Reopening Updates
Hello TOPIC family! As you may already know, we resumed live on-campus services on Sunday, May 31!
You may not be ready for that yet and THAT’S PERFECTLY OKAY! You can continue to watch our Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday services LIVE ONLINE or ON-DEMAND throughout the week, or in your home with “watch parties” with neighbors, friends, and family. But if you are ready to come back to the campus, here is the plan!
CAN ANYONE COME OR DO I NEED TO RSVP?
To help facilitate social distancing, we have reduced the number of available seating in the Auditorium. We are using a simple RSVP system at the moment to help us prepare for everyone. The form is available now (see below) and it simply asks for your name, phone number and email address, along with how many adults and/or children will be joining us. We understand that things come up last minute— so you can alter your RSVP up to an hour prior to service.
WHERE DO I PARK?
You can park in the same places on our premises that you always have. As always, please do not block private entrances or intersections and stop signs when parking on the side of the road. When you enter the building, you will see some friendly and smiling faces welcoming you, asking you to sign-in, and providing you with hand sanitizer and face masks (should you need one).
WHAT ABOUT THOSE MASKS?
We know there are lots of different opinions about whether masks should be required or not but as we have prayed, for now, we have decided our staff and volunteer teams will wear masks for your protection and theirs. We will not require masks of anyone else but we strongly encourage that you wear one. You are more than welcome to wear a mask and we will provide one if needed.
HOW WILL I BE GREETED?
Being friendly and welcoming has always been a big part of The TOPIC family; that will not change. You will see friendly greeters welcoming you back and holding doors for you. All entry into the building will be through the main entrance in the front. Before and during the service, the rear entrance will remain locked and will be used only for exiting during and after service. If you must exit the building during the service for any reason, you will need to reenter from the front and will be required to apply hand sanitizer. For your safety and ours, we will be keeping our distance and not shaking hands or sharing hugs.
WHAT ABOUT DRINKS AND SNACKS?
As usual, drinking (water only is allowed please) and/or eating are not permitted in the sanctuary. For safety reasons, we will not be serving any food or drink until further notice.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT IN THE SANCTUARY?
You can pick your own seat as always! We clean the carpets and sanitize the building immediately after each service. We have also rearranged our seating to help facilitate social distancing. Family groups will be seated together but our friendly ushers will be “reserving” up to three seats on either side of each seated party/group to help facilitate social distancing. You may also be asked to move a seat (or two) if it helps facilitate better seating. We will not be handing out bulletins for announcements or notes. Announcements will be made during the service by a Service Pastor and/or on the projector screens/video monitors. When the service is over, hang tight because we will dismiss through the rear doors only.
WHAT ABOUT MY CHILDREN— WHERE DO THEY GO?
They are welcome to come with you and join you in the Sanctuary! There will be no separate Sunday school for the children until further notice. If you are not comfortable with this, we encourage you to continue to engage with us online. Children’s Sunday School will be conducted via ZOOM after the main service. Children’s Ministry associates will be communicating with parents to provide times and links to join the ZOOM sessions. You can also ask an usher for more details.
As we continue to work on how we can keep your children safe and give them the best experience possible, we will evaluate things and what that will look like in the future.
WHAT OTHER THINGS HAVE CHANGED OR SHOULD WE BE AWARE OF?
We have been working hard to be ready for you to come and experience church service in person, when you are ready. Here are a few other things you might want to know:
We have enhanced cleaning and sanitization procedures throughout our building.
We have touchless soap and hand sanitizer dispensers in our restrooms. We will also have regular cleaning protocols in place for before, during and after services.
Drinking fountains will not be operational for your safety.
We have placed sanitizing stations at the front door (for upon arrival) and at the rear door (for during exit).
If you have any questions or comments, please speak with one of your ushers or greeters, or chat with one of our ministry leaders.
And remember: please remain flexible as things are fluid and may need to change. Whether you continue to engage with us from a distance from your home or on our campus in Beltsville, we look forward to seeing you! Thank you!
The TOPIC