This past fall, many of you participated in a survey to help us decide how we might continue to make our spaces as inclusive and accessible as the COVID-19 pandemic shifted to an endemic stage. Your Leadership Team combed through your responses, listening and learning as we went. We decided at that time to continue requiring masking in the Sanctuary on Sunday mornings to make it as inclusive a space as possible, and to move to masking optional in the rest of our spaces. We also promised that we would revisit this decision in the spring, and even though the weather often doesn’t feel like it—spring is here. 

After careful consideration of local and national health guidelines, which have continued to evolve over the past year, and ongoing monitoring of COVID levels in Hennepin County, we have decided to update our COVID Community Care Policies, effective this Sunday, May 21:

• Masking will be welcome, but not required, inside the church building—including the sanctuary—when Covid community/hospital admission levels in Hennepin County are Low or Medium. Masks will be required inside the building when those levels are High.
• High quality KN95/N95 masks will be available free of charge for anyone who wishes to use one when in the building.
• Creating an intentionally inclusive space where masking is respected and welcomed without question is all of our responsibility.
• We continue to encourage all who can be vaccinated against Covid-19 to receive the initial vaccination and subsequent boosters to reduce the impact of Covid 19 for each person individually and for our wider community, collectively.
• We continue to ask people to stay home if they are feeling sick. 
• We will continue to offer online and multi-platform opportunities for spiritual growth, and will continue to focus resources on further strengthening our online and multi-platform community. 
• We will work with congregants and families on an individual basis to address health and accessibility concerns, and to find creative ways to care for each other and connect. Please reach out to Rev. Ashley Harness to brainstorm together. 

We welcome your feedback as we continue to navigate new times and circumstances together, committed, as always, to caring for each other and our larger community with love.