hold, and you will hear church music. If you are not attending the meeting in person, you should still plan to bless and administer the sacrament in your home. This is a sacred opportunity to feel of the Lord’s spirit in a very personal and direct way.

If I am able to attend in person, when should I show up?

Please see the schedule posted below and at the online ward bulletin (7thward.org). We meet only on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays at 9 am.

What should we do on Fast Sunday?

On the 1st and 5th Sundays, you should conduct home worship services as you have been doing for the last several months. On Fast Sunday, please take time to fast and pray. We encourage you to pay a generous fast offering, which will allow the church to help meet the needs of those who are struggling financially.

What should I do when I arrive?

To simplify and coordinate cleaning needs, all wards that use the building will be using the same entrance and exit. Please enter and exit the building on the east side. Bathrooms and a drinking fountain will be available on the east side, but will be closed on the west side. When you arrive, please follow the signs to available seating, keeping in mind the need to stay socially distant.

If I attend in person, should I wear a mask?

Yes. The bishopric invites all ward members to wear a mask when attending sacrament meeting. Studies show that mask wearing can significantly slow the spread of the virus, so this is a simple thing we can do to demonstrate our love and care for our fellow ward members. We understand that small children may struggle to wear a mask, but we encourage all members who can to please wear a mask whenever possible. Your willingness to wear a mask will also help others feel more comfortable attending. Please plan to bring your own mask, but we will have extra disposable masks available if needed.

What is the seating arrangement in the chapel?

More information will be given via signs and announcements when you arrive in person, but we ask each household to sit together, with at least 6 feet between you and other households. Rows that are open for seating will be indicated with signs on the pews.

How long will the meeting last?

About 45 minutes. We will have prayers, announcements, hymns, the sacrament, and one speaker.

Can we congregate inside the building before or after the meeting?

Please do not congregate in the foyer or hallways either before or after the meeting. The person conducting the meeting will dismiss the congregation row by row, and we encourage everyone to go outside immediately. Your risk of spreading the virus increases the longer you are inside with groups of others, which is why the meeting will be no longer than 45 minutes. Please keep masks on and maintain social distance whenever possible.

Will we be singing hymns?

Music will be an important part of our sacrament meeting, but we will not sing the hymns, nor will hymn books be available. While we wish we could sing the hymns of the restoration together, singing projects droplets that can spread the virus, so the stake has encouraged us not to have choir or congregational singing. Instead, we encourage you to use the hymns to reflect quietly or to hum (while still wearing your mask). If you are willing to present a special instrumental number as part of our worship service, please let Brother Karpowitz or Sister Payne know so that we can add you to the schedule.

How will the sacrament be administered?

Under the bishop’s direction and following church guidelines, we have developed a plan for administering the sacrament in ways that are consistent with safety guidelines. We will be distributing training videos online and encourage all priesthood holders to view them. Core principles of this plan include careful sanitization of sacrament trays, careful handwashing, and mask wearing among those involved.

Both the water and the bread will be distributed in sacrament cups spaced farther apart than typical on the tray. Used cups will be deposited in a second tray solely for that purpose. All priesthood holders who attend may be asked to help, but we are hoping that much of the work of administering the sacrament can be completed by father-son teams.

What about cleaning after the meeting?

Those who volunteer to clean will be invited to stay afterwards. We are the first ward in the building, so pre-meeting cleaning will occur on Saturday. Those who prepared the sacrament will sanitize the trays and put them away for the next ward after the meeting is over.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We thank everyone who replied to the survey we sent out last week, and we are writing now with some additional information about our plan to return to Sunday worship. We appreciate the assistance and wisdom of our ward council, and our discussions with the council members have helped us understand better what is best for our ward family.

Our ward will meet at 9 am on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays of each month, which means that our first meeting will be held on Sunday, August 9th. We have divided the ward into 6 geographic groups, and each Sunday, two of those groups will be invited to meet in person. Please plan to stay home, however, if you are feeling ill or if you are in a high risk group. When not attending in person for any reason, we invite you to dial in to (725) 735-9458 to listen to the meeting. Below, you can find an infographic with an overview of our plan, a document with details about the geographic groups and meeting details, and a document with instructions for dialing in to hear our sacrament meeting.

