Reopening the Church – update

The Kirk Session has agreed that the Church will partially reopen for worship on Sunday 2nd August. We have received Presbytery’s permission to open. There are a number of safety precautions in place. 

If you wish to attend a service, you must ‘book’ a seat by contacting the Church Office by phone or by email. At the moment there are 40 available seats to comply with spacing regulations.

Booking is available now.

If you are booking for more than one person, please make this clear when you contact the office.

We need to record the names and telephone numbers of everyone who enters the building for NHS Test and Protect. Make sure you do this when you book. These records are kept securely and destroyed after 21 days.

Entry to the service will not be possible unless you have reserved a place. Please do not turn up without having booked!

  • The Church will be open at 10am
  • There is one service at 10.30am lasting for around half an hour.
  • Social distancing will be in place, stewards will open doors and direct you to seats.
  • Enter by the Braid Hall door at the front of the Church, or the north door where there is a ramp. Please use the hand-sanitizer provided at the doors.
  • Offering plates will be at the doors.
  • Please do not use the vestibule  (except for emergency exit) but go directly to a seat.
  • The gallery is not in use.
  • Face coverings should be worn inside the Church throughout the service.
  • Orders of service will be on your seat
  • The service is recorded on camera and may be live-streamed. The area ‘in shot’ is generally the pulpit and chancel area. Your booking is being taken as your understanding of this arrangement.
  • There will be music, but no choir or congregational singing.
  • Children and young people will stay in the Church for the whole service.
  • Lavatories are available only in the corridor outside the Braid Hall and will be cleaned again during the service.
  • Please do not enter other parts of the building.
  • There is no tea and coffee after the service for the time being.
  • After the service is over, please wait in your seat until a steward indicates that you can leave the building, by either the west or north door.
  • For those who are shielding, or have health concerns, please remember that you should be sensible about whether or not you should attend. There is no compulsion to attend if you are nervous about doing so.
  • Regulations and guidelines change regularly so we will keep an eye on these and will respond accordingly. At the time of writing we envisage these regulations holding for August.  

These are first steps, and for those who choose to come, we look forward to seeing you!

Leave a Reply

Your e-mail address will not be published. Required fields are marked *