Worship is Online until further notice!In order to keep our congregants and community safe, we continue using Zoom to stream our worship services.
Zoom is a teleconferencing platform that allows participants to use a web browser or an app to join a virtual meeting by just clicking on a link or making a telephone call to join the gathering. Please use the following instructions to connect on Sundays:
If you need help with equipment or getting connected, call the Church Office (610-253-4792) or email comms@collegehillpc.org. And, if you miss a service -- never fear! The videos are available on our Facebook page, and on our YouTube channel. |
How We Are RespondingA Message from Matt Mardis-LeCroy
April, 2021 Phased Re-Opening: Coming Soon to a Church Near You! Hello church! Matt Mardis-LeCroy here with the latest on Coronavirus and College Hill Presbyterian Church. Something has shifted in the long saga of Covid-19. Every single day, millions of Americans are being vaccinated against this virus. Even if you haven’t received the shot yet, it is only a matter of time. We have been apart for so long now. I don’t know about you, but I am longing to be back together in the sanctuary. And it is natural to wonder when that might happen. But the question of “when” has a lot to do with the question of “how.” As much as we want to be back together, we are committed to doing so safely. Because loving your neighbor means doing whatever is in your power to keep your neighbor safe. How do we re-open safely? Well, we do it in phases. I can’t yet tell you when Phase 1 will begin. I can’t tell you because it is not about reaching a certain day on the calendar; it is about seeing a significant reduction in Covid cases in our area. (As of this writing, cases in Northhampton county are moving in the wrong direction). But when that day arrives—and it will—you can expect to be invited back to Sunday morning worship in the sanctuary. In Phase 1, worship will feel...different. For one thing, you will need a reservation. The sanctuary cannot hold all of us safely and so we need to limit our in-person numbers. We will wear masks, and stay six feet apart, we won’t be singing together. And we will stay online so that those who cannot join us in person will still be able to participate on Zoom and Facebook. Phase 1 will last until some level of herd immunity sets in. Herd immunity is the point at which enough people are vaccinated that the virus cannot so easily spread among the population. I do not have a crystal ball, but given the pace of vaccinations it is hard to imagine Phase 1 lasting more than a couple of months. Phase 2 has another name: The New Normal. In Phase 2, you won’t need a reservation, you won’t need a mask and (best of all!) we will be able to sing together. But we will still be online. The fact is, online worship has a real upside: we have stayed connected to members who have moved out of the area and even made some new friends who live far away. Also, people who may not be able to attend church can still participate. We want to maintain all of that. So we are doing a lot of careful thinking right now about how to make our worship in the sanctuary as welcoming as it can be for virtual congregants. In order to get ready for Phase 1, we need three fairly significant improvements to the sanctuary: fast and reliable wi-fi access, some manner of air exchange and some means of projecting video offerings on a screen for the folks seated in the pews. I am pleased to let you know that we are making good progress on all three items. Wi-fi is set up throughout the building and it has been working well. Air exchange is something we only need to worry about in Phase 1; the Trustees are working on an affordable and effective solution even now. And the Hybrid Worship Task Force is currently investigating projection possibilities. So, although it may still be a matter of months before we can be together again, I see some light at the end of this long tunnel. And I see the possibility of a revitalized College Hill Presbyterian Church with a significantly larger digital footprint. As we continue working toward the day when we can be together again, there are two very specific ways in which you can help your church get where God is leading us:
It’s more than “back to normal.” It’s about stepping into the future that God is preparing for us. See you there? |
