MARCH REOPENING UPDATE  

Finally, after one long year, the church council has approved the recommendation of the  reopening committee to start to move the reopening meter. This process may not be a fast as  we would like, but at least we know that the light at the end of the tunnel is real and not just a  reflection. We also know through our web conferences with the MDH (Minnesota Department  of Health) and our local county officials, that the number of positive cases is slowly going  down, but we are still at a point where they are recommending no change in the reopening  recommendations or very slow changes based on our “risk profile” and the local infection and  vaccine rates. Unfortunately, Isanti county ranks near the bottom of the counties in the state  with the percent of the population vaccinated. We appreciate those of you who have traveled  some distance to get vaccinated and the frustration of others in being unable to get an  appointment, but please go to the MDH website and click on the vaccine link for local  information or call our local Public Health Department at 689-4071. We know that the local  officials are working hard to get more clinics available.  

Getting our congregation vaccinated is an important part of being able to move our  reopening plans faster. There are two ways to contain the virus. One is to reduce the number  of hosts that the virus can infect and the other is to prevent the spread. The number of  susceptible hosts is reduced through getting the infection or through the vaccine and reducing  spread is through getting the vaccine and/or the mitigation measures (masking, social  distancing, good hand hygiene, and avoiding crowds). These measures also reduce the  likelihood of variants surfacing, which is one of the new concerns.  

Because this whole process is changing almost daily, our reopening committee is  meeting as often as there is a significant change that affects our congregation. Proposed  changes in the reopening will be communicated through “ministry moments” during our  virtual worship services or through the “reopening update”.  

The movement of our meter to the second phase will have two effects. First, it will allow  small outside groups to use our church building. These will be small gatherings with clear  expectations regarding mask usage, cleaning, and limitations to the use of only the fellowship  hall. Second, we are planning to schedule times for family units to have time alone in the  sanctuary for prayer and reflection. We are planning the first of these times during Holy Week,  so keep an eye out for communication regarding how to sign up.  

As we move forward we anticipate changes to continue to happen in phases. At this  time that may look like the church being open for small groups, then the sanctuary open for  households to watch a live-streamed service, then worship services that are a mix of streamed  and live, and at some point full worship services in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings. We  don’t have a timeline for when each of these changes will take place, so we appreciate all of  your patience as we continue to closely monitor the ever-shifting situation. 

As always, please contact any members of our committee with your comments and  concerns. STAY SAFE…MASK, GOOD HAND HYGIENE, SOCIAL DISTANCING, AND PLEASE  GET VACCINATED.  

Lowell Becker       Frank Wells 

Penny Messer       Eric Ryberg 

Pastors Amelia and Andrew     Erika Knight

REOPENING UPDATE

January 14, 2021

It remains clear that the Covid pandemic is still a major health concern and  requires ongoing attention. Although Minnesota has shown some signs of  improvement and some of the restrictions have been loosened, there still is  concern about additional surges due to the holidays. We continue to remain in  contact with the Minnesota Department of Health concerning their guidelines for  the Faith Communities. Their basic recommendations have not changed. They  recommend that the communities of faith limit their facilities to 50% capacity, but  strongly suggest that each facility carefully assess their population of attendees  for risks (such as age and underlying health concerns) and base the decision on  that data. They also recommend virtual services if at all possible. Based on our  population of attendees, we plan to stay with virtual services and maintain our  current phase in regards to any use of the building (see phase and link below).  Hopefully the vaccines will brighten the light at the end of the tunnel.

A few words about vaccines. The two vaccines presently being  administered are called mRNA. The way this vaccine works is that it is like an  email to your immune system giving it instructions on how to produce protection  through the development of antibodies that can weaken and destroy the virus. It  does not cause you to have an infection. It requires two doses separated by 21 or  28 days (Each vaccine is different). You get some level of protection after the first  injection but 14 days after the second injection the studies show about 95%  protection. Side effects are minimal and include potential mild local reaction at  the injection site and in some cases mild “flu like” symptoms that may last 2-3  days. Routine allergies are not a contraindication to getting the vaccine. Those  rare instances of the more severe allergic reaction that has been reported is  thought to be due to one of the vehicles of the vaccine. It is highly recommended  that everyone, including individuals who have tested positive in the past, get the  vaccine. Two populations in question that are being studied at a this time are  pregnant women and individuals with compromised immune systems (like lupus  or chemotherapy).

