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.