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Dear Colleagues in Ministry
29 May 2020
Contents:
- Roadmap to re-open Churches
- Congregational Checklist
Greetings in the name of Christ to you and all those you seek to serve. May you continue to know and experience the restoring love and grace of God in your ministries.
As you are aware, we are experiencing almost daily changes to the ‘Roadmap’. The SA Government is encouraging us to carefully restore the activities of our families, our work places and the church. While the announcements continue to lack details in some areas, the Crisis Management Team in conversation with Presbytery Office Bearers, feels confident to issue the following advice to Congregations and other ministry contexts in order to support the ministry and mission of the church during this time of transition.
You will find two documents attached – a ‘Roadmap to re-open Churches’ and a ‘Congregational Checklist’. These documents provide specific advice for congregations, but are predicated on our adherence to the guiding principles of;
- physical distancing (1.5m between people),
- numbers of people gathered is dependent on your ability to have 4 square metres of space for each person,
- strict hygiene practices in place – cleaning before and after activities,
- documenting who is in your building – asking people to sign in and sign out, and
- extreme care and caution around the involvement of vulnerable people.
Step 2 of the government’s advice now requires Congregations to complete a COVID-Safe Plan before commencing regular programs in our church buildings (link on the Roadmap). The advice enables you to begin these activities from Monday 1st June, however you may wish to take a little bit of time to complete your plan so that you don’t risk being fined ($5,000). As the number of people allowed in your buildings increases, please pay attention to bathrooms, kitchens, thoroughfares, as well as entrances and exits to the rooms being used. We hope the Congregational Checklist attached will also assist congregations to prepare for more regular congregational activities at this time.
Because the government advice about serving morning tea after worship is not specific, we feel it is important to make a specific reference to this activity. The Crisis Management Team (CMT) believes congregations cannot serve morning tea at this time. Congregations who have a café associated with the church must follow the commercial directives and guidelines for such enterprises. There may be further guidance on these matters in Step 3. We would therefore encourage congregations to continue to plan.
Church Councils may continue to have questions. We encourage you to respond cautiously, applying wisdom and common sense to the advice. If you remain unsure, please contact your Presbytery or the Synod via Rev Sue Page and Rev Phil Gardner.
The details regarding Step 3 remain unclear. We will endeavour to circulate information as quickly as possible. Our advice suggests that it is unlikely that public worship will be possible for large congregations in the foreseeable future, so more creative planning is encouraged for all large group activities.
I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone for the great work being done to provide worship, pastoral care and where possible, support for the marginalised. The new Engagement Team is very keen to receive some photos and hear some stories of what is happening and how your creative thinking is growing the life and witness of the Uniting Church here in South Australia. I encourage you to be in touch with Winaya.
As the travel restrictions begin to ease I am also looking forward to visiting small gatherings within the church, to worship and pray with you and to hear what God has been up to in your part of the Synod.
Blessings as you seek to live out the gospel
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Synod of South Australia
212 Pirie St, Adelaide 5001
sa.uca.org.au
