families and children can feel welcome to use the area.
- Items now stored in the Youth Room downstairs be brought up, along with some of the toys to
keep children engaged during services. - In–person Sunday school start as soon as possible (timing to be determined by CE Committee).
Ideally, at least one in–person session be held before the summer break to establish Sunday
school as part of worship for young people. - Masking in the building and at services be at the discretion of each person, and with each
individual assessing their own risk level. - Chairs continue to be spread out, but people be welcome to sit near others, based on their own
choice. - Social distancing continue to be encouraged while allowing people to determine their own
comfort zone with social distancing. - Sanitizer remain at the door for people to use at their discretion and based on their own risk
assessment. - Groups be encouraged to sanitize tables after use.
- All signage related to COVID measures be removed and replaced with signs at all church
entrances that say “This is a mask–friendly environment. Please be kind.” - Refreshments be allowed to be served at meetings and gatherings, including funeral lunches.
Food servers may be masked and gloved as they wish, and as the occasion dictates. - Communion elements continue to be a cube of bread and a grape to be eaten in the pew after
being received. The sense of community is built when all partake at the same time in the pew,
rather than individually at the front of the church. - Committee and other church meetings be allowed to be conducted in person at the church, as
committees see fit. The option of holding a meeting via ZOOM remain available to all
committees. Each committee be allowed to decide what best fits their situation. - All persons using Trinity facilities be respectful of other’s decisions and choices regarding
masking and other COVID–related safety measures. Kindness and understanding to others
regarding such personal choices is our responsibility when using a Christian facility. - These recommendations be communicated to all renters, church facility users and the
congregation
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Trinity United Church recognizes and respects the March 15, 2022 Manitoba Public Health Orders, however Trinity United has developed the following guidelines:
Use of the building:
- Staff in the building beginning February 28 as required and necessary
- User groups beginning March 7
- Volunteers as required and necessary
- social distancing adhering to the number for each room
- everyone wear a mask while in the building
- hand sanitizing
- no eating but parents can bring their own water and bottle/cup for children attending for user groups
Worship:
As of March 15th, there are no capacity limits
- begin in person worship March 20th; continue recorded
- all people must be vaccinated and show QR code; no contact tracing
- masks and hand sanitizer used/plexiglass for those leading
- COVID questions at the door, cover cough; note people who have travelled in past 14 days
- microphones for those speaking from their pew/chair
- people can stand and sing quietly with masks
- choir can sit in the first pews on the piano side and sing with masks on
- Second Chance can sing from the choir area
- maintain distance between families/individuals
- Choir and Second chance notified about practicing and taking part in worship
Committees will determine if they will meet in person following all Trinity guidelines and Zoom is always available
Board meetings will remain on Zoom
Programs will determine if they will meet in person following all Trinity guidelines and Zoom is always available
Sunday School and Youth Group leaders will determine if they will meet in person following all Trinity guidelines and Zoom is always available
These guidelines are in effect until further notice.
Submitted to the Board on February 23, 2022
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Following a meeting on November 25, the Board prayerfully decided to begin fully vaccinated worship on December 19th. This motion was passed:
– All participants (at a service) will have their QR code scanned at the door upon entry (with the appropriate app) and ID will be checked. The name of each participant will be checked off on the list of congregants. Any name not on the list will be added and phone number will be recorded. (As a result of this, all participants, including children, will be noted.)
– Hand sanitizer to be used upon entry by all persons; and will be used again on departure.
– All health protocols need to be followed: face masks to be worn properly, covering the nose, mouth and chin all at the same time, by all participants over the age of 5 years; physical distancing between family cohorts to be encouraged; coughing/sneezing to be covered by the arm
– Singing by congregation/participants will not occur
– Coats and other outdoor wear to remain with each person, and not hung in the narthex
Children must be accompanied by an adult and must remain with the adult/family/parent for the duration of the service
– Entry will be via the main (double doors) from the narthex
– Exit will be via the doors at the front of the sanctuary, and congregating/chatting in sanctuary/narthex/entryway is to be avoided
This Proof-of-Vaccination Motion replaces the previous policy of early September 2021.
If you are unable to attend in-person indoor worship, Trinity United Church continues to offer weekly You tube services; Sunday School kits for at-home Sunday School; monthly Zoom gatherings for senior Sunday School/Youth Group, as well as weekly/monthly programs such as walking group, Yoga and Bible Study.
IMPORTANT PROVISO: The above Motion must be in full compliance with current and future provincial Public Health Orders. Volunteers will be available to help you at 10:15 am (asking COVID questions, checking QR codes and IDs, hand sanitizing, ushering, etc.). Check out our great new carpeting in the Sanctuary.
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Following a meeting on September 8th, 2021 the Board prayerfully decided to begin in person, indoor service at Trinity every second Sunday.
This motion was passed:
In-person, indoor worship must ensure: Contact tracing information gathered; COVID screening questions asked; Mandatory masking; Hand sanitizer use; Social distancing between families and individuals; No singing during service; Main floor sanitized following service;
For the safety and health of all people attending in-person indoor worship at Trinity United Church, Trinity United Church strongly advises that everyone attending in-person indoor worship be fully vaccinated. We cannot guarantee you will not contract COVID while attending worship.
