04/07/2020
North Philippine Union Conference
GUIDELINES FOR CHURCH WORSHIP IN THE “NEW NORMAL”
The North Philippine Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists provides the following guidelines in conducting religious worship services onto the Community Quarantine in compliance with government regulations.
Personal Safety of Worshipper
• Wearing face mask at all times is a must. Other protective equipment such as face shield is optional.
• Observe frequent hand washing and sanitation.
• Avoid touching face and other surfaces.
• Observe physical distancing of at least one (1) meter apart within the premises of the church.
• Use no body contact greeting gestures instead of shaking of hands and other personal body contacts.
• Church members who are not feeling well, with light fever, having cough, runny nose, sore throat, and suffering from other illnesses must stay at home.
• Wearing of closed footwear is encouraged.
• Bring only minimal personal things.
Church Building Facilities
• Safety signages/infographics must be placed at the entrance of the church building and other strategic locations in order to remind the worshippers. (e.g. “No Mask, No Entry; Observe 1-Meter Physical Distancing, etc.)
• If there are more than two (2) access doors, designate one as entry and exit door. If there is only one door, place marker on each side for entrance and exit. But worshippers should give way one at a time while observing physical distancing.
• Disinfecting foot mat/bath must be set-up at the entrance of the church building.
• Forms for the registry of attending worshippers must be made available at the entrance and submitted in a drop box before exiting the church. Registry of attending worshippers is necessary for the contact tracing in the event that a positive case is confirmed. Collect the first name and contact details only. Data Privacy Notice must be posted at the entrance of the building. (see attached format of Data Privacy Notice)
• Single-use tithe and offering envelopes must be made available at the entrance.
• Install collection boxes near the exit door before recessional. The boxes must be sealed and locked. Bags/baskets should not be passed from person to person.
• Place colored markers on the aisles to indicate single-directional flow of movement inside the church.
• Placement of markers on pews/benches with X to indicate where not to sit, with at least one (1) meter space in between at all sides.
• There should no electric fan at the pulpit to avoid splattering of saliva.
Entry in Church Building
• Worshippers entering the building must undergo thermal scan. All persons who will be allowed to enter the church must register a temperature no greater than 37.5oC.
• The person assigned to handle the “Thermal Scanner” must additionally wear gloves and face shield.
Sanitation
• Alcohol or alcohol-based sanitizer must be provided at the entrance of the church and other strategic areas.
• Sanitize tithe and offering receptacles.
• Avoid using printed programs and instead use projectors. If printed program is necessary, single-use printed programs must be used and disposed after use. No envelopes, printed programs, or materials must be left when leaving the church.
• Supplies for health and sanitation must always be available. (e.g. cleaning implements, alcohol, alcohol-based sanitizers, liquid soap, toilet paper, paper towels)
• Restrooms must always be cleaned every worship interval.
• Deacons/deaconesses must disinfect themselves and the entire place of worship before and after a worship service (e.g. pews/benches, door knobs/handles, counter tops, and all other materials used for church services). If there are multiple worship services conducted, disinfection of said items must be performed.
Conduct Inside the Church
• Encourage family members to sit close to each other.
• Holding of hands is prohibited except for spouses.
• Program participants must wear face masks and face shields.
• Cashless receiving of tithes and offerings is preferred. If receiving cash, attendees must individually get an envelope for their tithe and offerings upon entering the church. Worshipers may drop their envelopes at the designated collection box upon exit.
• Unnecessary movements inside the church are discouraged.
• Formation of choirs is not recommended.
• Instrumental musical offering is highly encouraged and recommended.
• Communion service and foot washing is temporarily suspended.
• Potlucks are discouraged.
Protocol In Case of COVID-19 Infection
• Conduct contact tracing of all worshipers who attended the particular worship service together with the infected worshipper through the list of attendees.
• Advise the said worshipers to go on self-quarantine for fourteen (14) days.
• Advise worshipers who are symptomatic to undergo Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test.
North Philippine Union Conference GUIDELINES FOR CHURCH WORSHIP IN THE “NEW NORMAL” The North Philippine Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists provides the following guidelines in conducting religious worship services onto the Community Quarantine i…
