Category Archive

The following is an update from Asbury’s Church Council on COVID-19 policy at Asbury Church

When Asbury returned to in-person worship services and other church activities, Church Council established a policy to follow the CDC’s data for Lehigh County.

The CDC established a color-coded system: Green for low case volume, Yellow for rising case volume and hospitalizations and Red for when the spread of new Covid-19 infections increases to the point where it is prudent to take extra precautions to slow the spread of the virus.

Lehigh County is experiencing significant increases in new Covid-19 cases. When the combination of newly diagnosed cases and Covid-19 hospital admissions reach high thresholds, the CDC moves a county into Red status. On Thursday, May 12, the CDC moved Lehigh County’s status to Red, indicating high community spread of Covid-19.

We recognize this information could be surprising for you because much of Pennsylvania is in the Green or Yellow status. Unfortunately, Lehigh County’s Covid-19 profile now mirrors the high Covid-19 levels in parts of northeast Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. This means we need to take extra steps to protect everyone attending services and other activities at Asbury.

Church Council has reviewed and discussed the data throughout the weekend. Based on the policy established to protect members and guests at Asbury and the high level of community spread currently in our area, Asbury will move from “masks optional” to “masks strongly recommended” for all indoor activities effective Monday May 16.

We know this is disappointing given how much our members have enjoyed worshipping without masks. However, we are dealing with the most contagious respiratory virus in history and need to continue to be flexible in order to worship safely.

Church Council is monitoring the CDC dashboard regularly and will as adjust based on the rate of Covid-19’s spread in Lehigh County.

Thank you for your understanding.

Based on the latest recommendation from the CDC, and Lehigh County’s status as “medium risk” based on CDC metrics, Asbury’s Church Council has approved the church to move to a mask-optional phase effective Sunday, March 6.

This mask-optional phase puts the following changes info effect:

• Masks are optional for worship and for all activities* regardless of vaccination status. We encourage you to make the choice most comfortable for you, your family, and/or your meeting group.
• A section for socially distanced seating will be available in worship services.
• Group leaders are encouraged to decide what is best for their group, taking into consideration the unique composition of the group attendees. Leaders may opt for a mask-optional group, a fully masked group, or a group that meets virtually.

*PLEASE NOTE: because masking in non-worship settings is at the discretion of group/meeting leaders, you may still be required to wear a mask to participate in particular groups/meetings. Please check with your group leader to see what your group’s policy is.

Church Council’s next meeting is on Wednesday, March 9, and will discuss additional updates to the COVID policy.

Thank you for your continued patience as we navigate the ongoing pandemic.

At its January 5 meeting, Asbury’s Church Council continued its review of current COVID conditions, available options, and what they mean for the Asbury community.  Based on guidance from the CDC, the state of PA, and the EPA Conference of the UMC, Church Council approved the following:

• Seating in all pews will be socially distanced until further notice
• Social distancing is encouraged for all, particularly within the pews among people who do not live together
• Small groups, Bible studies, meetings, etc., are recommended and encouraged to maintain a hybrid option, especially to be mindful of high-risk individuals.
• Masks continue to be required for all indoor activities regardless of vaccination status

Thank you for continuing to do your part as we work to keep each other and our community safe.

Due to Lehigh County moving into the “substantial” transmission category, following the guidance of the CDC and the Eastern PA Conference of the United Methodist Church, Asbury’s leadership announces the following updates to coronavirus-related policies at Asbury effective immediately:

• masks are REQUIRED for ALL indoor gatherings/activities, regardless of vaccination status
• singing in worship is still allowed, but with masks remaining on

Asbury’s leadership will continue to monitor the situation and update policies as needed. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work to keep Asbury a safe place to gather and grow as we seek Jesus together.

Asbury’s leadership announces the following updates/changes to coronavirus policies in worship at Asbury as well as updates to our worship offerings:

9 AM indoor worship is moving outdoors beginning Sunday, May 30. For this service:

• Registration is no longer required
• Masks are not required for those who have been vaccinated
• We are still following social distancing guidelines (6 feet of distance between you and those outside of your family pod)
• Congregational singing will be allowed for all
• Seating will be in the parking lot. Bring your own chair if desired, otherwise we will have seating available for you.
• In the case of adverse weather, the service will be moved into the Sanctuary
• This service will not be streamed, even if it is moved inside
• Streaming worship will continue to be offered at 10:30 AM at live.asburylv.org

10:30 AM worship is opening to have in-person attendance in addition to being streamed beginning Sunday, June 6. For this service:

• Registration is not required
• Masks are not required for those who have been vaccinated
• We are still following social distancing guidelines (6 feet of distance between you and those outside of your family pod)
• For those who have been vaccinated, congregational singing is permitted
• This service will be streamed at 10:30 AM at live.asburylv.org

Asbury’s leadership is currently reviewing policies and protocol in place for COVID-19 after the recent announcement from the CDC regarding easing mask usage among those who have been vaccinated. The following was shared by Pastor Eric during streaming worship this morning:

“Now, as I think all of you know, this past Thursday the CDC updated their recommendations on wearing masks… so the Trustees and the leadership here at Asbury are looking at these new recommendations and we’re going to be looking at our policies and procedures for worship and other things here at Asbury. [We appreciate your grace as you] give us some time to [discern] what it means for us, [particularly as we] balance [sensitive issues such as] kids hav[ing] not been vaccinated for the most part and… people [having varying levels of comfort when it comes to wearing a] mask. So we’re trying to balance all that, [we just ask that you] be patient and we will have an update on our new policy very shortly and will communicate that with the congregation.”