Summary of the Reopening Survey Responses
Thank you to the 141 people who responded to our survey, with 44% answering for others in their family as well. Your input was so valuable.
We appreciated the very positive response to our planning, communication, and intention to reopen. Comments noted that we balanced inclusion, safety, and the reasonable desire to meet in person.
Here are some notable points from the survey response:
- Not a single adult identified as being unvaccinated; however, we know through personal conversations of a few adults who are not vaccinated.
- 23.6% of respondents said that they had an unvaccinated child or youth in their home.
- There is high interest in reopening, with in-person, live services being the most highly anticipated (63.6%). Social gatherings outdoors (51.8%), movie theatre-style screenings of the Sunday service (43.9%), gathering in-person with one’s small group (42.4%), and adult After Hour programming (33.4%) were also popular priorities.
- There is high interest in faith formation. 52 respondents said that they would let their child or youth attend either in-doors or outdoors, 16 said outdoors only, 10 said that they wanted additional information (has been sent), and 5 said that they would only send their child(ren) when vaccinated.
- Continuing online church is a high and important priority to a smaller subsection of the congregation (15.1%). Though a smaller percentage, this interest was reinforced through many comments.
- Even for in-person screenings of our worship service, there is more expected demand than seating. Spaced seating currently allows for 53 seats in the sanctuary. We will adjust seating as we follow patterns of COVID-prevalence and attendance, to allow for maximum attendance while retaining the distancing endorsed by medical experts.
- Not everyone is ready to return, and return specifically to a community that is practicing a community- care (masking, distancing, and allowing both vaccinated and unvaccinated to return.)
- Without prompting, some voiced that they understood that our policies or practice around reopening would adjust (becoming more or less restrictive) according to the larger COVID landscape.
- Several people asked how singing would be handled. The reopening team is looking into the feasibility of doing this safely; until then singing will be discouraged. The ministers would like to find a way for us to sing together, and understand the need to risk mediation. Read our FAQ for more information.