UPDATE – NOVEMBER 2, 2020
In-Person Services at Whitehorse United Church Worship Committee recommended to Council AND COUNCIL HAS APPROVED that Whitehorse United continue with in-person services every Sunday from Nov 8 to Dec 27, unless Dr. Hanley recommends otherwise due to local COVID cases. After Christmas we will evaluate again.
We plan to continue with all the precautions practiced in the last two weeks. Masks, social distancing etc. are not optional.
The survey showed general satisfaction at how the two trial services went.
We will continue to need three greeters at each service.
The maximum number of people able to sign up in advance will be 30. Seating will include using the choir loft and the front pews, which are both somewhat unpopular but have to be used to allow the maximum number of congregants to come. This number allows for Elijah and two droppers-in. So far we have not had 30 people wishing to attend.
We plan for the services to still be live streamed as well. The technology gurus will advise us on the best way forward. The broadcast glitches are a considerable frustration, they are working hard to find and deal with the problems.
Christmas services will be very different this year. Plans will be announced in the next couple of weeks.
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UPDATE - OCTOBER 12, 2020
COVID in-person services at Whitehorse United
Sunday Oct 18, Sunday Oct 25
Please note this is a trial. We’ll see how it works and adjust accordingly.
You must sign up in advance by phone or email to the church office. The office is open Monday – Friday, 9 am to 2 pm.
Phone 667-2989: email wuc@klondiker.com
Numbers are limited to 20 congregants for this trial.
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person church services and activities have been suspended until further notice.
Worship Services for Whitehorse United Church are online only through live streaming on FaceBook at 10:30 am Sunday mornings. We also offer story time and prayers every evening at 7:00 pm through FaceBook.
You may have heard that places of worship are now able to re-open in Yukon. However there are many requirements that must be met and many limitations which impact our ability to be the welcoming place we want to be.
Yukon's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hanley, bless him, hosted a Zoom meeting in July specifically with leaders of faith communities to discuss the necessary safety restrictions. Sheila Maissan, chair of our Worship Committee, Joan Stanton, chair of Council, and Bev attended, and both committees have discussed his advice. After much prayerful consideration and consultation, Whitehorse United will not reopen immediately. We will continue offering online Sunday worship from the sanctuary with only the worship leaders present.
First and foremost this is about loving our neighbours and serving our people in the most faithful way we can. How do we love our neighbours right now? Most of our regular attenders are considered vulnerable and we wish to lovingly protect them. The current restrictions mean we could not offer worship anything like what we had.
The things that we are missing the most would be missing still. For example
And how could we “enforce” these restrictions? How could we stop people from touching, from singing along, stop children from running around? We try hard to be an inclusive congregation. How do we select who can attend? How do we refuse people who show up? The goal of a safe, open and welcoming space seems unattainable right now.
These restrictions apply to outdoor as well as indoor gatherings. We are reaching many people the way we’re doing it now.
We continue to re-evaluate the situation and have recently completed a survey with relevant questions about reopening in-person services.
For more detailed information about COVID-19 for Yukoners, click here.