SUN 03/17 - No Evening Service; Pastor Lojza will be hosting a Q & A during this time. Click HERE for more info

We are all very grateful to God that He has opened the door for us to begin to have corporate worship once again.  As you are aware, we have done our best to be subject to the authorities and obedient to their wishes as our biblical duty according to Titus 3:1-2.  Now that we have been given the opportunity to meet again, we are doing our best not to do anything that would spread this virus, while at the same time trying not to inhibit personal worship.  Please pray for the leadership as we grow into this new and challenging situation.  We will undoubtedly be making adjustments to the procedures noted below as we go along. 

While we rejoice that we are able to meet corporately again, we also recognize that not everyone will choose to attend services for various reasons.  We will continue to use our Live Stream of the worship service as well as Zoom for other meetings to assist those unable to attend the services.  No one should feel compelled to attend the public service, but neither should anyone feel they are excluded because of age or any other reason, except illness.  We just ask that you prayerfully consider how God would have you to respond to this challenging time.  And we are available for counsel if you need to talk things over.

The following are some key elements that we will enact as we begin to meet together again.  We have compiled this list of guidelines from 3 sources of information; Governor Tim Walz’s Emergency Executive Order 20-62; the CDC Guidelines for communities of faith; and the Minnesota Department of Health guidelines for faith-based communities.  The points below are not exhaustive and may change as we grow into our new experience of worship together.  Thank you for your consideration as you read over these perspectives and guidelines for Beacon to reopen.  We pray that Philippians 2:3 will be our watchword in all we do beginning this Sunday, May 31.  “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”

ATTENDANCE IN PERSON AT WORSHIP SERVICES:

  • 50% of normal occupancy will be observed – 100 guests in Worship Center; 40 guests in Lobby.
  • Please arrive at church between 10:00am-10:20am, allowing ample time for seating.
  • Enter by the main entrance glass doors and ushers will escort you to available seating, maintaining safe social distancing practices.  Families may sit together.
  • Hand sanitizer will be available as you enter and exit the church, as well as in restrooms.
  • Please exit the church via the designated doors; from worship center through the steel door at the stage; from the Lobby through the steel door down the hall from the nursery.  
  • We would ask everyone to move outside directly following the church service to allow our cleaning team time to properly clean and sanitize the church.
  • No RSVP is needed. 

PRECAUTIONS THAT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN ADVANCE:

  • Our cleaning service will fog sanitize the premises every week on Saturday, and we have a team that will wipe down all surfaces Sunday morning just prior to worship and directly after worship
  • Nursery and toddler services are suspended for the time being.  Children must remain with their parents during the service.  We ask parents to help their children maintain proper social distancing.  The lobby may be a good choice for families with active kids.
  • Drinking fountain in the lobby will be closed.
  • We ask that those in the worship center remain there till the end of the service and not enter and re-enter.
  • Paper bulletins will not be printed or distributed.  An online version will be made available to download from our website.
  • Worship Team will maintain proper social distancing and follow the recommendations from the CDC.  All instruments, microphones, and other shared equipment will be wiped and sanitized prior to and after every service.
  • Online streaming of service will continue as an option for those who cannot or choose not to attend services in person.
  • We will continue Zoom meetings for other church services such as Mid-Week Prayer, etc. 

PERSONAL PREPARATION BEFORE AND DURING WORSHIP:

  • Wash and sanitize hands regularly.
  • Avoid physical contact with others outside your family (handshakes, hugs, fist-bumps).
  • Maintain 6-feet social distancing whenever possible.
  • Both CDC and MHD strongly encourage the use of masks and we condone their use, but we are not making that mandatory at this time.
  • In order to intensify protection of our sound technicians, we have taped off a perimeter around the sound booth and ask you to respect that space.
  • We will have congregational singing and some without masks may be participating.
  • We must reiterate the CDC and MHD warnings that persons with preexisting health conditions as well as those over 65 are considered high-risk for contracting Covid, therefore we encourage you to prayerfully consider your attendance. But we do not believe we have the authority to disallow you from attending.

We realize that this is a lot of information, but please understand that we want to keep our families safe as well as manage expectations while we navigate these ever-changing circumstances.