Starting Sunday In-Person Services
Are you looking for information on how to best prepare to join us for in-person services on Sunday mornings? You have come to the right place!
We will keep you up to date as best we can. It will be vital that you revisit our news section weekly as we will be updating you here as we go through the different phases in Manitoba's Roadmap to Restoring Safe Services. We will also post updates here when we adjust our protocol and procedures as we learn and improve how to serve everyone better. Our priority is to create a safe and enjoyable experience here at Bethel Brandon.
We want to say thank you in advance for your patience with us. These are difficult times, and undoubtedly different times, but we also believe that they are times where God will uniquely move in our lives if we give Him the opportunity.
We are looking forward to great things!
Pastor Mike and the Staff at Bethel
Here are some essential details you will need to be aware of.
Starting Church
- Church services will be beginning on June 28th at 10:30 a.m.
- Our capacity, for now, will be 150 people. We have things structured so we will have 50 people on one side of the main auditorium, 50 people on the other side, and 50 people on the balcony according to approved protocols.
- Church rows are distanced so that we can observe physical distancing of at least two meters. When in a row, three (3) chair lengths are approximately 2 meters.
- People from the same Household, like families and relatives, will be encouraged to sit together to allow more room for others.
- All of our children's ministry will be upstairs, therefore we will be asking that all families who have children in Kids @ Bethel Children's Ministry (Sunday School) sit in the balcony. This will help with our exiting protocol (see below).
- As our numbers increase, we will be planning to have two services to accommodate the protocols.
- People wishing to ensure a seat on Sunday morning will be able to pre-register online (Click Here to Pre-Register). Those who do not have computers or internet access can call the church at (204) 727-0639 to pre-register Monday through Thursday 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
- The best way to pre-register will be through the "Church Center" app, which is available for download on both Android and iOS. Once you register with Bethel Brandon, the process will be easy. Alternatively to using the app, you can use our website.
Entrance and Exit Protocol
- As you come to church, we ask everyone to enter via our west entrance, where the wheelchair accessible parking is. (Just a reminder to please leave the seniors and wheelchair parking for those who really need it.) We will have all of our check-in stations located there, and our process will be quick and straightforward. It is exactly like our Children and Youth check-in process, however only children will get name tags.
- Why do we have to check-in? We are required to have no more than 150 people in our main auditorium. It is also a precaution in the off chance that someone contracts the virus and we would then have a list for Manitoba Health to do contact tracing and inform people of the occurrence.
- Parents, after you check your children in, please take them straight to their classes upstairs using the east stairwell. There will be volunteers and signs helping direct you to the right class for your child(ren). We ask that you sit in the balcony. This will help with our exiting protocol (see below).
- You can pre-register to ensure a spot at church using the "Church Center" app on your smart device or our website. We will not be able to secure an exact location as to where you will be sitting. Our first preference will be to have families with children sit in the balcony as it will be easier for them to drop off and pick up their children at Kids @ Bethel Children's Ministry and be able to leave from the south exit on the second floor.
- If you are not here by service time, we will assume you are not coming and open your reservation to someone who has shown up but not registered.
- Upon exiting the service, we hope to have each group leave from their designated exit. The west side of the congregation on the main floor of the auditorium will leave from the exit they came in from, the west doors. The east side of the group will leave from our main north exit, and the balcony group will leave out of the south exit at the back of the building. Doing this will help ensure a peaceful departure while still trying to keep our physical distance and complying with the requirements set by Manitoba Health.
- Parents, you will be asked to present your parent tag when you pick up your children. Please remember physical distancing while picking up your child(ren).
Other Things to Note
- For those who faithfully tithed and gave to the church during our absence of in-person services, we would like to extend our sincerest gratitude. Your support and obedience in tithing helped Bethel stay afloat in these trying times. It also helped us support the various missionaries and local ministries who have depended on us to help them survive.
- For those wishing to give or catch up on their tithes, there are many ways that you can give via text, our website, e-transfer, or through the church center app. Click here to learn more about these methods. Giving via debit machine, which is one of our most popular giving methods, will be available during the service as well as during office hours. Because of COVID-19 precautions, we will not be taking up a physical offering on Sunday mornings. However, a designated giving area will be available for those who wish to use the debit machine or hand in their envelopes.
- Because of physical distance protocol, we regret that it is not possible to have an extended fellowship time after the service like we are used to having. We are hoping to have designated times and opportunities specially designed for this throughout the summer. We ask all people to observe the distancing protocol as fines given to the church for not observing this can be very high. Thanks in advance for helping us out with this.
We will be improving this process as we see the weaknesses in our procedure. Please keep informed as we make improvements. If you have any questions, please contact the church, and we will help as best we can.
Please also note that we are always looking for volunteers to help with this process. Please let us know if you can help and fill out this form. We would love to add you to a team. Thanks again for your patience with us.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday!
Links, in case you missed them.
Download the Church Center app on Android or iOS.