COVID-19 Updates

Good News! It is with great joy that the Session, along with the Task Force on Reopening, can report that in-person worship has been inspirational and is running smoothly in terms of following safety measures. We look forward to worshipping together this Sunday!

FAQ about the Task Force on Reopening

What data is the task force using to make decisions? We are collectively looking at hospitalization in Gastonia and trying to determine any trends in the virus’ activity.
How is the task force determining what to open in the church? We first focused on reopening the sanctuary for in-person worship and Sunday School. We are currently determining the next course of action as we continue to reopen.
What other activities at the church are in place and open? Session and Deacon meetings, PWS, Mother’s Morning Out, and Scouting (NOTE: Scouts mostly meet outdoors with access to restrooms indoors). The church is also open for weddings and funerals, with guidelines in place to follow for each.
When will two Sunday services be offered? The Worship & Music Ministry is working to develop a plan to go back to the Thrive and Traditional service in the coming weeks/months. Our goal is to have that in place as soon as we are able.
What safety protocols and equipment have been employed? In addition to masking and social distancing, the church has upgraded the filtration system in the sanctuary to the latest HEPA system. We have also purchased a “fogging” machine to spray down areas with disinfectant after areas are used. This system takes around an hour to implement and then an additional 3-4 hours to dry.
When will more members be allowed to attend? On April 4, Easter Sunday, capacity in the Sanctuary increased to 200. We are following state guidelines closely and if it continues to be safe enough, we hope to be able to allow even more to attend in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
Why can't we fully open everything now? As we started this process, our main goal was to ensure that all members who came to our church would be in a safe environment. We have spent countless hours reviewing data, best practices, and putting plans in place to make sure we did everything we can to make our church safe. A further factor is that we only have one person on staff to clean from day-to-day. Our cleaning crew is contracted for particular times, but isn't "on-call" to clean whenever we want or need them to. Maintaining safe practices includes proper and thorough cleaning and we can't put our entire facility on one person to do this day-in-and-day-out
Who is on the task force? We have staff, session members, and church members from a variety of backgrounds: Healthcare, Legal, Education, Music, and Business leaders. The group comes from various backgrounds and experiences to make sure we are getting input from a diverse group as possible. Group members include: Dr. Dustin Letts, Dr. Richard Rankin, Craig Whitley, Tim Witherell, Celeste Crowe, Bethany Jennings, Rodney Owens, David McFadden, and the Pastoral Staff—Fred Lyon, Lauren Vanacore, and John Stanley.

First Presbyterian Church

Contact Us

Address
1621 E. Garrison Blvd.
Gastonia, N.C. 28054

Phone
(704) 864-2651

Affiliated with: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Presbytery of Western North Carolina