If you are unable to attend in-person indoor worship, Trinity United Church continues to offer weekly You tube services; Sunday School kits for at-home Sunday School; monthly Zoom gatherings for senior Sunday School/Youth Group, as well as weekly/monthly programs such as walking group, Yoga and Bible Study.
IMPORTANT PROVISO: The above Motion must be in full compliance with current and future provincial Public Health Orders.
According to the current Manitoba Public Health Orders, beginning October 4, 2021 we can have 100 people on the main floor. Volunteers will be available to help you at 10:15 am (asking COVID questions, contact tracing, hand sanitizing, ushering, etc.). Check out our great new carpeting in the Sanctuary.
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As of November 2nd and until further notice, Trinity United Church building is closed. Staff are mainly working from home. Staff and volunteers can access the building for specific tasks; email, phone and mail will be checked every day. Please call the church for information on how to contact the staff or leave a message.
This is what to expect when you come to Trinity United Church
Welcome back to Trinity United! We are blessed by your presence and hope this in person worship service – although different – will be meaningful and you will know God’s spirit as we gather.
Watch this “how to” video before our first indoor service: https://youtu.be/dfG9etiBDyA
- Please use the parking lot door ONLY. Street-facing door will remain locked.
- Arrive at least 20 minutes before the posted start of the service. If there is a long line up at the door, please remain in your car, in the parking lot, until the line is a bit shorter. While in line, please respect the social distancing markers for 2 meters/6 feet between people. You will be invited in by an usher. We will not start the service until everyone is seated.
- Wear your mask as you come into the building and at all times inside the building.
- Once in the entryway, sanitize hands with hand sanitizer provided. Check in with usher to register your name and contact information. If you do not have a mask, there will be some fabric masks available for a “toonie”” donation. Put on the mask and wear it for the entire service. (After the service, take the mask home with you, wash and iron it, and bring it each week as your “Sunday” mask.)
There will be an offering box/basket in the entrance and in the sanctuary. Please deposit your offering envelope directly into the box/basket, as offering will not be taken as part of the service. - Wait on the marked places in Narthex to be taken by an usher to a seat in the sanctuary. Seats are marked to observe and optimize physical distancing between individuals and family groups. Please sit at a marked place only: in the pews, on the masking tape “cross”. Do not pass in front of someone else. There is room for couples or families and you will be directed to these areas. We will fill the pews first, then the chairs and the pews at the back. Please understand that you may not be able to sit in your “usual” place. Once you are seated, please remain seated.
- There will be no paper bulletins handed out; hymnals, Bibles, papers and other items have been removed from the pews. Everything will you need to follow along with the service will projected onto the screens.
- Pew cushions have been removed. You may bring your own cushion to sit on, but take it home with you each week.
- Washrooms are for emergency use only. Please clean after use with bleach/paper towels and use hand sanitizer before returning to the sanctuary to a vacant seat at the back.
Similarly, if you are coughing/sneezing during the service, please leave the sanctuary. Use the washroom to clean your hands; sanitize the area in the washroom, use hand sanitizer and return to a vacant seat at the back. - At the conclusion of the service, please remain seated until an usher directs you to leave, maintaining social distancing, through the front (choir loft) door. Sanitize hands again in the entryway; go out to the parking lot and proceed directly to your car. Please do not congregate/socialize in the parking lot.
Reminder: The Provincial guidelines prevail: If you are sick or feel unwell; if you have a fever; if you have recently travelled, including provinces outside Manitoba’s safe area (Terrace Bay, ON and east); if you have been in contact with anyone who has had COVID-19, unless you have worn Personal Protection Equipment, please do not come to church. If you wear Personal Protection Equipment in your employment, you are welcome at Trinity.
There will be a short video on Trinity’s website (trinityunitedwinnipeg.com) showing what to expect when you come to church. Please answer the COVID-19 questions on Trinity’s website before coming to church each Sunday morning.
Before you come, please read and answer these COVID-19 questions by accessing the link: https://sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool/
Or by answering the following questions:
- Do you or the person you are inquiring about have any of the following symptoms: severe difficulty breathing (e.g., struggling for each breath, speaking in single words), chest pain, confusion, extreme drowsiness or loss of consciousness?
- Do you or the person you are inquiring about have shortness of breath at rest or difficulty breathing when lying down?
- Do you have a new onset of any of the following symptoms: fever/chills, cough, sore throat/hoarse voice, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, vomiting, or diarrhea for more than 24 hours and if the patient is an infant, poor feeding and lethargy?
- Do you have a new onset of 2 or more of any of the following symptoms: runny nose, muscle aches, fatigue, conjunctivitis (pink eye), headache, skin rash of unknown cause or nausea or loss of appetite?
- Have you been in contact in the last 14 days with someone that is confirmed to have COVID-19 unless you wore Personal Protection Equipment as part of your employment?
- Have you had laboratory exposure while working directly with specimens known to contain COVID-19?
- Have you been in a setting in the last 14 days that has been identified by public health as a risk for acquiring COVID-19, such as on a flight, in a workplace with a cluster of cases, or at an event?
- Have you travelled outside of Manitoba in the last 14 days, excluding travel to western Canada, the territories or Ontario west of Terrace Bay?
- If you answered yes to any of the questions, please do not come to the church. Please contact Health Links-Info Sante at 204-788-8200.
2020 Protocol for attending church
Trinity United Church 