1 October 2020
TO: Bishoprics and Branch Presidencies
Brethren,
We have received this week updated instruction from the First Presidency and Area Presidency. We hope you have already reviewed the attached two documents titled:
First Presidency letter “Safely Engaging in Church Meetings and Activities;”
“North America West Area Supplement to First Presidency Guidelines for Safely Returning to Church Meetings and Activities.”
Our stake’s return-to-meeting plan is basically compliant with the updated guidelines, including our plan to begin holding in-person, weekly sacrament meetings in October and adding on the administration of the sacrament in November.
Overarching Sentiments
We remind you of some overarching principles and sentiments of the stake presidency regarding our return to meetings:
We firmly believe safety comes first, including sanitizing after all in-person meetings and activities in church buildings.
We favor providing members options so they can participate either in person or virtually without feeling guilty or obligated.
We support local leaders' judgment on how to safely implement the return to meetings to meet the needs of your members and your situation.
New Guidelines from the Brethren
Our take-aways from the updated guidelines received recently are three-fold:
Suspension of the second-hour classes except for youth and young single adults (YSA);
Greater emphasis on the youth and YSA;
More in-person meetings and activities in church buildings.
Below are some details on each:
Suspension of second-hour classes except for youth and YSA
Due to a concern of over-scheduling families, second-hour classes on Sunday are now suspended for all organizations except youth and young single adults.
Devotionals on weekday evenings or even occasionally on Sunday can be held by ward, branch and organization (RS, EQ, SS, Primary) leaders; however, we caution against holding these so often that they burden families or become an attempt to return to their pre-Covid meeting schedule.
Greater emphasis on the youth and YSA
Second-hour youth and YSA classes and weekday activities may be virtual or in-person at the church building, or a hybrid of both. Local leaders decide how often to gather. Remember to sanitize afterwards.
Regular Young Women and Aaronic Priesthood Quorum presidency meetings are to be held “virtually or safely in person” to discuss how to “carry forth the work of salvation.”
Youth groups can meet in larger groups, such as all the Young Women or Young Men, and not necessarily as classes or quorums. Remember to sanitize afterwards.
There is flexibility so the second-hour classes or meetings do not have to follow immediately after sacrament meeting, but can be held at a different time on Sunday or virtually so they don’t conflict with another sacrament meeting in the building.
[NOTE: The stake presidency has serious concerns about the burden in-person second-hour youth classes may place on families to say nothing about the challenge of overlapping with another unit’s sacrament meeting and stay within state gathering limits. We urge local leaders not to feel pressured to hold in-person youth classes on Sunday, but to decide what works best for the youth, parents and leaders.]
More in-person meetings and activities in church buildings
Meetinghouses can now be used more freely for interviews, meetings and activities, as long as social distancing is practiced. Remember to sanitize afterwards.
With cooler weather approaching, units may hold regular weeknight youth activities inside the buildings. However, only one ward or branch should be assigned to have an in-person youth activity per night in each building to stay within state guidelines and to minimize the appearance (“optics”) of a large gathering. Remember to sanitize afterwards.
Ward and branch leaders are responsible to maintain a list, by name, of all who attend a meeting or activity for contact-tracing purposes, if needed later.
Funerals and weddings are allowed in the buildings, as long as they stay within the state’s gathering limits (currently 50 persons in the building at one time) and practice social distancing. Remember to sanitize afterwards.
Baptismal services in the building are no longer limited to 15 people but must comply with the state indoor gathering restrictions (50 persons) with social distancing. There is a reference to allowing baptismal services in private outdoor swimming pools. This is strongly discouraged; the state gathering restriction is the same for both indoors and outdoors so there is no advantage to having an outdoor baptismal service.
Important Reminders
We were also reminded of some important guidance given earlier:
All Church meetings, including baptismal services and ordinations, can still be webcast live, but cannot be recorded.
The sacrament can be administered in homes or in the church building under the bishop’s direction; the administration of the sacrament cannot be webcast or recorded.
Ministering and ministering interviews are strongly emphasized, especially to ensure the sacrament is regularly administered in homes safely.
Social distancing still applies, especially indoors, such as the wearing of masks and maintaining six feet of distance. Remember to sanitize after all meetings and activities.
Please continue to have extra masks on hand for those who forget to bring one. If anyone refuses to wear a mask, please consider having them sit in a room alone where they can hear or watch on Zoom the proceedings with their mask off.
We hope you recognize the importance the Brethren are placing on wanting us to gather the youth and YSA as best, and as safely, as possible. Emphasis is also given to meeting regularly in person and using the church buildings more freely for youth classes and activities.
Thank you for the leadership you give in continuing to help us transition back to in-person meetings and activities. We look forward to meeting and counseling with you in our video conference.
We deeply appreciate how you are adapting and finding ways to gather the members...safely.
Gratefully,
Mount Hood Stake Presidency
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