Dear friends in Christ, 

Greetings in the name of our risen Lord. I have been waiting to write this letter for a long time!

As the school year winds down and our state enters the Bridge Phase of Restore Illinois, it is time to expand our worship opportunities. Beginning on June 6, our worship life will include the following: 

• In-person attendance of up to 100 people at both Sunday services, 8:30 and 11:00am.
• Continued live-streaming of our 8:30am service.
• Congregational singing at both Sunday services.
• Holy Communion at both Sunday services.
• Wednesday morning Holy Communion without singing.
• Wednesday evening GLOW outdoor worship, with singing and Holy Communion. 

If conditions continue to improve, we will look at opening things up further after the July 4 weekend services. Please note that some restrictions remain:

• Masks are required for all services.
• You must register online to attend worship. Sign up here for in-person worship in June.
• While we are no longer conducting symptom screenings or temperature checks online or at Grace, you should stay home if you or a member of your household is sick with COVID-like symptoms.
• We will return to a more traditional manner of distributing Holy Communion, but we will continue to refrain from use of the common cup or intinction 

Singing and safety

The latest guidance from the CDC indicates that it is safe for those who are vaccinated and wearing masks to attend a full-capacity worship service and to sing in a choir indoors. It therefore seems safe for the congregation to sing indoors, but we will limit attendance at worship to 100 people to allow for social distancing in the sanctuary. 

Vaccination status 

While we will not check to see who is or is not vaccinated, your vaccination status and that of your family members may enter into your decision about whether the time is right for you to attend a service with singing at a 100-person capacity. 

We need your help

As we return to our usual way of worship, we need Grace members to again help make worship happen as lectors, ushers, greeters, audio-visual volunteers, and Altar Guild volunteers. If you have been involved in these roles in the past, please consider reengaging; you’ll be hearing soon from the coordinator of each of these ministries.

If you have not been engaged in a worship volunteer role, this is the time to give it a try! We need volunteers in every area, but we are especially in need of people to serve on the Altar Guild, the folks who set up for communion before each service and tidy up afterward. If you are interested in assisting with worship, please email Karen Christopher at . She will put you in touch with the appropriate person.

Childcare

If you need childcare in the church nursery during summer worship services, please let us know by filling out this survey. We will staff the nursery if families indicate a need. 

Thank you!

I’m grateful to Pastor Medlin and Pastor Costello for their faithful partnership in the work of the gospel and to all who help worship happen at Grace. As we gather around God’s gifts of Word and sacrament, and as we lift our voices in long-held hymns of praise, may God bless us and strengthen us for lives of service in this world. 

In the name of Christ, 

Dave Lyle
Senior Pastor