In-Person Ministry at FELC
The First English Lutheran Church Council has passed a resolution and we have returned to in-person worship and other ministries in the building beginning August 1, 2021. We are pleased we have reached the point in the pandemic when we can do this safely. We are grateful for your continuing patience during this difficult time.
The following guidelines help us maintain a safe regathering:
● The church council strongly encourages only vaccinated persons to attend in-person at this time, unless they are currently unable to get vaccinated.
● All persons will be required to wear masks when in the building.
● We will mark off every other pew to increase distancing.
These guidelines are for the safety of everyone, including those who cannot yet get vaccinated, including children, and others who have compromised immune systems or who are not fully protected by the vaccine.
We are glad to welcome children back to in-person events as parents feel ready to bring them. We will follow these guidelines for their safety.
Other meetings and events may also begin again in-person at the church with the same guidelines. All meetings in the building must be scheduled through the church office. When Sunday adult forums begin again in September 12 they will also include a Zoom meeting option.
We will continue to evaluate our guidelines for vaccinations and mask-wearing as the situation in Travis County changes. Thank you for your understanding.
We give thanks to God for the love, patience, and hope that have sustained us as a community of faith. Even in our distanced time, Christ has made us one in love.
photo: June 21, 2021, FELC sanctuary prepared for cleaning and floor refurbishing
Thinking about Regathering at FELC: May 20, 2021
The FELC church council met on May 17 and discussed the rapidly changing pandemic situation. There is much good news to be thankful for:
- Overall numbers in Travis County are declining and reaching much safer levels.
- The vaccination rate in Travis County is over 50% and higher than other urban counties in Texas.
- The Centers for Disease Control announced that vaccinated persons no longer need to wear masks in most situations.
- The City of Austin just moved from Stage 3 to Stage 2 risk level.
At the same time, there are a few concerns:
- Vaccination rates need to be higher for everyone to be safe.
- Children are not yet able to get vaccinated and parents must consider their children’s safety.
- ICU’s in Travis County are still at a high percentage of capacity.
- COVID-19 variants might cause infection rates to rise again.
The church council agreed that we should continue with our current plans for May, June, and July, including outdoor worship on the first Sunday of the month. The church council meets next on June 21. We hope at that time the information available to us will allow us to set a date for returning to in-person worship and other church activities, and how masks, distancing, and vaccinations will affect ways we gather. We don’t want to return too quickly, and we don’t want to wait longer than necessary. The staff will need a 3-week lead time to prepare for in-person gatherings.
In the meantime, there are two important projects for the sanctuary that will be completed before we return to in-person gatherings. One is the installation of audio cables from our sound system to a new location for our livestream desk at the back of the sanctuary. This will allow us to use the audio directly from the sound system for livestreaming, providing excellent quality and clarity for those joining us online, while creating a worship space for those in-person that is unobstructed by the livestream ministry.
The second project we will complete before regathering in-person is the repair, cleaning, and sealing of the sanctuary tile floor. This was one of our projects included in the 2016 capital campaign. Once completed, the tile floor will look renewed and be more durable. Look for photos to come once completed.
As recent in-person, outdoor worship and the chicken bbq has shown us, we are anticipating a joyful regathering. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we seek to make the wisest decisions for our congregation. Please share your thoughts, concerns, and hopes about when and how we regather with Pastor Coffey or the church council.
Update on FELC Pandemic Regathering Plan: April 20, 2021
Last May, we developed a plan for when and how to regather for in-person worship and other meetings and events. The key for evaluating when to regather was the number of new cases each day in Travis County. We decided that we would wait for six weeks of declining cases before allowing in-person gatherings. Travis County is near that six-week requirement; however, other factors are still not favorable for regathering, and our risk level is still considered High. In particular, the percentage of full ICU beds is still too high.
These two web sites have valuable information for assessing our current risk factors:
https://austin.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/39e4f8d4acb0433baae6d15a931fa984
https://covidactnow.org/us/texas-tx/county/travis_county/?s=1683615
The good news is the number of daily new cases has dropped significantly, the infection rate is down, and the vaccination rate is rapidly climbing and Austin is doing well compared to other Texas metro areas in getting people vaccinated.
The church council and executive committee recently discussed how to evaluate our regathering plan for the remainder of the pandemic. Rather than try to develop a new detailed plan with new criteria, which may well change again, we are going to regularly review the available information and assess when the right time is to reopen safely. The executive committee meets weekly, and the church council meets monthly. We will be able to assess and prepare for reopening when it is safe and right for our community.
Thank you for your ongoing prayers, support, caution, encouragement, and patience as we come through this long ordeal together. We look forward to our safe regathering and the joy of meeting in-person and in the building again, even as we continue to enjoy our community life through livestream and Zoom ministries and monthly outdoor worship.