DUNGANNON BAPTIST CHURCH

RE-OPENING

How we go about our daily lives has changed considerably over the past few months and inevitably as we return to church and observe the guidelines adopted, you will notice some changes. Please be assured that your safety whilst attending Dungannon Baptist Church is at the core of the measures being adopted.

As you consider attending any of our church meetings, you must not attend if you are unwell, particularly with the symptoms associated with COVID-19.  These most commonly include fever, dry cough and tiredness, but other symptoms are observed; look for government advice.  More generally, it is good to stay at home if you are experiencing symptoms of any illness that is likely to be communicable such as a heavy cold or upset stomach.

Additionally, you should not attend if you have reason to suspect that you have come into contact with someone with the coronavirus.  Instead, stay at home for the next two Sundays.

You must tell us if you develop symptoms associated with COVID-19 and you have attended a church meeting in the 14 days before developing those symptoms. We will not share your identity with church members, but if needed we must play our part in the government’s contact tracing. To assist with contact tracing, we will maintain a record of attendance at each of the meetings. We assume that your attendance at the meeting is consent to comply with this.

By now, you will all have become quite familiar with the ‘Social Distancing’ measures that have been adopted in various settings where there are gatherings of people. If you plan to attend any of the church meetings, the church car park at Barrack Street will be available for use as will parking at Railway Road. Should it become necessary to implement a ‘Queuing System’ on entering our building, we would ask that you abide by the 2-metre distancing guideline and we will endeavour to keep any delays to an absolute minimum. Markings will be in place to help you follow the 2-metre spacing.

In the foyer a Hand Sanitiser station has been set up, please use this both when entering church and again when exiting. For all our meetings, you will notice an increased level of stewarding. Our stewards are there to help ensure your safety and will carry out a number of functions, including directing you to your seat, sanitising of surfaces before during and after the meeting, and being available to assist with any concerns.

Initially it is intended to use only the main downstairs seating area, the Sports Hall and a section of the Foyer.  The service will be audio / visually relayed to these locations.  Seating has been arranged in such a way as to satisfy current Social Distancing guidelines and to cater for individuals or groups of varying sizes.  Seating will be filled from the front to the back and although you may well end up sitting somewhere you would not normally be, we would seek your cooperation. Following the meeting, it would be appreciated if you would remain seated and stewards will then direct you to the nearest exit.

Doors and windows, as appropriate, will be kept open during our time of worship, both to minimise contact with common surfaces but also to increase ventilation through the building. You may wish to consider bringing a coat or jumper to ensure you feel comfortable throughout the meeting.

Downstairs toilet facilities will remain open and be available for use. A ‘One Way’ system must be adhered to when using the facilities. The one-way system will be via the Chair Store adjacent to the Sound desk, through the Sports Hall and returning via the foyer. This will be signed for your convenience. Whilst using the facilities we would ask that you please follow guidelines with regards to thorough handwashing. As you leave the toilets open the door using a hand towel and then deposit this in the bin placed in the foyer.

Some other considerations that you may wish to make prior to attending include:

  • Please feel free to use face coverings, especially if that is something that would help to make you feel safer as you attend the meeting

  • We appreciate that young children may not fully understand all that is going on however we would ask that parents / guardians do their best to prevent breaches of social distancing whilst at church.  Creche facilities will not be available for the time being.

  • If you or a member of your party will find it difficult to comply fully with the measures put in place, please do not plan to attend the meeting. 

  • It is appreciated that there may be some among you who are nervous about attending public worship or have received advice to shield. We plan to continue Live Streaming our Sunday services for those who cannot attend physically for whatever reason.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your cooperation with the measures adopted. If there is anything we can do to help assist during this time, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. 

In the meantime, God Bless and continue to stay safe. 

Yours faithfully 

DBC Leadership team – 20th July 2020