Holy Spirit Lutheran Church

Dear Members and Friends of Holy Spirit,
 
In light of rapidly increasing cases of COVID, on November 5, 2020 both the Northwest/ Lower and Southeast Michigan Synod Bishops strongly recommended congregations suspend in-person worship beginning on November 15, 2020.  Our Church Council agrees that for the health and safety of our community, it is best to suspend in-person worship at Holy Spirit until further notice.  We will continue to offer a live-stream of services at 10:30am on both Facebook and YouTube. 
 
This was a difficult decision, but a necessary one in light of the data and trends shared by the Genesee County Health Department.  Additionally, we continue to face challenges coordinating volunteers for worship due to an increasing number of individuals required to quarantine due to COVID exposure.  The Church Council will regularly review Genesee County data so that we can return to in-person worship as soon as possible.  
 
Please continue to pray for medical professionals, first responders, and those directly affected by COVID including members of Holy Spirit.

Restarting In-Person Worship – A Plan For What to Expect

As we consider when and how to restart in-person worship, HSLC Council, Worship & Music and staff have reviewed and discussed a variety of different recommendations. After taking into consideration the State of Michigan’s Safe Start plan, the Southeast Michigan Synod’s guidelines, information from the CDC and Genesee County Health Department, and our Church Mutual Insurance requirements, our plan includes the following as we return to worship at church.

• Physical distancing is required. Households must sit at least six feet apart, 360°, if gathered for in-person worship.
• Face coverings/masks are required for worship (except for children 2 or under), consistent with Phase 5 of Michigan’s Safe Start Plan guidelines. We will have a limited supply of masks for those who arrive to the building without one. Worship Leaders (lector, assisting ministers, pastors, and musicians) do not have to wear a mask (but may choose to do so) if they are speaking and remain 6 feet (or more) away from others. However, when they are not leading worship, they must wear them.
• The worship space will be sanitized between services, especially including high touch surfaces such as the backs of pews/chairs.
• There will be a small group of singers providing music for the service. While we encourage you to hum along or sing softly through your mask, medical experts agree that singing is among the riskiest behaviors for the spread of COVID-19.
• There will be no nursery, in-person Sunday School or coffee hour offered. You are welcome to bring your own coffee or water with you, and some bottles of water will be available, but the drinking fountain, coffee and food at the church will not be available during or following worship.
• There will be no physical touching during the passing of the peace or at other times. Yes, we love to offer hugs and handshakes, but at this time, we still must maintain our social distance for everyone’s safety.
• Seating will be available at tables in the narthex for worship, but must be limited to one household per table.
• There will be no passing of an offering plate through the pews. We encourage you to continue giving electronically. Otherwise, an offering plate will be located by the baptismal font. The offering and Communion elements will not be processed to the front of the church.
• Communion wafers and wine will be placed before the service on plates by available seats. Gluten free wafers and grape juice will be available in the back of the sanctuary for those who request it. Everyone will commune together from their seats. Masks can be removed while communion is shared, but need to be worn after communion is completed.
• To avoid crowding and bottle necks, the pastors will not be at the sanctuary doors following service to greet those in attendance.
• At this time, use of the building by members or outside groups is not possible. Our building insurance has discouraged it.
• For at least the first in-person gathering, we will ask you to sign up online (or call the church so that we can add your name) in advance of attending to make sure we have enough seats available and do not exceed any Michigan Safe Start Plan limits on the size of gatherings.
• If you are sick, unable to abide by the above plans, or are in a vulnerable population, please stay home and join us online for worship.

We are aware these plans are restrictive even as we have opted for the most permissive options on the guidelines. We don’t like having to impose them, but we believe this will help keep us all safe, and healthy. Our goal is to ease these restrictions as soon as safely possible with continued input from the Synod, state and federal guidelines, and our insurance provider so that we can return to normal activities and worship plans quickly.

The June 2020 Semi-Annual Report is available online by clicking here.  Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we have yet to set a date for the in-person meeting, but will do so as soon as possible.

On Saturday, May 16, Holy Spirit will resume its annual food distributions on the third Saturday of each month, May through October.  The May distribution will begin by 9:00am, so we advise you to arrive in advance as food will be distributed on a "first come, first served basis."  Because of the stay-at-home order, please note there will be NO access to the building for restroom facilities, and no refreshments will be served.  We encourage recipients to bring a mask to wear when they drive up to receive food for their safety and for the safety of volunteers (who will also be required to wear a mask).  Food will distributed in our normal drive-up process.