Covid-19
Currently, we are not taking temperatures when people arrive at worship. People will still sign-in, should contract tracing ever be needed. At the 8 AM outdoor in-person service, people are welcome to take off masks and speak/sing within the service. At the 10 AM service in the sanctuary we will still observe social distancing and mask wearing, however, people are finally welcome to sing and respond within the liturgy. Amen!
Services will remain relatively brief and the mix of outdoor, indoor, and online options will continue. We will continue to use pre-packaged communion sets.
Covid-19 Restrictions to be lifted on July 1st
At the recommendation of our COVID-19 Task Force, the Church Council passed a motion that St. Martin's will remove all COVID restrictions on July 1st. The recommendation is informed by our governor's decision to rescind all emergency orders related to the pandemic (effective July 1st) based on very low infection rates and strong vaccination numbers.
We certainly support any who wish to continue to wear masks during worship, especially families with younger children who cannot be vaccinated yet. But mandated mask wearing and social distancing will relax. Worshipers will be free to sing and come to the altar to receive the sacrament (when our team of communion assistants is again organized). Cognizant that some people may desire to continue with our current communion "kit" arrangement, these will remain on the outdoor table at 8 AM and in the narthex at 10 AM for any who choose to partake in the Eucharist in this manner.
While many within the congregation report having one or both shots, we know that many still do not. Therefore, our plan is to offer regular outdoor worship options and continue to utilize our YouTube channel. Please note one change to our virtual worship is that we are “live-streaming” the 10 am indoor service.
Click here to see the church's complete plan. For more information from the CDC on COVID-19, please click here. For information from the state of Maryland on COVID-19, please click here.
