Our Health Ministries Team has put together a list of guidelines and protocols so that our church family can once again start worshiping together in our Grand Forks facility. This upcoming Sabbath, June 6th, marks the first Sabbath that we will meet and worship corporately in a very long time.

The church board has chosen to begin worshiping together with a “soft opening.” That means that we will only have a divine worship service at 11 a.m. Sabbath School classes and potluck meals are on hold for now, but we are hopeful that we will be fully functional with all our services and get-togethers very soon.

We will have a list of guidelines and protocols for this upcoming Sabbath, but we want to highlight a select number of these before meeting together.

1. We want to encourage those in our congregation who are not feeling well, are immune-compromised, or have health challenges that cause them to be vulnerable to please stay home. Our greatest desire is to see you healthy, so please don’t put yourself or others at risk.

2. When socializing with others, we encourage that you maintain a distance of 6 feet apart from one another as you visit. We also recommend that you utilize the outdoors for socializing with other family members that you haven’t seen in a while. We look forward to a time when we won’t have to encourage the social distancing between each other, but for right now it seems to be the best option for us as we endeavor to stay healthy.

3. We are requesting that seating in the church sanctuary be limited to every other pew and ask that you plan your family’s seating arrangements accordingly.

4. Face coverings are encouraged. We will have a limited number of face masks available but encourage you to bring your own to the service.

5. Handwashing with soap and water and the use of hand sanitizer stations is strongly encouraged.

You will notice several other changes on our list of protocols and guidelines as well. Still, we are asking our Heavenly Father to give us a quieting sense of His peace and joy as we endeavor to bring honor and glory to His kingdom corporately. Let’s be patient with one another as we work together to create a safe and healthy environment in which to worship. Thank you for your prayers and support. May God richly bless you!