ANNOUNCEMENT RELATED TO COVID19 PANDEMIC

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COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN
Effective 16 June 2020

COVID-19 Safety Plan for meetings in June

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ALL CHURCH MEETINGS WILL BE CONDUCTED ONLINE

GUIDELINES REGARDING THE MEETINGS OF THE CHURCH

26 March 2020

In response to the new restrictions announced by the government on 24 Mar 2020, we have to use online platform to meet, effective immediately, in order to minimise person to person contact and mitigate the risk of being infected and potentially infecting others with the Coronavirus. 

The following are some guidelines on how to conduct our online meetings. The church has started a new service group, Video Conference Support, to assist any saint or district that needs help, in English, Mandarin and Korean languages. 

Click the button below for more guidelines and instructions. You can also contact the serving ones on that page if you need further assistance.

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ONLINE MEETINGS

Principles: 

  1. In every meeting, keep the nature of the meeting as much as possible.
  2. Keep the online meetings shorter than the usual face to face meeting.
  3. Each attendee should dress appropriately as if we are meeting face to face.

Platform:

  1. Use Zoom preferably for all corporate meetings. 
  2. Each district can subscribe to one Zoom account for this purpose using district email account, unless there are individuals who already have an account. 
  3. Church Email Administrator is setting up an account for districts that do not have an account. 
  4. For information and tutorials on how to use Zoom and how to set up meetings, please visit HERE.
  5. To reduce background noise, use bluetooth headset or wired earpiece; mute your microphone when not speaking if it picks up too much background noise.

Singing Corporately:

Singing simultaneously by all connected saints will experience a delay from each other. Hence it may be easier if one connected saint plays a music (eg using hymnal.net or guitar) with everyone singing to that music, with their microphones muted.

PRAYER MEETINGS

  1. Each prayer meeting should have one video conference call for all who normally attend the prayer meeting. 
  2. We expect the prayer meeting will be around 12-15 saints joining. If the number is greater, we can split into two prayer meetings on Zoom.

SMALL GROUP MEETINGS

  1. Each individual or family should join video conference from their own home.
  2. We should not go to each other’s homes. 
  3. If we meet online, it will be good to have a short time to know each other’s situation, pray for one another and rendering care for each other during these challenging times. 
  4. It is important to maintain the mutual care and shepherding among small group members during the week, and contact by phone those who are not meeting.

LORD’S DAY MEETINGS

  1. Each district should have ONE online Lord’s table meeting followed by ONE prophesying meeting, unless the number exceeds 40 people.
  2. Each language should have their own online Lord’s table and prophesying meeting because it will be difficult to provide online translation; if there are not enough saints to form a separate online meeting in any language then these saints should join another district of that language.
  3. Every saint should dress properly befitting our meeting the Lord at His table for His testimony.

Proposed Lord’s Day Schedule:

10:00 AM

  • Lord’s Table

Remark: At least two hymns – one hymn for remembering the Lord and another for worshipping of the Father.

10:40 AM

  • Announcement

10:45 AM

  • Break

11:00 AM

  • High-schoolers’ Meeting

If applicable, the serving ones should pre-arrange a Zoom meeting and invite all high-schoolers beforehand.

  • Prophesying Meeting

Remark: 

Guideline: Opening word: 4 mins, 

Prophecy: 1.5 mins per prophecy, 

Closing word: 4 mins.

11:40 AM

  • Prophesying & High-schoolers’ Meetings end.

11:45 AM – 12:15 PM

  • Children’s Meeting

Remark: Singing one or two children’s song(s) followed by a short lesson.

 

Online Bread Breaking:

  1. Two serving brothers of proper standing should be allocated each week to prepare bread and wine in their home respectively. 
  2. At a proper time, preferably at the peak of the saints’ praising, both brothers should pray one after another and thereafter break bread simultaneously in their respective home with the camera showing the bread and cup as they break it. This represents the breaking of bread for the entire district standing on the ground of oneness, testifying the oneness of the Body to the glory of God.

Online Children’s Meetings: 

  1. Children’s meeting starts after the prophesying meetings ends. 
  2. The child or children in each home will need one parent to be with them. 
  3. The serving ones will send children’s song(s) and lesson to each parent beforehand. 
  4. The serving ones will lead the singing, and teach all the children who join the meeting online.
  5. Doing craft with children online may be difficult. If the children would like craft activities, each family will have to do this themselves with their children.

