Opening St John's for Private Prayer?
Added: 1 July 2020
With recent easing of the Covid-19 Lockdown restrictions permitting the opening of churches for private prayer, plans to do this in St John's are being prepared. It should be noted that no church is being required to open. The decision to do so will be taken by the Kirk Session and Minister and any proposed plan has to be approved by Presbytery before the building can be re-opened for any reason.
Before re-opening, we need to conduct a risk assessment to ensure that such opening can be carried out safely. In particular, cleaning/disinfecting the area being used, hand-hygiene, social-distancing and stewarding of those visiting for private prayer will need to be considered and plans made accordingly.
Even if the Kirk Session is of a mind to permit the opening of our sanctuary for private prayer, the success of the plan will depend on adequate numbers of able-bodied members of the congregation coming forward to be stewards. These stewards will help our visitors to maintain social distancing, and regulate the movement in and out of the sanctuary. If you are a member or adherent of St John's and would be willing to consider this role, please click here to send us a message.