The staff and leadership of Lutheran Church of Honolulu have spent a great deal of time working through a prayerful response to the recent covid-19 outbreak. Although the extent of the corona virus outbreak in Hawai‘i is as yet unknown, we want to be cautious and prepared to protect the most vulnerable people in our midst. As such, we are implementing changes in our worship practice to best protect one another, while maintaining a worshipful presence. These are not changes made out of fear but out of love and concern for those who are most vulnerable.
Therefore, effective immediately, in response to CDC recommendations regarding the covid-19 virus, LCH is modifying parts of our worship practice:
- If you are sick, please stay home to protect the general public.
- Please take a moment to thoroughly wash your hands prior to entering the sanctuary.
- Make use of sanitizing gel located in the pew chairs. (Please do not take the LCH sanitizing gel bottles! We have a limited supply.)
- Refrain from direct contact with others and maintain social distancing. Suggestions for greeting include a slight bow, a wave, shoulder or elbow bump, or the popular Vulcan greeting.
- We are no longer offering the common cup for communion. We still offer the pouring chalice to maintain the symbolism of drinking “from one cup.” If you are uncomfortable receiving communion, please remain seated with full confidence that God’s grace is with you nonetheless.
- Offering plates will no longer be passed person to person.
- Food in the courtyard will be served to you to avoid contamination. Please wait to be served. Do not touch food.
- Please take time to read the information posters posted throughout the campus.
For the moment, small group activities are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we ask sponsors of those events to carefully consider the level of risk their event presents to the most vulnerable among us. If in doubt, please feel free to cancel your event to protect our friends and neighbors. Be sure to contact the church office, at 808-941-2566 or lch@lchwelcome.org, if you cancel an event so that we can post the cancellation on our calendar. If you are not sure what to do, feel free to call Pastor Jeff at the office.
These are interim steps pending further recommendations from the CDC and County Health Department. In the event that the health situation in Hawai‘i worsens, we are prepared to take whatever steps are necessary to protect the public, including cancelling worship and other events for a prescribed period of time. We are already working on a plan to provide some sort of digital content that will allow us to connect in worship, should the need arise. In the meantime, the staff will continue to work and plan for whatever eventuality might come to pass. We appreciate your understanding and support.
Aloha,
Pastor Jeff and the Congregational Council