Moving back into the church building

​We hope you are well, and that the past few months have not been too hard for you and your loved ones. This is a note from Humbie Church, to update you on our plans for the church, now that Scottish Government guidance allows places of worship to reopen, as long as this is done safely.
 
We are going to start slowly and for the moment, services will take place fortnightly in Humbie Church, at the usual time of 9.30am. They will be shorter and follow a slightly different format from the services before lockdown. There are a number of guidelines which must be followed by everyone attending a service and these are set out at the end of this note.  Before attending a service, please read and follow these carefully as they are for your own and everyone else’s protection.

These are the upcoming dates of services our in-person services, all held in Humbie Church:

• Sunday, 6 September, 9.30am
• Sunday, 20 September, 9.30am
• Sunday, 4 October, 9.30am (when you are invited to bring donations for the Foodbank)
• Sunday, 18 October, 9.30am (which will be our Harvest Thanksgiving service).

At this time, we would simply like to offer in-person services for all who would like to come together in a church building for worship, and especially all who have difficulty in accessing the online services. However, I know that many of us are very anxious about larger gatherings at this time, and nobody should in any way feel pressured to attend these services in person before they feel ready to do so. All of us will have different circumstances and needs. A video recording of the service will be available on our church website from Sunday afternoon, and audio recordings are available on CD on request. Participating in a service online, or through a sound recording, is worship just as much as doing so in a church building.
 
On the Sundays when we do not offer a service in the church, a pre-recorded online service will be available on the website from Sunday morning, as during lockdown. These services include contributions from people around the parish: readings, music, reflections and prayers, and offer us an opportunity for more creativity in our worship. ​On Sundays 13 September and 25 October, we will also celebrate Holy Communion in our online worship. Audio recordings of all services are available on CD. If you would like to receive one, please contact Jim Hunter (01875 833223).

​We hope you will understand that none of these decisions has been taken lightly. These first few weeks of in-person services will be an opportunity for us to work out the practicalities of re-opening, so please bear with us as we try to get it right. We hope we can approach this new phase with our usual good humour and helpfulness. All of the arrangements are for the current time only, and will be reviewed based on our learning and experience, your feedback, and as the wider situation around covid evolves. 

​If you would like any help or support, or would welcome a conversation by phone, video call or a socially distant visit, please let me know (contact details can be found below).

In-person services – guidelines for all attendees
 

• In order to comply with social distancing, we regrettably can only accommodate a limited number of people in a church building at the same time. In Humbie Church, we will operate a ‘first come, first served’ principle. Please arrive in good time for the service.

 

• To assist the NHS test and protect system, we are required to take a contact name and phone number for everyone who attends a service, which will be confidentially kept for 21 days. You can assist us with this by bringing a note with your name and number when you come to a service (one name and number per household group is sufficient). Again, please allow enough time on arrival for your details to be taken down.

 

• Please only come to church if you are not currently in quarantine or isolating because of a risk of covid, do not currently have any symptoms of the illness or have tested positive for it, or if you live in a simple or extended household with someone who falls into any of these categories.

 

• Everybody is required to use hand sanitizer on arriving at and leaving the church. Everybody, with the exception of those with underlying health conditions, and children under the age of 5, are legally required to wear a face covering over their mouth and nose while in the building.

 

• In order to enable social distancing, stewards will guide you to a place. We are sorry if we can’t offer you your usual favourite spot. Please do not move closer to people from other households.

 

• Singing is currently not permitted in an indoors communal setting. Our organists are however looking forward to welcoming us back into church with beautiful tunes.

 

• We can’t currently use communal Bibles, hymn books or service sheets. If you would like to use a Bible in the service, please bring your own.

• Handshaking at the door, and other physical contact, are not currently possible. If you would like to speak with the minister about any questions or issues, please give her a call instead.

 

• If you would like to make a financial offering, please consider doing so by bank transfer. Otherwise, please place your offering in the plate provided in the church on arrival or before you leave. We are not currently able to collect the offering during the service as usual.

 
 
These are the guidelines asked of us by the Church of Scotland, in close collaboration with the Government, to keep us all safe and protected.