- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
It is too bad that masks weren’t required Hazy. I have come to believe that masks are one of the most important things we can do after having been ambivalent about them at first. I also recognize that the home church experience has not been the same for all of us and I hope that the leadership (“the Church”) also recognizes that, particularly the disparity. It would follow that since the home church experience has not been the same for everyone, the chapel church experience is also not the same for everyone – another important recognition.
If you had asked a few weeks ago I would have projected church starting here this week. That’s not happening and I don’t see it happening for at least another couple weeks.
As I mentioned, in my stake they were splitting the ward into 3rd and having 1/3 of the ward come for a quick meeting. Our family was set for the 2nd week. I didn’t feel comfortable going given the description that our bishop had sent out. But my wife went and it seems they were doing about all they could do (masks required, no singing, Mel. Priesthood blessing the sacrament with gloves and makes, sac bread passed out in cups and a “collection” tray for returning cups, all cups spread out on the tray, door openers). So I might have gone if all that was explained. But before they could do week 3 they shut it down for now as the numbers locally were very worrisome.
And DJ’s dream reminded me of a dream after my wife had gone to church the previous Sunday. Then we had gone to a “HS graduation” open house and then a wedding reception late last week and nobody was wearing masks except me and my wife. I didn’t stay long at either spot. But on Saturday morning I woke up from a dream where I attended church and it was all screwed up (go tear a bit of bread off a big loaf yourself for sacrament, zero masks, everyone hugging and laughing and shaking hands). I woke up panicking. I had just mentioned to my wife a week or so before that I couldn’t remember any dreams for many years. I think she realized even more that I am much more worried about getting Covid than she seems to be and it isn’t just I don’t feel like going to church (not saying that isn’t true, but no church has been WONDERFUL to me).
Our ward isn’t meeting yet and, as far as I know, there aren’t plans to meet immediately. My daughter lives in Orem and they are meeting but they have the ward split into fourths (by last name) and you come one Sunday a month and the meeting is primarily about taking the sacrament. Given recent surges in COVID 19 I doubt that my local ward will be meeting but I’m not really privy to those discussions. The time is coming here. Our ward will resume this coming Sunday but we have been divided into smaller groups alphabetically so as to remain under the capacity limit from the state. My group doesn’t meet until the following week. According to the outline sent to us by our bishop, the meetings will be 30 minutes long with the sacrament and one short talk. Hymns will be played but not sung. The sacrament bread will be in cups and the passers will have two trays, one for used cups. Everyone should wear masks. Use of the church restroom is discouraged but if you have to you need to use the disinfectant in there on everything you touch. There does not appear to be an age limit (I’ve noted before half the ward is over 65, including the bishop) but those with symptoms should not come. And it’s voluntary, we may still choose to do the sacrament at home. If everybody who could come in my alphabetical group does come we should have plenty of room to social distance. We have very few youth and a small Primary – I don’t think there are either any youth or children in my group. I’m already practicing a nice response to those who I feel are too close or appear to be coming up to bump elbows (my natural response is probably akin to something Yosemite Sam might say). I am pleased with the bishop’s outline, hopefully I won’t be disappointed in actuality.
Just a random thought/suggestion. Someone is going to have to clean up the used cups. Likely the same people that will be blessing the sacrament for the next group. Maybe it would be better if everyone kept their own used cups and disposed of them in a big, open trashcan at the end of the service?
nibbler wrote:
Just a random thought/suggestion.Someone is going to have to clean up the used cups. Likely the same people that will be blessing the sacrament for the next group. Maybe it would be better if everyone kept their own used cups and disposed of them in a big, open trashcan at the end of the service?
We’re only having one group per week, which I find interesting because we don’t share our meeting house. My friend in the bishopric told me that’s because they don’t want to be at church all day doing 4 separate meetings, as was the SP’s suggestion, and cleaning between each one. I’m good with going once a month. Anyway, I’m not sure what the plan is for those used cups – probably someone in the bishopric or whoever passes the sacrament will take care of them? It’s not stated in the letter the bishop sent but the people administering the sacrament will be wearing gloves (my wife inquired about that). I don’t think yours is a bad plan, but I could also see the more forgetful oldsters leaving their cups in the pew. We are using only one door to enter and leave though.
Again, looking at the group I’m assigned to I don’t see any youth, which is fine with me. I was a teenage boy once, I know where those hands go when nobody is looking.
:silent: In looking at who is in my group and who is likely to come, unless the bishopric is doing the sacrament, there’s a good chance I will have some part in it. If asked I think I’d rather bless than pass. I guess I should practice a nice way to refuse passing as well….Due to my current work situation, I have two home wards, in practical terms. Both are holding meetings, with the same general guidelines, but there are a few differences. Ironically, the one with the seemingly more traditional Bishop is taking a more careful approach (which is not to say the other one is not being careful) – which might be a reflection of the Stake Presidents more than the Bishops.
Old Timer wrote:
Due to my current work situation, I have two home wards, in practical terms. Both are holding meetings, with the same general guidelines, but there are a few differences.Ironically, the one with the seemingly more traditional Bishop is taking a more careful approach (which is not to say the other one is not being careful) – which might be a reflection of the Stake Presidents more than the Bishops.
Yes, from my friend in the bishopric I believe most of the direction is actually coming from the SP and perhaps by extension from the Area Authority. The only thing he indicated to me that wasn’t part of the SP’s plan was not having multiple meetings per day.
