Hillview will resume worship in the sanctuary next Sunday, May 23, 2021. We will meet at 10:30, as we will also share the service live on Vimeo and Facebook. 

We will take precautions. Even though the CDC has stated that people who are vaccinated do not need to wear masks, we will wear masks in the church. Not every person has received the vaccine, including our children. We will set the example and encourage our young people to wear masks by being in solidarity with them. If someone is not wearing a mask, we will ask them to wear one we provide or send them home to watch the service online.  

We will use the front door and the east side door on Sunday mornings. We will prop the doors open. There will be two ushers at each door to greet people, encourage them to sanitize their hands and make certain they are wearing a mask. We will have a foot-operated sanitizer dispenser at each door, and a supply of masks.  

We will still observe social distancing. There will be “faces” in the pews, and people will be directed to sit in the spaces between “faces.” Family groups will, of course, be able to sit together.  

There will be no singing, although people will be welcome to hum. There will be no sign-in books to pass, and no offering plates that are passed. The offering plate will be in the main aisle. The hymnals will be removed from the sanctuary to discourage people from singing, and to remind us that life is not back to normal. We still must be careful. At the end of the service, I will ask people to leave the sanctuary by rows, beginning with the last row. People are welcome to talk outside, but not inside the church. We will not share in the passing of the peace.  

There will be no nursery available. The church will provide activity bags with children’s names on them to be reused every Sunday.  

We are excited to see all of you next Sunday. Please let me know if you have additional questions or comments. It feels so appropriate that we will begin our “new normal” on Pentecost Sunday.