top of page

Health and Safety

Dear Oaks Church,

Indiana State leaders declared last Friday, May 1st that the majority of Indiana counties would enter Phase 2 of "Back On Track Indiana" beginning on May 4th.  During Phase 2 Churches have been given permission to meet in person.  With this permission comes the responsibility to meet in a safe and wise way as to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).  The Oaks Church Board of Overseers have agreed to begin meeting again on Sunday, May 10th.  We have made this decision in conjunction with the Horizon Convention Center, and they have helped come up with a list of best practices as we begin meeting together again. 

​

We absolutely trust God as we begin to meet again, and we also want to use wisdom. We’d like to share some best practices as precautionary measures to help keep our church family and community safe:

​

Services
​

  1. Sunday services- We will begin having Sunday Services again until further notice on May 10th, 2020.  To keep numbers down in our auditorium we will have two services.  Service times will be at 9:00am and 11:00am.

  2. Kids Program- Younger kids will continue to meet in the multi-purpose rooms. We will be utilizing an additional room to allow for more social distancing. We will do our best to keep kids distanced and limit the number of volunteers interacting.
    Older kids will be placed into small groups of 3-4 children, each with their own Kids Program helper. In order to limit exposure we will keep family units together or pair kids with other family units they have already interacted with outside of church. Groups of kids will be distanced around the museum to accommodate for social distancing. Each group will read and discuss the Bible and do related activities with the story. Groups will also get to rotate to different areas in the museum from one week to next.
       Cleaning/Safety Protocols​

    1. Children's Museum has purchased an ionizer gun to sanitize all surfaces before Sunday morning.

    2. All kids will be asked to wash hands upon entry, sanitize part way through service and wash hands before exiting.

    3. Supplies and materials used with Oaks Kids will be individualized.

    4. Kids of appropriate age will be required to wear a mask as they enter and exit the museum. Masks may be removed once kids are in their assigned pods.

    5. Upon entry, all kids and volunteers will be temperature checked.

  3. Most vulnerable- In line with the States recommendation we ask all individuals who are 65 and above or who have an underlying at-risk health condition to stay home and watch our Sunday Service online. We will be offering a recording of our Sunday Services for those who would still like to be a part of our service from home. That can be found at  www.facebook.com/oakschurchofmuncie 

​

Personal Wellness at our services

​

  1. Face coverings- Before entering the Horizon Convention Center all attending a Sunday Service will be required to have on a face covering. Face coverings can be homemade and can include a scarf, handkerchief, etc. You are expected to wear your face covering during the entirety of our service. Thank you for your cooperation with this! 

  2. Social distancing- All in attendance at our Sunday service will be asked to uphold social distancing guidelines with others outside of their family unit. As much as we will want to shake hands, give hugs etc... we ask that this behavior be refrained from.  

  3. Seating- We will adhere to social distancing with our seating arrangements.  Those that live under the same roof will be able to sit together. If not in the same household then those in attendance will need to sit 3 chairs apart from one another. In addition we will be closing off every other row of chairs for seating. Lastly, we will alternate which rows of chairs will be sat in from one service to the next- meaning first service chairs will not be sat in by second service attenders.  

  4. If you are sick – Experiencing fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, or other flu-like symptoms, please stay home and refrain from gathering with the church or your small group until recovered. We encourage you to reach out to your small group, so that they may pray for you. In addition, if anyone in your household is sick or has been sick, please stay home from church functions and small groups.

​

Facility Cleanliness and Serving​
​

  1. Sanitation/Disinfectant-  The Horizon Convention Center ‍will be using an ionizer with hospital grade disinfectant 2 days before our service to ensure a clean and disinfected space.  

  2. Entering and exiting- There will be one entrance and exit into the building from the rear parking lot. All Sunday attendees will be asked to enter in through the breezeway entrance which is located in between the Courtyard Marriott and Muncie Children's Museum. Volunteers will be onsite to help guide you to the right door.  

  3. Walking through the building- All interior doors will be propped open so that access to our meeting space in Delaware Hall can be reached without needing to touch a door. The bathroom doors will also be propped open and will have a privacy curtain placed in front of them instead.

  4. Hand sanitizer- Will be available at multiple locations throughout the room.  Soap and water hand-washing will also be available in each of the restrooms.  

​

Service Order and Misc. Details

  1. Order of service- We will begin our service with worship and then followed by bible teaching. We will not have person to person prayer ministry at the end of our service.  

  2. Programs, bibles, offering envelopes- Programs will be placed on seats before each service and will be discarded at the end of service. No bibles will be placed under seats for use, so please bring your own. Tithe and offering envelopes will be available in the back of the room, but offering baskets will not be passed. We encourage members to continue giving via mailing a check or online at oakschurch.org

​

We are excited that we will be able to meet again and worship Jesus together in the same space. We are doing our best to move forward in this way with faith and wisdom. 

​

Hope to see you soon.

​

-Zach and the Oaks Church Staff

bottom of page