We had our first sacrament meeting this past Sunday. Our ward has been divided into 4 groups alphabetically, each group meets once per month. My group is the second group. That keeps the size small enough to meet state requirements and eliminates the need for multiple building cleanings during the day since we’re the only ward in our building. We continue monthly PH, RS & SS Zoom meetings. I had reviewed the potential people who might attend beforehand, looking for potential concerns but my group turned out pretty good and I had none. All of the ones I thought might or might not attend did not attend so we had a very small group, about a quarter of which were children and no youth. The bishop’s letter said that masks were required and there were a few available if you did not have one (but masks here are required everywhere, so seriously everyone has one). He also noted that the meetings are not mandatory and no one should feel obligated to attend. He said that if you thought you could not wear a mask you should stay home. Blessing the sacrament at home and/or taking it to others is still authorized.
There was one entrance/exit and the bishop greeted us in the foyer (social distancing of course).
If you had to use the bathroom everything you touched (toilet, door handles, paper towel dispenser, etc.) needed to be sanitized with stuff provided in the bathroom.
The bread was already broken and in sacrament cups. There was a separate tray for used cups. We were instructed to touch only the cup we were taking and they were placed in the tray so as to give space between them.
There was one blesser and one passer. Every other row had reserved signs, as did the back bench. I ended up being asked to bless and was fine with that. Hand sanitizer was on the benches at the table and where the passer sat.
Music was played from the bishop’s phone over the sound system, we were instructed not to sing but could look at the words on our phones (the hymnbooks were taken out of the pews).
Following the sacrament the bishop gave a very short (less than five minute) talk/testimony.
The whole thing lasted 30 minutes and we all went home.
This week was Zoom RS meeting and my wife did gush a bit about how nice it was to go and see people. To me it was much more in the “meh” category.
Interesting. Dividing into four groups alphabetically I could imagine cases where 50 people in the A – G group show up while only 5 people in the H – N group show up. Not the end of the world, those are the risks.
We haven’t crested yet in my area, so in-person meetings are still off the table. We’re still allowed to have a streamed Sunday devotional once a month (like SM but just talks) but the area authority recently shut down all other online meetings – SS, PH, RS, youth.
I understand that we will be moving to an in-person SM meeting in August. The YM had a practice meeting last Sunday to go over the changes to the blessing and passing of the SM. My rural area is higher in per capita cases than the major metropolitan areas.
We received an identical email about mask requirements, social distancing, only one entrance in or out, etc.
nibbler wrote:
Interesting.Dividing into four groups alphabetically I could imagine cases where 50 people in the A – G group show up while only 5 people in the H – N group show up. Not the end of the world, those are the risks.
We haven’t crested yet in my area, so in-person meetings are still off the table. We’re still allowed to have a streamed Sunday devotional once a month (like SM but just talks) but the area authority recently shut down all other online meetings – SS, PH, RS, youth.
I’ve said here before that I live in a very small ward where on a good Sunday we might reach 100 butts in the pew. Examining the division it appears the bishop put some effort into the division likely looking at active and likely attenders vs those we haven’t seen in decades and didn’t get the email anyway. For example, my group only has 4 letters but there are several in just two of those and none in one of them. He also made it clear that we should only come on our assigned Sunday, even if for some reason you couldn’t make it on your assigned Sunday. On my Sunday there were only people in our alphabetical range (except the bishop himself) and those I guessed wouldn’t come because of concern for their own or other’s health or those who kind of look for a reason not to come didn’t come. There were absolutely no surprises. If everybody who could have come did we would have been close to the max but as it was we well within the limit.
And best of all no one came close to breaching my personal comfort zone – fortunately for them. I had envisioned the scene from Rogue One where Darth Vader attempts to get the plans from the rebels before they get to the Tantive IV (one of my favorite scenes of the franchise – he couldn’t be more bad a, er donkey).
What I would like to know, are they doing elbow bumps as a greeting now? Or maybe a wave from across the chapel? I really need to know the protocol to follow. I don’t want to be left out.
Minyan Man wrote:
What I would like to know, are they doing elbow bumps as a greeting now? Or maybe a wave from across the chapel?I really need to know the protocol to follow. I don’t want to be left out.
I suppose it might depend on the individuals involved and perhaps where they are. Nobody in the meeting I went to got close enough to anyone else outside their immediate family that they came with to elbow bump. The bishop greeted us in the foyer while standing off to the side. I don’t recall him waving, I may have waved at a couple people on the way out, I don’t specifically recall.
That said and trying to present the other point of view, we have a family reunion coming up that they’re still planning to do despite gathering limitations. I have already put my foot down and told my wife (it’s her family) we aren’t going because we’re supposed to be quarantining because of upcoming travel but more importantly to me she has a couple siblings that are of the mindset that the virus is a hoax, masks aren’t necessary, etc. One brother in particular will very much be an a** on the topic and will purposely not wear a mask and come up and put his arm around you while spouting off about it (especially after having a few beers). Some of her family is vulnerable and I will not be part of endangering them or me. Likewise, I know there are members of the church who believe similarly or simply believe “you can’t make me wear a mask” and therefore are more likely violate my personal protocol (although where I live it is pretty clear they can make you wear a mask and if you don’t believe it here’s your fine).
So, protocol depends on who and where you are. The letter we got from the bishop said we need to wear masks and social distance, it was not specific about such things as elbow bumping – but if you’re 6 feet apart you can’t elbow bump. Waving would seem to be OK.
I am in an area that is a hot spot and we are not meeting.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.