Reopening
November 19 Update
There has been a recent uptick in positive COVID-19 tests among our church family and staff team. As a result, we continue to strongly encourage wearing masks when gathering together, especially in large groups such as our Sunday morning worship services. And if you have recently been exposed, are experiencing any symptoms, or are awaiting test results, we would invite you to worship with us online.
current Status
The State College Alliance Church staff continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation in our church and community. Our goal is to continue to provide both in-person and online worship services and other opportunities to gather for worship, fellowship, and discipleship, while still maintaining our focus on care, flexibility, and transparency. We have seen the prevalence of COVID-19 rise and fall in recent months so acknowledge that the pandemic is not over and continued safety measures are appropriate. So for the time being, until the numbers substantially decrease again and we return to a season of low transmission and lower risk for the vulnerable, we will be strongly encouraging everyone who comes to a large, indoor gathering at the church to wear a face covering. We also continue to ask people to err on the side of caution in situations of potential COVID -19 exposure or symptoms, utilizing our weekly online services if they feel they pose any risk to others. We deeply value the opportunity to worship together in person, and we believe that taking these safety precautions during worship services and other gatherings is a simple way to demonstrate care for our church and community and minimize the likelihood of more significant changes to our services in the future.
Read below for more information about our current plans and some FAQs. As always, if you have any questions or comments about the reopening process, please contact us or fill out the Reopening Questions Form.
Sunday Morning Worship Service Details
Frequently Asked Questions
How normal will services be now that we're worshiping in the Sanctuary again?
We're continuing to turn the dimmer switch, rather than flipping from "off" to fully "on." So, this season of church life will likely feel normal-ish, but things will remain different from pre-pandemic worship. We won't be passing offering plates, chair pads, or Communion trays. We won't be serving coffee and snacks from the café. Things will still be different, at least for a while. But much will be "normal." The host, worship teams, and preacher will all be live and in person. We will be singing and praying and learning and laughing together. And we expect God to meet with us and minister to us each and every week in the Sanctuary and online, just as He has faithfully done throughout this challenging season.
What virus mitigation efforts will be in place?
We will continue to monitor the status of local case counts, hospitalizations, and mandates and maintain our focus on care, flexibility, and transparency. At present, we plan to continue gathering without any capacity limits or social distancing requirements. During periods of high transmission rates in our community, we will follow health guidelines by strongly recommending that people wear face coverings when participating in large, indoor gatherings like worship services. We will also continue to offer our online services weekly for those who prefer to watch from home or anyone who feels like they may be a risk to others based on exposure or symptoms.
What will happen next?
It is our hope and prayer that we can continue in-person, indoor gatherings with online alternatives indefinitely. As we learn to live with COVID-19 transmission ebbing and flowing, we expect that guidelines like face coverings will also come and go. If the situation changes significantly to the point that full capacity indoor gatherings are no longer prudent, we will consider returning to stricter mitigations like capacity limits or outdoor gatherings (weather permitting). Please join us in praying for the health and safety of our church and community and help us keep meeting face to face by staying home if you're sick or had a recent COVID-19 exposure and wearing a face covering during times of high transmission.