Online High-schoolers’ Meetings:

  1. Every district meeting that has high-schoolers’ meeting on the Lord’s day should continue having an online highschoolers’ meeting.
  2. Districts may wish to combine their high-schoolers’ meetings if that is more conducive and effective.

May the Lord richly bless each online meeting with His presence and His speaking for the fellowship among saints to build up His Body! May the church life continue to flourish in His life. May all the saints be protected, supplied, connected and not isolated in these challenging days!

 

Your fellow partakers of His grace,

The elders.

 

FURTHER MEASURES FOR ALL GATHERINGS IN THE HOMES

20 Mar 2020

In addition to what we announced on 18 Mar, for all gatherings in the homes, please implement the following precaution:

  1. Keep to a maximum number of 10 people in any home gathering whether it is small group, prayer meeting or informal fellowship.
  2. Everyone should sanitise their hands before entering the home. Best to bring your own sanitiser if possible. Otherwise the home you visit may run out of sanitiser quickly.
  3. Practise social distancing of 1.5 m including seating, with the exception for husband/ wife with their children.
  4. Do not attend any gathering if you have symptoms of respiratory illness such as fever, coughs or shortness of breath.
  5. Use Skype or Zoom for those who are unable to attend.

We must keep up the hygiene measures and if we cannot meet physically, we should try online platform such as Skype or Zoom to facilitate our fellowship with one another as much as possible.

NEW MEASURES REGARDING CHURCH MEETINGS

CHURCH IN SYDNEY

18 Mar 2020

 

Following the announcement by the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, this morning on new bans against indoor gatherings of 100 people, the following measures will be implemented in all church gatherings. 

As further measures are announced by the government, we will update accordingly. Please check regular updates on the church website: www.churchinsydney.org/covid19.

 

COMBINED MEETINGS, CONFERENCES AND TRAININGS

We will cancel the following meetings, conferences and trainings effective immediately: 

  1. All combined meetings of the whole church, combined meetings of the west-side districts and east-side districts.
  2. Biannual Perfecting Training (25-26 April) in Melbourne.
  3. Campus Retreat (9-11 Apr) in Sydney.
  4. Church Outing (10 Apr) in Sydney.
  5. National Serving Ones’ Training will not be held in Adelaide. We will consider using online platforms to conduct this training in various localities, subject to government restriction. Further details, once decided, will be announced.

 

CHURCH GATHERINGS

We will adjust the church gatherings as follows:

  • Social distancing:
    • Before, during and after meetings, social distancing of 1.5 metre should be implemented.
    • The exception is for husband and wife with their children.
  • Love feasts:
    • All love feasts should stop effective immediately.
  • Lord’s table meetings:
    • All gatherings of more than 100 people including children must be divided to no more than 100 people.
    • A seating arrangement of 1.5 metre gap between chairs shall be set up.
    • The children’s meeting room should not have any adult who is not serving inside the meeting room, to keep the same principle as school classes are being held as normal.
  • Prayer meetings:
    • As most prayer meetings are in the homes, district responsible brothers need to consider the venue of prayer meeting, and if needed to have more than one venue for the prayer meeting and pre-allocate those attending prayer meeting regularly into each venue.
  • Group meetings:
    • Venue should take into consideration being able to have seating 1.5 metre apart from each other, except for husband and wife with their children.
  • UNSW Sunday Fellowship Meetings:
    • All UNSW Sunday Fellowship Meetings will be conducted in groups instead of gathering together at UNSW.
    • Those who attend this meeting regularly will receive details in due course.
  • Monthly perfecting training:
    • For the training to be held this weekend, seating should be 1.5 metre apart from each other. 
    • Trainings for the future months will be announced closer to the date.

WHO SHOULD NOT ATTEND MEETINGS

  1. Anyone who has returned from overseas in the last fourteen days should refrain from attending any meetings or meeting with the saints for up to fourteen days from the date of return.
  2. Anyone who is in close contact with people who have returned from overseas and showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as fever, sore throat, coughing, shortness of breath etc, for up to fourteen days from the date of exposure.
  3. Anyone who has symptoms of respiratory illness such as fever, sore throat, coughing, shortness of breath etc, must not attend any meetings or meeting with the saints until after cessation of symptoms. 

 

May we be vigilant in these days, much more than ever, to be exercised to draw near to the Lord personally in His word, to be gathered in twos and threes to mutually shepherd and pray together, and to be keen to receive prayers from the Lord for what He wants to do in this situation.

 

The elders

Local church in Sydney