Love (& Protect) Thy Neighbor: The Intrinsic Value of COVID-19 Safety Protocols

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As part of our commitment to protect our community, we continue to follow the City of Philadelphia’s mandates and recommendations as to masking and other COVID-19 safety protocols, including mask use in indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status.

The increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant underscores the need to register for in-person worship services for the purposes of contact tracing.  Please continue to register for worship services, either in advance online or upon arrival with an usher; please be sure to provide contact information. We will endeavor to contact every person who attended a worship service where there may have been potential exposure to COVID-19.

Please be reminded not to attend services if you feel unwell; take advantage of our live streamed service.  If you have attended service and later test positive, please contact the church so that we are able to notify others who were in attendance.

At First Presbyterian Church, we remain steadfast in our commitment to protect our families and our community.  Our strength lies in our community, our collective faith, and our actions. Always remember that the simplest acts of respect and kindness can often have the greatest impact, so please remember to wear a mask and comply with our social distancing guidelines.

Love (& Protect) Thy Neighbor: The Intrinsic Value of COVID-19 Safety Protocols

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First Church recently received notice of a positive COVID-19 test result for a person who attended in-person services on Christmas weekend. During these services the individual had taken the necessary precautions that help prevent the spread of the virus, including wearing a KN95 mask.  As part of our commitment to protect our community, we immediately contacted those who were most likely to be potentially affected due to the length of their interactions with the individual and endeavored to contact every person who attended these worship services.

This occurrence underscores the need to register for in-person worship services for the purposes of contact tracing!  Please continue to register for worship services, either in advance online or upon arrival with an usher; please be sure to provide contact information so that you can be notified of a potential exposure.  With the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant, this will likely not be the first instance of a positive COVID-19 test result among us.

Please be reminded not to attend services if you feel unwell; take advantage of our live streamed service.  If you have attended service and later test positive, please contact the church so that we are able to notify others who were in attendance.

At First Presbyterian Church, we remain steadfast in our commitment to protect our families and our community.  Our strength lies in our community, our collective faith, and our actions. Always remember that the simplest acts of respect and kindness can often have the greatest impact, so please remember to wear a mask and comply with our social distancing guidelines.

Update to In-Person Worship Protocols

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The Session strongly encourages worshipers to follow the City of Philadelphia’s mandates and recommendations as to masking and other COVID-19 safety protocols.

Please register online in advance or in-person on Sunday morning to assist us with planning and contact tracing, if it becomes necessary. Check-in with an usher when you arrive.

Traditional Service
Currently, the city of Philadelphia requires proof of vaccination or masking indoors by vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals alike.

Celebration Service
Because the Celebration service is predominately attended by families with young children (who cannot be vaccinated), masks are required for all attendees.

Because information and the community status of COVID is frequently in flux, the Building Re-Opening Task Force Report to Session in June 2021 included a recommendation that First Church protocols be reviewed and refined based on learnings from their implementation. Please be advised that protocols will change as conditions worsen or improve; all changes will be announced via Session approved communication.

Session Updates In-Person Worship Protocols

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Because information and the community status of COVID is frequently in flux, the Building Re-Opening Task Force Report to Session in June 2021 included a recommendation that First Church protocols be reviewed and refined based on learnings from their implementation. After careful consideration at its July meeting, the Session of First Church has adopted the following protocols until further notice. Please be advised that protocols will change as conditions worsen or improve; all changes will be announced via Session approved communication.

Traditional Service
If you are fully vaccinated, mask use is optional. If you are not fully vaccinated, masks are required. Love your neighbor and wear a mask! Please register online in advance or in-person on Sunday morning to assist us with planning and contact tracing, if it becomes necessary. Check-in with an usher when you arrive.

Celebration Service
Because the Celebration service is predominately attended by families with young children (who cannot be vaccinated), masks are required for all attendees. Please register online in advance or in-person on Sunday morning to assist us with planning and contact tracing, if it becomes necessary. Check-in with an usher when you arrive.


In-person Worship to Resume July 4

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The Session has set the date of July 4 to return to in-person worship services! The installation of the live stream equipment has begun, and while it is our hope that we will be able to provide services via live-stream on July 4, we can’t guarantee that system will be operational by then, so will continue to offer our virtual service online until installation of the live-stream system is completed. This will allow all of the folks who need to plan for the in-person services to start their work. Offering both online video and in-person services at the same time enables us to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to worship, regardless of vaccination status or technological capability.

Click to review the Transitional Re-opening Protocols.

Attendees must register to attend the July 4 Celebration! or Traditional worship service.


Session Approves Transitional Reopening Protocols

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On Thursday, June 17, Session approved protocols for in-person worship recommended by the Building Reopening Task Force. Protocols will include pre-registration, spacial distancing with limited capacity, and masks expected to be worn by all. Detailed information will be distributed in advance of the first Sunday that we will worship in-person. View the full report to Session from the Building reopening Task Force here.

Session announces transitional reopening plan

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On Wednesday, May 12th, Session approved reopening our church building for in-person worship services on or soon after July 4, 2021.  Session also approved (a) the purchase of live-streaming equipment that will enable virtual worship services in real time for those who cannot or do not wish to attend in person, and (b) the reopening of the church office.  These actions were approved after receiving, responding to, and extensively discussing the recommendations of the Building Reopening Task Force, as well as reopening plans and guidance issued by federal, state, and local governments. 

