Our bishop, Elaine Stanovsky, has issued new guidance on church reopening. It replaces the local church-based planning document that St. Peter’s had developed.

Highlights from the guidance include:

“…please remember Saint Paul’s admonition that what is “permissible” is not always “beneficial” to the common good. (I Corinthians 10:23). While some churches may act quickly to adopt new, less restrictive practices, it is always OK for a church or ministry to choose to remain more cautious for any reason.”
“A local church is not permitted to hold in-person worship without the approval of the pastor. For local churches, decisions about the use of church property for worship or other gatherings belong to the pastor without interference from the Board of Trustees (Book of Discipline, ¶ 2533).”
The Crisis Team is prayerfully reviewing the guidance.