Staying Healthy: Steps You Can Take

Here are some actions you can take to help keep everyone safe as we gather for worship and other activities: 

1. Doctors and scientists are reminding us that it’s a good time to consider upgrading our masks. Cloth masks were good back in 2020 when we didn’t have access to medical-grade masks, but they are not nearly as effective in stopping the spread of COVID. Upgrading your mask to an N95 or double-masking will go a long way in keeping everyone healthy. 
2. Getting vaccinated AND boosted when you’re eligible is an important way to love your neighbor (and yourself, since being vaccinated will greatly reduce your own risk immensely). Public health officials are urging boosters because they provide a much higher level of protection against the highly-contagious Omicron variant and they also help protect us from the earlier variants, which are still very-much with us. Let us know if you need help finding a vaccine. 
3. Please err on the side of caution when deciding whether or not to come to worship and other in-person gatherings. If you’re experiencing any symptoms at all, if you think you may have been exposed to COVID, or if you’re recovering from COVID, please do not return to in-person activities at church until you’re certain it’s safe to do so. We are learning that, especially for those who are boosted, symptoms might be very mild, like a cold. That means staying home is especially important so we don’t accidentally spread the virus to others.
   
4. If you need a test, you can use this website to find one but please keep in mind that tests are just one piece of the puzzle. You might get a negative test and still be contagious because you're in the very early stages of the virus. If you're unwell at all, stay home. It's not worth risking others' health. (Even if you're signed up to help with something! Just let us know and we can find a sub for you.)
5. You may be in the process of reassessing whether you still feel safe coming to in-person gatherings. Know that it’s okay to pull back for a bit and opt for online connection if that feels like a better choice right now. We are so grateful to have the Zoom option for worship - let’s use it to help keep our community healthy!

This list was created at the end of December 2021. If you're reading it at a later time, things have almost certainly changed. You can also read our full COVID policies here. Thank you for loving like Jesus and doing everything you can to care for your neighbor. 

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