We believe that we are in a position to provide an effective combination of in-person and online options for worship services, so that our entire church can be served while following CDC and governmental recommendations for church gatherings.

On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 (Ash Wednesday) we will begin to offer an in-person service with the following precautions in place:

Continue Excellent Online Service Options

• For those who cannot, should not, or choose not to attend in-person, we will continue to provide an excellent live-stream of the in-person service. On the website Potomacpresbyterian.org

Service Times and Plans

• We will meet at 11:00am on Sunday mornings and 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings.
• On-line registration will be required and capped at 50 people in the Sanctuary with 37 overflow in Fellowship Hall, including staff and volunteers.
• Services will run no more than one hour.
• Services will include prayer, sermon, and prerecorded singing.
• There will be no singing in the sanctuary or Fellowship Hall. We will use the prerecorded music as a time for prayer & reflect on the words and images.
• Communion elements will be placed on the pews in sealed containers.

Physical Distancing

• We will require a seven-foot minimum distance between all families. (Health experts have typically used six-feet as the minimum distance. However, out of an abundance of caution, both state and federal guidelines for religious services use seven feet.)
• People will sit in every other row, with at least seven feet between families.
• Everyone will enter through and exit through the narthex doors, except in an evacuation.

Face Coverings

• Wearing face masks will be required per Montgomery County requirements.
• Worship leaders will remove their masks when speaking.

Health Screening

• High-risk individuals and anyone who is sick should worship online. People most at risk for complications from COVID-19 are: Older adults (those over 60 years old); and those with serious underlying medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and lung disease.
• The church will request that everyone answer the following questions to themselves each time they attend. Anyone who answers yes to one of the following questions should not attend.
  • Have you been diagnosed with COVID-19 and are not fully recovered per CDC guidelines?
  • Have you been exposed to anyone who has been positively diagnosed with COVID-19?
  • Are you displaying symptoms such as fever or chills, dry cough, shortness of breath, fatigue or body aches?
  • Have you experienced any cold or flu-like symptoms in the last 48 hours that cannot be attributed to an existing health condition?
  • Have you traveled internationally or to a high-risk area of the US in the last 14 days?

“Touchless” Experience

• All doors will be propped open or opened by greeters.
• Greeters will offer enthusiastic smiles and waves, but not shake hands or hug.
• We will receive the offering electronically and in offering plates placed outside the sanctuary.
• We will not distribute bulletins.
• The liturgy and hymns will be on the screens.

Cleaning and Hygiene

• Hand sanitizer will be available in the narthex.
• Greeters/Ushers will have sanitizing wipes available to disinfect any surfaces that get touched.
• All hard surfaces will be thoroughly cleaned before and after any service.