As always, please feel free to contact anyone on the reopening committee  concerning this process. In the meantime let us all continue to love our neighbor  through our actions as we Mask, Social Distance, Wash Hands Frequently, avoid  groups and WHEN IT IS YOUR TURN, GET VACCINATED. Remember:  EVERYONE COUNTS.

Lowell Becker
Penny Messer
Pastors Amelia and Andrew
Frank Wells
Eric Ryberg
Erika Knight

REOPENING UPDATE  

December 2020

The Reopening Sub-Committee continues to meet on a regular basis to assess our ability to reopen the church building to our Common Ground family. As we meet we are reminded that “The building may be closed, but the church is open.” We continue to need to connect in other ways. We all need to thank the Pastors, staff,  and the leadership team of our Common Ground community for coming  up with creative ways for us to worship and stay connected.

Last Sunday, after virtual worship, we held a zoom Town Hall meeting on the  reopening process. It was well attended and a great exchange of information  was shared. For those of you unable to attend, we would like to summarize our  discussion. As you all know, the pandemic is at a critical point with new cases,  hospitalizations, and, unfortunately, deaths at an all time high, so, the meter for  reopening has not moved. Speaking of “meter”, we have a graphic meter that will be posted with church  communications and will allow you at a glance to see where the process of  reopening stands. It is attached to this communication.

We also had a general Q&A about the process. The Pastors did an excellent job  of explaining why considerations were made to allow NA to use the Fellowship Hall, and this was widely supported by zoom attendees. We also had a discussion on the vaccines that have become available and encouraged all to seriously consider being vaccinated for Covid. It is one small way that we can not only protect ourselves but also curb the spread of the disease.

As always, if you have any specific questions or comments, please feel free to  contact any of the committee members. This also applies to any ideas that you  might have for us to safely connect. Please continue to mask, social distance,  wash hands, and avoid social gatherings. Our faith community can set an  excellent example. Please stay safe and celebrate that Jesus is the reason for  the season.

Reopening Sub-Committee:

Lowell Becker
Penny  Messer
Frank Wells
Eric Ryberg
Erika Knight
Pastors Andrew and Amelia

Dear Common Ground friends,

We know everyone is anxiously awaiting news of when and how things will reopen and we wanted to give you an update on where we are. This past week the team tasked with determining these things met. In the course of that meeting it was decided that in person worship will not resume before July 15th and we will be reevaluating that date in the coming weeks as the group continues to meet.

Also, at this point we are not anticipating opening our building to CGUMC small groups before worship is available in person. We are also evaluating when and how we can once again allow outside groups that rent our space to return.

Our meeting was fruitful and offered many varying perspectives. Everyone acknowledged the importance, difficulty, and the weight of the decisions we are making. We want to be very transparent with everyone as to what we are considering in this process. Along with one another’s perspectives we are looking at information from the CDC, the governor, our MN Annual Conference of the UMC, and our Vision and Mission at CGUMC. We the pastors also reached out to our District Superintendent Rev. Susan Nienaber for advice and a perspective of what is happening within our district.

We know this is an extremely difficult time for everyone and we are all longing to be together again. We are also aware that there is still a very real ongoing pandemic and that church as we are used to it is a high risk activity. Rev. Nienaber shared with us that most UMC churches in our district are not opening yet and are being recommended to worship online or worship outside if they must gather in person. At this point at Common Ground we are able to have a better, safer, and more inclusive worship experience online than if we were to meet in our parking lot or inside our sanctuary.

While our staff have been doing a phenomenal job on our online worship, we recognize that this option is not ideal for everyone. If you are unable to access our livestream please contact our Director of Multimedia and Digital Outreach, Eric Ryberg, at eryberg@commongroundumc.org for other options.

Even though we are still worshipping at a distance there are ways that we can continue to be in community. Each week after worship there are virtual coffee hours that are hosted. If you would like to host or participate in one of these coffee hours please contact our Director of Children’s and Youth Ministry, Erika Knight, at erika@commongroundumc.org. Another way that we can worship together while being outside of our building is by worshipping in small groups. We recommend connecting with others from Common Ground and meeting to watch the live streamed worship service outside while observing CDC recommendations for proper social distancing. These are two small ways for us to stay connected and more will arise as we continue to learn and be creative in this time.

We know that no matter what decisions are made there will be some who agree and some who disagree. We want to remind everyone to have grace with us, this subgroup, and one another during this heightened time. We are all doing our best and we want to live our Wesleyan call to “do no harm” to the fullest as well as our vision that Everyone Counts.

Grace and peace,
Pastors Amelia and Andrew Buschena