WORSHIP ON SUNDAYS AT

8:00 AM • 10:00 AM

CHURCH SCHOOL

10:00 am, Age 3 – High School

Office Hours: Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 12 noon

If you would like an appointment with the pastor, please call ahead to set up a time.

We have exciting news!  We will resume in person Worship on July 5, 2020.  We will have Outdoor Worship on the front lawn of the church when we return on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. for the month of July.

Across America, things are opening up again. And our church is, too—slowly, gradually, but safely. Although Sunday morning live-streamed services on Facebook Live and Vimeo have attracted a consistent viewing audience of over 100 households and at Easter almost 300 households, who hasn’t missed the opportunity to be in a church congregation hallowed by time and cherished because of so many personal memories?

We know that this outside worship will be different from being inside the Sanctuary or the Chapel, but I feel this is the safest way we can worship together.  Plus, it will be fun!  Think of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount or, for that matter, consider all his ministry was primarily outside and among the people.  Outdoor worship will be a wonderful witness in our community!

We invite you to bring your lawn chairs or blankets on Sunday mornings and park near either entrance even though the building itself will be locked.  Please save the spots closest to the lawn for those who need assistance.  Walk on to the front lawn and set up a space for you or your family.  Please maintain 6 to 8 feet of Physical Distance between you and others not a part of your household.  We also ask that you wear a mask at all times.  You are welcome to bring coffee, juice and other goodies for you and your family, but we ask you do not share with others even though this will be hard.  We will have trash and recycle baskets on each side of the lawn.  The Worship service will run no longer than 45 minutes each week.  Hospitality Hosts will be available to assist you in any way or answer questions.  There will be no Nursery care provided nor Fellowship 15 hosted until we are in a safer phase of opening.  We will gather to worship outside each week.

Offerings, which support our church and its ministry, will be individually deposited in the standing offering box at both entranceways to the lawn.  These boxes were recently made by David DeVoe.  Thanks, Dave, much appreciated!   We will also have a few items to keep us safe and healthy during our time together near these locations.

Guidance for Safe Worship

• Please maintain a distance of 6 feet or more between your household and others.
• Please bring face masks for you and your entire family, wearing them at all times during the service unless there is a medical issue that would preclude the wearing of a mask (asthma, COPD, etc.).
• There will be music, but we ask that only the soloist, located about 20 feet from the Congregation, sing the hymn.  Please only sing if you are wearing a mask!  You are welcome to tap your foot, hum, or clap along.
• There will be no bulletins, hymnals nor Bibles provided during the service.  You are welcome to bring copies of your “At Home Bulletin” with you.
• Ushers/hospitality hosts will be available to assist.
• We discourage hugs and handshakes at this time and suggest that we greet each other with a warm “eye” smile and verbal greeting or perhaps a wave.
• Please save the reserved parking spaces on both sides of the building for those people who need access and have disabilities.  There will also be the parking spaces by the Welcome Area/Narthex for accessibility as well.

• We also ask that everyone stay out of the building on Sunday mornings, except: if you need to use the restroom, are helping with set up and take takedown and/or are one of the Sunday offering counters.
• Please stay home if you or anyone in your household is experiencing COVID symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell). This is an essential courtesy, and a commitment to one another.

Restroom

There is one single restroom available at PUMC at this time in the Social Hall.  Please use the Food Shelf Entrance by the office.  For the protection of others, if you need to use it, please:

• Wear a mask
• Use the available sanitizing wipes to wipe down surfaces you touch.
• Wash your hands thoroughly before exiting and use the hand sanitizer located outside the bathroom.
• Please try to use the Restroom only if it is urgent.

What happens if it is raining or there is inclement weather on Sunday?

If it is raining or rain is forecast for Sunday morning, we will CANCEL worship for that day.  Notification will be made by Email, Message on the Church Answering Machine and Facebook no later than 8 a.m. that Sunday.

Online Opportunities will Continue!

The Facebook live-streamed service and Vimeo Worship will continue into the future.  Our congregation will be maintaining the live-streamed services which get posted on our church website.   Also continuing will be the copies of sermons mailed to those who don’t have Facebook or online access.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call or email me (518-791-1123 or pastorphils@gmail.com). I look forward to talking with you and answering any questions that you may have. If I don’t immediately answer the phone, it’s because I am away or on another call, so please leave a voicemail message. I will get back to you as promptly as possible.

When we resume worship on July 5th, it will provide a valuable experience on how to worship faithfully, responsibly, and safely in these very different times. As the health crisis lets up, we may be able to make some modifications in our approach to worshipping together. In the meantime, we might also learn from each other better ways that we can worship safely together.

Every day these difficult times teach me something new. They have stretched all of us, encouraging us to be more creative in our faithfulness to God and Jesus Christ. I am proud of the way that our church, thanks to the talents and diligence of many, has already risen to the challenge of navigating what seemed like an impossible situation amid our nation’s health crisis and the shut-down it precipitated. Knowing that we have a great and generous God, please keep our congregation and its leadership in your prayers as we move ahead together in faith.

Blessings,

Phil

Plattsburgh United Methodist Church

Mission Statement:

We Will Walk in the Way of Jesus as We

Grow Together and Transform the World with God’s Love.

Vision Statement:

We Choose…

· To open our arms, hearts and doors to all.

· To create and maintain for all a place of peace, learning, understanding and support.

· To refrain from judgment as we accept all  people with love, tenderness, respect and  compassion.

· To generously commit ourselves to mission, social justice and  service in the community, nation and world.

· To bravely express our belief that there are many pathways into the sacred and choose Jesus as our pathway.

· To offer passionate worship for all.

Weekly Bulletin