Greetings to the members of the Groveland Congregational Church,

For the past 15 months, during the COVID Pandemic, our duty as the COVID TEAM has been to serve the church by meeting weekly to scrutinize the daily changes of the Government, CDC, State Government, and many other agencies, pertaining to the COVID virus. All efforts were made to sort out the information for reliable, understandable, and practical applications and schedules, as pertained to the safety and comfort of our congregation.

We have now reached the point where, once fully vaccinated, there is no longer a need for masks or social distancing. We can sing and hug. We can stand close to people and smile while we share our lives together once again.

This long road we have traveled together has left us weary and this news is a welcome relief. While most are anxious to put this trouble behind us, for others, It will not be easy.
Some people will still need their masks and space even when they are vaccinated.
The constant barrage of information and misinformation has not been kind. There are those who will need our help emerging as they struggle from a place of fear and mistrust. This is a time to reach out with reassurance to those who need us and help them move forward towards our new beginning.

We can now return to personal choices.

The work of The COVID TEAM is finished.  In a meeting with church leaders, on May 17, 2021 we composed the COVID report you see here. God willing, we will never have to repeat this past two years. Having said that; It has been our pleasure to serve the Groveland Congregational Church.

If you have concerns or a response to this information, you are welcome to contact the following persons for further information:

Robert Lay, Moderator:  layrb@comcast.net

Reverend Robin DeAngelis:  revrobindeangelis@gmail.com

Susan D’Angelo, Worship Team Leader:  susandan41@hotmail.com

Thank you,
The Ministry Team
Susan Tilden: Worship Team Shepherd, Bette Neumeyer, Dorris O’Leary and John Statom.

• All information obtained for this purpose may be found at Mass.gov/COVID, CDC, The REALM PROJECT, THE LANCET, UCC Guidelines and Town of Groveland. More information will be made available upon request to: Dorris O’Leary, dorrisoleary@gmail.com

The Covid Team FINAL Report

The Supreme Court decided in 2020 at the beginning of the Covid pandemic that the CDC could not constitutionally mandate protocols for houses of worship.  That left us to be guided by the Covid pandemic general rules. Meeting weekly for the last year and a half, the Team reviewed guidelines and made changes according to the most current information available. Below are the guidelines we have based our recommendations on.

THE CLOSING
Church was held in cars and then outdoors in the Spring of 2020 .
Indoor church resumed with masks, social distancing during the Summer with other limitations through the Fall.
Church was shut down for Christmas of 2020 and remained closed the rest of the Winter into 2021, secondary to active Covid.
In the early Spring of 2021, the Church was reopened with masks, social distancing, and restriction of numbers.

THE OPENING
CDC recommendations
April 27, 2021
A CDC graph was made available that mentioned “full capacity churches” allowed, with singing while  masked.

May 10, 2021
Reopening of amusement & waterparks to 50%, arenas and ballparks 25% capacity. Indoor singing is allowed with distancing.

May 13, 2021
Fully vaccinated people need no masks outdoors, in crowds and in most indoor settings.
Masks are needed for very crowded settings, public transportation, healthcare facilities, prisons, and homeless shelters.  Removing the need for fully vaccinated individuals to socially distance or wear masks. (From director of CDC Dr. Rochelle Walensky); “ Fully vaccinated people can participate in indoor & outdoor activities,  large and small, without a mask or socially distancing.”

May 29, 2021 Capacity increases to 200 people indoors and 250 outdoors. Bars, beer gardens, wineries, street festivals, parades capacity increased to 50%,

Aug 1, 2021 All restrictions lifted.
The  information provided has guided us towards keeping our Congregation safe. The new guidelines leave al the previous ones null & void.

May 29,2021

CDC & MA New Guidelines; All Restrictions Lifted