In-person worship and live-streaming capabilities:  The resumption of in-person worship is timed to coincide with the installation of live-streaming equipment in the sanctuary, which will provide real-time, on-line video access to worship services held in the sanctuary (i.e., the traditional 11 AM worship service). If the installation is delayed, the resumption of in-person worship services will be delayed as well. The Celebration! service, held in Old Buttonwood Hall, will not be live-streamed.

Session recognizes that access to safe and effective vaccines has changed the health and safety guidelines, however, our worshippers may or may not have completed the vaccine protocol and our ventilation issues demand a conservative approach to our reopening. For these reasons, our building reopening will occur later than the reopening dates recently announced by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and City of Philadelphia.

Reopening of the church office:  The Church office will reopen on Tuesday, June 1, 2021; office hours are 10 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Friday.  As always, calling ahead before you intend to visit the church office is a best practice. 

Additional information will be published as our church moves toward the transitional reopening, including information about the precise date when in-person worship will begin, what safety protocols will be mandated, and how to access the live-stream services.

Read the letter from the Clerk of Session and Dr. Mullis.

Read the Building Reopening Task Force recommendation report to the Session.

COVID-19 Information Webinar to be held on March 10

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Our congregation has many questions about COVID-19. Dr. Dan Seekins, an infectious diseases specialist who is on the Building Re-opening Task Force, has volunteered to hold a COVID-19 information session for the congregation on March 10 @ 7 PM. Dan will review recent COVID-19 statistics and current scientific understanding, with ample time for Q&A. You must register—view the event and register here.

While it is understood that everyone would like to "return to normal" and be able to worship in our glorious sacred space, COVID-19 statistics in the Philadelphia region still do not make this prudent. The Building Re-opening task force reviews these statistics on an ongoing basis. These assessments include the latest positivity and vaccination numbers, as well as any advances in the scientific understanding of COVID-19, and recommendation modifications will be made as circumstances dictate and permit.  An example of such a modification was the development of guidelines related to "Access to Sacred Space.” In addition, opportunities may exist to be present in the sanctuary during the recording of the sermon on a limited basis.  More information is available here.

Our Current Status

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Based on the recommendations of the Building Reopening Task Force, the Session made no changes at its September meeting to our current status . The First Church building will remain closed to in-person worship and gatherings. The predominant reasoning still remains that our building does not have sufficient outdoor air exchange to contain the spread of the virus indoors and it would be too risky to consider resumption of any form of in-person worship until Philadelphia's positive rate of infection falls to 1 percent or below.  Other considerations are the current lack of a readily available COVID-19 test, reliable and robust contact tracing methods, and the fact that the availability of an approved vaccine is months away. For information about the particular circumstances of First Church—specifically, the air-flow (or lack of it) in our building—please read the original task force report published in June 2020.

Despite the fact that we are not able to be together in person, we are a community of faith with our roots deep in the reformed tradition. We seek as a body of faith to be the best citizens of our communities. We believe care and concern for all of our members must drive our decisions.

Please continue to check the website for the latest updates.

Building Re-opening Task Force Report

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Building Re-Opening Status Report

The Building Re-Opening Task Force evaluated the precautions and risks of re-opening of the church building for in-person worship and gatherings in a safe and responsible manner.

The task force reviewed several resources including recommendations from the church’s insurance company, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and PCUSA.  Comprehensive reports were provided by Gary Christensen, who has a Ph.D. in fluid mechanics and is a former president of the FPCP Trustees, and Dr. Dan Seekins, a physician specializing in infectious diseases. 

  • The Task Force identified modifications to the worship service and building use that could be made to mitigate some, but not all, risk; these modifications, however, would substantially change the form and feeling of worship.

  • Gary Christensen’s report described specific ventilation issues of the First Church building, and the lack of exchange of fresh air in both the sanctuary and Old Buttonwood Hall.

  • Dan Seekins’ report detailed the route of transmission of COVID-19 and the impact of building ventilation (or lack thereof) on the risk of members attending services in the building.

Due primarily to the lack of proper ventilation in both the sanctuary and in Old Buttonwood Hall, the Task Force’s recommendation to Session was that the building remain closed for in-person worship regardless of the phase of the opening process in Philadelphia. The task force will meet as needed to consider advances in the scientific understanding of the transmission of COVID-19, and advances in treatment and/or successful vaccine development.

Based on the report and recommendation of the task force, Session approved continuing the closure of the church building through at least Labor Day; Session will re-evaluate the closure after Labor Day.

Zoom Online Meeting Resources Available

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First Church has two Zoom accounts available for board & committee meetings as well as for online fellowship gatherings. Zoom is a video-conferencing tool that you can use with any device. 

  • If you are a committee chair or a fellowship group leader, contact Church Administrator Sue Riemann to set up an online Zoom meeting. Sue will then provide meeting information and instructions to you on how to start and lead the meeting.

  • If you are a participant in a meeting or fellowship gathering, you be sent directions on how to join the Zoom meeting using whatever device you have available—computer, tablet, or smart phone. You can even participate using audio-only by dialing in with a standard telephone.

Update - March 23, 2020

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We are a community of faith with our roots deep in the reformed tradition… that means that we seek as a body of faith to be the best citizens of our communities.  Since the time of John Calvin’s Geneva, Presbyterians have sought to be good partners with the cities in which we live and serve. In order to continue fight the spread of COVID-19 and comply with recommended measures to shelter in place, the Session of First Church has determined that the church must, for the time being, remain closed to in-person worship and other gatherings until April 20. Should circumstances change, this period of closure could be longer or shorter as conditions dictate.  Continue to check this website for the latest updates.