REOPENING GUIDELINES FOR SAINT AUGUSTINE:
PROCEDURES FOR ATTENDING IN-PERSON WORSHIP
We are excited to reopen St. Augustine of Canterbury for in-person worship this coming Sunday, September 6th at 10:45 am. Christian love and concern for one another is at the center of our preparations to safely congregate together. If you plan to join us for in-person worship, we ask that you follow the guidelines we have put in place for the welfare of our community.
Most importantly, please don’t feel that there is any pressure for you to return if you are uneasy about it. Likewise, if you or a member of your household is feeling ill or has been exposed to COVID-19, please remain at home. You can continue to view the service on YouTube.
Here are the new processes we have put in place for your safety:
Remember that for the time being, there will be no childcare or Children’s Chapel. There is also no fellowship time before or after the service. The East Corridor past the bathrooms, Parish Hall, and the West Corridor are closed.
While we know this is a lot to take in and is significantly different from our traditional routines of church attendance, please know that all of these safeguards have been adopted for your protection and that of your neighbor.
PROCEDURES FOR ATTENDING IN-PERSON WORSHIP
We are excited to reopen St. Augustine of Canterbury for in-person worship this coming Sunday, September 6th at 10:45 am. Christian love and concern for one another is at the center of our preparations to safely congregate together. If you plan to join us for in-person worship, we ask that you follow the guidelines we have put in place for the welfare of our community.
Most importantly, please don’t feel that there is any pressure for you to return if you are uneasy about it. Likewise, if you or a member of your household is feeling ill or has been exposed to COVID-19, please remain at home. You can continue to view the service on YouTube.
Here are the new processes we have put in place for your safety:
- Make a reservation for the service each week. This is a very important step as we plan for the number of worshippers to expect and make sure there is socially distant seating available for everyone. You may either click the link [here] to make your reservation online; email the church office with the names of each person in your party; or call the church office at 405-751-7874 between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm Monday through Friday. You should plan to arrive a little early so you have plenty of time to go through the check-in process when you arrive.
- Masks are required in the building at all times, with the exception of receiving Holy Communion. Please maintain at least a 6-foot distance from others while in the building or on the grounds of the church. If you do not bring a mask, one will be provided.
- Temperature checks by health staff will occur outside the main entrance to the church. If your temperature is above 100.7° you will be asked to return home.
- Once inside the main doors, check in with the greeters and use the available hand sanitizer.
- Proceed to the Narthex where ushers will conduct you to your seat. Bulletins will be already in the seats. Members of the same household will be seated together.
- If at all possible, remain at your seat during the service. The Presider will bring Holy Communion (bread only) to you at your seat.
- At the conclusion of the service, an usher will conduct you to the appropriate exit. Please wait until the usher dismisses you, drop you bulletin at the receptacle at the door and leave your mask on until you arrive at your car.
Remember that for the time being, there will be no childcare or Children’s Chapel. There is also no fellowship time before or after the service. The East Corridor past the bathrooms, Parish Hall, and the West Corridor are closed.
While we know this is a lot to take in and is significantly different from our traditional routines of church attendance, please know that all of these safeguards have been adopted for your protection and that of your neighbor.
RESOURCES FOR YOU DURING COVID-19
LEARN ABOUT ANIMALS OF THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES: https://www.yourlawyer.com/library/animals-of-the-florida-everglades/
SENIOR CARE RESOURCES:
- https://www.caring.com/senior-care/oklahoma/oklahoma-city
- https://www.assistedliving.org/oklahoma/oklahoma-city/
Groceries
Instacart (instacart.com) offers grocery delivery for a small fee. Your first delivery from several stores is free.
Shipt (shipt.com) will also deliver groceries.
Walmart and Aldi have online ordering capabilities so you can pick up your groceries at the curb.
Restaurant delivery can be obtained from Postmates.com (https://postmat.es/Z5ydTryBW4) Doordash (https://www.doordash.com/), ubereats (https://www.ubereats.com/) also have delivery capabilities.
Entertainment
Metrolibrary https://www.metrolibrary.org/find/download-and-stream#movies-tv-music and Pioneer Library https://pioneerlibrarysystem.org/download both offer electronic books via a free service called OverDrive. There are also Spanish language books available. The settings can be changed to have large print, change fonts, change the brightness, and even has a dyslexic friendly font. Overdrive also offers audiobooks for download.
Movies can be checked out for streaming from Hoopla and Kanopy.
Pandora radio (http://pandora.com/) and spotify (https://www.spotify.com/us/) have free music you can listen to.
Games are available from Facebook and AARP. https://games.aarp.org/
The Oklahoma Board Game Community has an online game board here. https://en.boardgamearena.com/group?id=2880004§ion=recent
Virtual Museum Tours and More
British Museum, London - https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. - https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-gallery-of-art-washington-dc?h1=en
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam - https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/van-gogh-museum?h1=en
The Louvre - https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
The Metropolitan Opera - https://metopera.org
Zoo and Aquarium Webcams
San Diego Zoo - https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos
Smithsonian’s National Zoo - Https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams
Reid Park Zoo Lion Cam in Tucson AZ - https://reidparkzoo.org/cameras/lion-cam/
Polar Bear Cubs Camera - https://explore.org/livecams/polar-bears
Montery Bay Aquarium - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnM5iMGiKsZg-iOlIO2ZkdQ
Georgia Aquarium - https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ocean-voyager/
Staying Active
Going outside is OK, so long as you stay more than 6 feet from other people. Walking and gardening is OK under those conditions.
Audible has free access to several workouts from Aaptiv and Aaptiv has a free trial of the full service. https://aaptiv.com/
Here is a seated exercise video for seniors. https://youtu.be/8BcPHWGQO44
https://youtu.be/GJp7wwqMRKM
https://youtu.be/cdsvYbcs-aM
Socialization
If you are lonely, someone is always available to chat confidentially with you at 7 cups. https://www.7cups.com/
Podcasts
https://www.samshockaday.com/blog/19-best-podcasts-perfect-for-seniors-baby-boomers-and-the-older-generation
AT HOME RESOURCES DURING SOCIAL DISTANCING AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
How to talk to children about Coronavirus:
https://buildfaith.org/coronavirus-anxiety-children-and-the-church/
Talking with your teens about Coronavirus:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/well/family/coronavirus-teenagers-
anxiety.html?fbclid=IwAR3hcfmnEaQAMxO-
Dauyf4PCPhPQpfwGbzdBQh6_sBaS8RBXJsvScN9RZe8
Faith at Home
A lectionary-based devotional resource for families of all shapes and sizes
https://www.dofaithathome.org/
We Wonder Podcast for children
From the creators of the podcast: “We want to invite children into a life of wonder,
engagement, and curiosity about the Bible. Children's spiritual lives are real and vibrant: they
are known and loved by God as they are right now, not just as grownups in training! That's why,
on this podcast, we allow children the space to enter God's good words together, wonder about
them, and talk with God about what we find.”
https://www.wewonderpod.com/
The Bible Project
Videos that help people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus
https://bibleproject.com/
Praying in Color
Using doodling and coloring as a way to pray
Main link to website: https://prayingincolor.com/
Link to page with downloadable color sheets: https://prayingincolor.com/handouts
The Easter Story Lego Challenge
https://www.proverbialhomemaker.com/easter-story-lego-challenge.html
Tucked In: Bedtime Stories with Episcopalians and Others
https://www.facebook.com/episcopaltuckedin/