Session met last night and one of the topics was how do we address the coronavirus outbreak? Due to the age of many members of the community, we did not want to make rash decisions but also wanted to act out of an abundance of caution. Since we anticipate the spread of the virus in the region, authorities have suggested that we begin a process of social distancing to help slow the spread of the virus. As such, Session has made the following decisions.

Worship:

Session recommends that those who do not feel 100% should stay home to insure the health of attendees. For those who stay home, or those who choose not to come out to worship, we will be streaming our services, beginning this Sunday, via Facebook Live. The Facebook page link will be sent out on Saturday so that it is readily available. You do not need to have a Facebook page to access the church’s Facebook page.

During worship itself, please respect those who might wish to keep distance between themselves and others. We will continue to share the Peace but will do so without physical contact. 

After worship, we are discontinuing the Fellowship hour, meaning that there will not be food made available. This does not mean people cannot gather but we just did not want to encourage folks to gather in such close proximity in the Community Room. 

Alignment

Alignment will continue to meet for the next three Sunday evenings at 5 pm. We will also live stream Alignment on Facebook Live for those who choose to stay home but want to continue with the practice. 

Christian Education:

For the time being, we are going to cancel our Christian Education programming. Over the next two weeks, we will monitor the virus and then make further decisions about whether to hold Christian Education or not. 

Other Church Groups:

Gladwyne Presbyterian Church has a Zoom account, which is being made available to the various group leaders. Meetings will be held via the Zoom account. So Bible Study and the Women’s Book Group will meet via Zoom. Men’s Group has that option as well. 

 

We know that these changes are not exactly the greatest, but Session feels they are the responsible course of action to protect members of the GPC community and the Lower Merion Community overall.