904 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98501
REOPENING GUIDELINES
Update as of 3-7-21:
For the time being, until and only when we are at Phase 4, as a County, there will be no Sunday School, no mingling in the Narthex and no coffee/fellowship time after the service. We look forward to resuming these other activities in the future. We will follow all guidelines set forth from the CDC and the Governor’s office.
Save Your Seat
According the current guidelines, we are limited to 50 worshippers, plus support staff.
You will need to call/email the church office by Thursday of the week you want to attend to reserve a spot in the sanctuary for worship.
We will maintain a weekly list and a permanent list.
If you plan to attend every week, ask to be on the “permanent” list and you will not have to call each week. Also, if you cannot attend after making a reservation, please let us know ASAP, so someone else can take your place. This is not ideal, but it is the best way for us, currently.
What To Expect
In preparation for our reopening, the Church will have been professionally sanitized and most items (not nailed down) will have been removed from the sanctuary, such as Bibles, hymnals, pencils and no bulletins will be distributed. HOWEVER, you are encouraged to bring your own bible and a copy of the order of service, which you can print off beforehand.
To ensure everyone’s safety we have set the following guidelines and/or practices:
- A protective face mask must be worn at all times. The Pastor and special music people will be allowed to remove face covering only while on the chancel/stage.
- NO hugging, shaking hands or other direct forms of physical contact.
- Bathrooms will be open but no more than 2 people at a time. Individuals waiting to use the restroom must maintain at least 6 feet of distance between each person outside of the bathroom door.
- The Nursery will be closed. The Crib Room will be opened, but without an attendant. It is available for parent(s) who need to use the changing table, access the space to calm/rock their child and/or any other reason. Bleach wipes, hand sanitizer will be available with the expectation that those who use the room, will wipe down what they touched/used when they are done.
- Open, offering boxes will be located in the back of the church, near doorways. Offering plates will not be passed around during the service.
Entry and Exit
For the time being, we are limiting entry points to:
- Back Ramp Door, off of Washington Street
- Downstairs, Alcove door, that leads to the Lift and back stairwell
At each door there will be a designated greeter to offer hand sanitizer and make sure you are wearing a mask (masks will be provided if you don’t have one).
The greeter will also ask the following 3 questions:
(If ANY of these questions apply to you, please stay home for your protection and the protection of others)
- Do you have or have you had any cold or flu-like symptoms in the last 14 days (to include fever, cough, sore throat, respiratory illness, difficulty breathing, loss of smell or taste)?
- Have you recently traveled (within the last 14 days) from an area with community transmission of COVID-19?
- Have you had close contact with or cared for someone diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days?
*** NO one will be allowed to enter the building who answers positive to ANY of these questions ***
- As you enter the building, please maintain 6 ft. physical distancing by observing any of the tape markings on the floor(s).
- Move directly to the sanctuary to sit in the pews clearly marked. Family/household units may sit together without maintaining physical distance. All others will be required to maintain 6-foot physical distancing, as directed by the Ushers.
- After the completion of the service, the pews will be dismissed by rows and congregants will exit the building while maintaining physical distancing.
Other Ways To Worship
For those who are not comfortable being here in person, we will continue broadcasting and streaming live on Facebook Live as well as posting services on the church website. Details on how to access worship through Facebook are provided below.
Join us for Virtual Church! Sunday Service on Facebook Live
To access the service, follow these steps:
- Log into Facebook.com or through the Facebook App
- Click on Groups (found in left-hand links)
- Once in Groups:
- If you're already in the OFBC group, click on link on left
- If you need to find the group, type: Olympia First Baptist Church into the search bar
Screenshots below for reference.
See you at church!