On May 14th, Maine Governor Janet Mills announced that most guidelines and restrictions for COVID Prevention would be relaxed, following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Under these new guidelines, fully vaccinated people would no longer need to wear face coverings or practice social distancing.  The implementation date for these changes was set for May 24th.  The chart above explains the new guidelines and their impact on human activity.
 
In response to these changes, the Church Council of the Main Street Church has revised church guidelines to align with the new national standards.  These revisions are outlined here:

• Effective immediately (May 24), social distancing and the wearing of face coverings will not be required for fully vaccinated persons while in the church building.
• Persons who are not fully vaccinated are asked to continue protecting themselves by practicing social distancing and wearing facemasks at all times when in the church building.  We will continue to provide hand sanitizer and facemasks for worshippers and visitors if needed.
• For enhanced safety, unvaccinated persons also have the option of attending worship in the church vestry, which is wired for sound and is equipped with a highly efficient air purifier.
• The church will continue to live stream worship services on the Zoom and YouTube platforms so that people can participate in worship from the safety of their homes.
• Full capacity (the number of people allowed in the building at one time) has been restored at the church.  We shall, however, continue to close every other pew to enhance social distancing where needed. 
• At this time, we will not be restoring Fellowship time or refreshments following worship, but will encourage worshippers to gather outside the church building following worship to visit and check in.

 Worship Notes

• Hymn books and pew bibles will be returned to pews for use during worship.  Studies have shown that transmission of the virus on surfaces is very unlikely, especially when there is a significant time lapse between contacts.
• We will return to the practice of singing all verses of hymns unless otherwise specified in the worship bulletin.
• At this time, we will not be bringing back the church choir.  Instead, we will study best practices of schools and churches in the area to determine the best and safest way to bring choral music back into our worship experience.
• We will resume passing the offering plate during our time of offering.  However, offering plates will be available at the rear of the church before worship begins if you would rather drop your offering there and then.
• We will also resume our traditional communion practices, including the serving of bread and cup by deacons.  Self-contained, sealed communion kits will also be available.

As we integrate these new guidelines into our worship practices, we ask that all those who worship with us strive to extend our usual welcome to everyone, vaccinated or not, masked or not, into our worship space.  Our highest desire is to make everyone feel safe and comfortable in worship.  And so we ask for patience, and understanding, and compassion as we emerge from this pandemic together.

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