A Message from Pastor Jay Shailer
Happy Easter, Christ is Risen!
It’s been a spirit-filled season of resurrection. Thank you all for making the celebration of the empty tomb so powerful and inspiring in worship these last six weeks. I am humbled by the outpouring of help by volunteers to keep worship possible, as well as our staff, who have continued their excellence by using their gifts to ensure that worship at Epiphany is meaningful and focused on giving thanks and praise to Christ.
I want to thank you all for being so understanding and willing to adapt through this period of pandemic. It has not been easy, and it has not been the way in which we want to live out our calling to share the Gospel. Yet, through your grace and support, we have been able to continue to keep the heart of our identity intact through live streaming and in-person health measures.
While we are not finished with all measures to ensure the safety of our congregation, through the vaccination efforts of our community and new guidance from the government, we will be able to relax some worship restrictions. I want to remind you all that your safety is important to us, and we continue to ask that you evaluate worship opportunities to make sure you and your family are comfortable and safe. The live stream at 10:30 a.m. is a permanent fixture of our worship life, and it will always be available if you are unable to be present in person. We are excited to continue to work towards opening worship back up in new ways and hope that we will see you soon in worship.
Here’s the news on worship starting May 16:
For all services:
- We continue to alternate the contemporary praise and traditional services between the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services.
- Reservations will no longer be required.
- We will no longer check your temperature before entering worship.
- Bulletins will be provided.
- We will continue the communion cup/wafer combo we’ve been using, and we will continue to bring communion to you.
- We will not yet pass the offering plate, which will remain at the entrance/exit. We continue to encourage online giving.
- We will no longer transmit services on FM to the parking lot.
- We will continue to limit bathroom use to two people at a time.
- We will continue to use hand sanitizer stations placed at both indoor and outdoor worship services.
This Sunday, May 16, we move the 9 a.m. service to the Outdoor Chapel.
- If you are fully vaccinated, masks will not be required for outdoor worship.
- We ask that people continue to observe physical distancing between households/families as much as possible.
- We will post a notification to social media and website homepage if the service will be moved inside for inclement weather.
Indoor worship continues in the Far Hills Sanctuary at 10:30 a.m.
- Masks are still required indoors.
- We ask that people continue to observe physical distancing between households/families by finding a seat behind the numbers in the pews.
- Hymnals will be placed in the pews.
- Singing will be permitted with a mask.
- We will not have overflow seating in the Celebration Center, as the space is prepared for the summer musical.
Livestreaming continues at 10:30 a.m.
- As always, we value your health and wellbeing, and we want you to worship in person only if you feel comfortable.
- We encourage you to worship from home if you or someone in your family is not feeling well, are exhibiting symptoms, have conditions that put you at risk, or if you just don’t feel comfortable worshiping in person just yet.
- We will no longer email bulletins on Fridays, but the bulletin will continue to be posted on our website Friday afternoons.