We are excited to return to Sunday worship services together, though we realize that things will still be a little different for now. Some additional meeting details can be found in the document with the geographic groups. Please feel free to reach out to us with additional questions about our plan. We hope, too, that you will be patient with us as we work to fine tune various aspects of our worship together. Most importantly, we hope that whether you attend in person or are at home, you can feel the Spirit and the Lord’s love for you.

With love,

The Edgemont 7th Ward Bishopric

Bishop Andy Walker

Brother Chris Karpowitz

Brother Jordan Tittelfitz

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We love you and pray for you and your families daily. We are writing with some additional information about our plans for resuming ward Sunday worship services and an invitation for something each of us can do in the meantime.

First, you have no doubt noticed that different stakes in our area have made different decisions about when to return to Sunday worship. The stake presidency met this Sunday morning with all of the bishops and branch presidents in the stake to consider this issue. Everyone looks forward to the time when we can meet together in person again, though we are also aware that some stakes that resumed meetings earlier are now pulling back because of the current spike in Covid-19 cases in Utah. After prayerful discussion, stake and ward leaders are united in the decision to wait a little longer. We support this decision and are grateful for the care and concern that all have shown.

In the meantime, we want to be prepared, so the bishopric and ward council continue to work out the details for how things will work when we do return. Thanks to everyone who responded to our survey a few days ago. Your thoughtful responses have helped us understand how ward members are feeling. Please know that even when we do return, things will be a little different. Sacrament meeting will last about 45 minutes and will include the administration of the sacrament and one talk. There will be no additional meetings. We will also follow closely the advice from stake and area authorities about social distancing, wearing masks, and other simple precautions we can take to keep each other safe. Only about 1/3 of the ward will meet together at any one time, which means that most members will be able to attend Sunday services once a month, at least initially.

One thing we learned from our survey is that like in any family, we have different perspectives on the current situation and how to respond to it. We know that for some, the request to wear masks or to practice social distancing will be very difficult. Others are feeling highly concerned about the risk that comes with in-person gathering. As we prepare to return, we encourage you to think of public health precautions as a way of showing your love, care, and concern for each other. Please remember that wearing a mask and maintaining proper social distance may be uncomfortable and difficult at first, but these are simple actions that allow each of us to do our part to keep each other safe. That might seem counter-intuitive, because after being away from each other for so long, our first instinct could be to embrace each other or see our smiling faces. But at this unusual time, wearing a mask and maintaining social distance are how we show our sincere care for each other. From our survey, a substantial percentage of our ward is at “high” risk if they were to contract the virus (and a few are “very high” risk), and it is possible to spread the virus even if you feel perfectly healthy. So, we hope that when we are able to gather again, we can do so in a spirit of Christlike concern for each other. We will also have options for those who do not yet feel comfortable gathering in person.

It’s also important to put our current challenges in context. It is easy to feel frustrated, depressed, or anxious as we compare our current situation with life in more normal times, even just a few months ago. Such feelings are completely normal and natural. As we grapple with those feelings, we should also recognize that we must occasionally pass through difficult circumstances so we can better recognize and appreciate the many blessings we do have. The scriptures can help us to put things in perspective. Remember, for example, that when the Jaredites crossed the ocean, they were together in small barges (quarantined might be another word for it!) for more than eleven months. As a point of comparison, our current situation has lasted less than four months so far.

We encourage you to find ways to recognize your blessings, even in this difficult time. We also have an invitation for every member of the ward. The bishop shared this with the ward council this morning, and we would like to extend his challenge to each ward member. Sometime this week, find a new way to reach out and minister to someone around you. Seek for ways, even while still following the public health guidelines, to help people feel needed and appreciated. Serving and ministering will, we promise, allow the Spirit to enlighten your mind. The more you reach out, the more you will feel the Spirit. The more you feel the Spirit, the more you will recognize what is needed and how you (and maybe only you!) can make a difference for someone else.

We want to emphasize again how much we love and care for you. We miss being together and pray that the pandemic will relent soon so that we can worship together. In the meantime, let us each recommit ourselves to finding creative ways to love, minister, and serve.

With love,

The Edgemont 7th Ward Bishopric

Bishop Andy Walker

Brother Chris Karpowitz

Brother Jordan Tittelfitz