Continued in-person Sunday worship service March 27, 2022

The MBC board have reviewed recent changes to municipal and provincial public health guidelines, and have prayerfully considered how to apply them to our church community.

In summarizing Toronto and Ontario’s changes to COVID-19 public health guidelines:

Mandatory mask requirements in indoor spaces will be lifted March 21, 2022 (with exception of high-risk health care settings; not applicable to worship settings).
Removal of Toronto Public Health guidelines for places of worship and capacity limits for indoor settings.
Individual organizations can still institute their own public health measures, such as mask wearing and vaccination requirements.

We recognize that the above guidelines may take time to adjust, as our community consists of elderly members, young children who cannot be vaccinated at this time, and members with immunocompromised conditions. After thoughtful consultations and discussions, the MBC board has proposed the following:

We encourage members to return to in-person Sunday worship services. However, we will continue to provide online worship services to support this transition time period.
Masks will still be required for all indoor gatherings at MBC.
Our worship services will gradually shift from virtual elements back to live elements:
a. We can resume singspiration indoors with masks on.
b. Access to the Church kitchen will remain closed at this time.
c. Continued physical distancing from those outside your household.
d. The MBC board will continue to deliberate on transitions regarding Children’s ministry, choir ministry, and impacts on overall worship.
We will continue to follow public health guidelines for symptom screening, current screening guidelines linked  : Please stay at home if you or a family member are experiencing any symptoms.
We request that staff and helpers serving in ministries involving older persons and young children to be fully COVID-19 vaccinated (2 or more doses) to help protect the MBC community. Please speak to your ministry superintendent and coordinator if you have any questions.

Your feedback is greatly welcomed, please direct your comments and inquiries to admin@malvernbaptist.ca.

Preregistering for the Service

We will be limiting attendance during the service in order to allow for physical distancing. We will also be recording people’s info for the purposes of contact tracing. You can speed up this process and ensure a space is reserved for you by preregistering here for each Sunday’s service.
Please register by the end of Thursday each week so we will have time to get organized for Sunday.
If you are not able to preregister you are still welcome to show up on Sunday! It just might take longer to check in and there is a chance the sanctuary may be full.

Only attend if you are comfortable doing so:

 If you choose to worship at home we will understand and fully support your decision.

 We will continue to offer online worship.

Please refrain from attending if you have:

 Travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days, and instructed to quarantine as per Canadian Federal Travel Rules

 Been in contact with someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days.

 New or worsening symptoms such as a cough, fever, difficulty breathing, sore throat, runny nose, loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fatigue, sore muscles or joints.

Please refer to the Toronto Public Health Screening Guide  for further details

 Ensure you have a mask for everyone in your household aged 2 and up. If you cannot wear a mask for medical reasons please contact the church office so we can accommodate your needs.

Consider preregistering on this web page as this will save time checking in when you arrive. It will also reserve you a space, as attendance will be limited to ensure physical distancing.

 Consider bringing your own Bible, as all hymnals and pew Bibles have been removed.

 Consider bringing a bottle of water, as the kitchen will be closed.

 Consider bringing activities for your children as there will be no children's programming.

You will need to check-in each Sunday at the front door. We will:

Check your temperature using a non-contact thermometer.
Ask you screening questions (see Toronto Public Health Screening Guide ).
Ask you to apply hand-sanitizer, which we will provide.
Ensure you are wearing a mask (see the above section on Before I Come to Church).
Record your contact information for the purpose of contact tracing.
Your information will be kept confidential.
Your information will not be used for any other purposes

Practice social distancing. Separate households must stay at least 2 meters (6 feet) apart. Every other pew in the sanctuary has been blocked off.
Keep your mask on.
Follow the floor markers that have been placed on the ground to guide traffic and promote social distancing.
Be aware that worship will not be exactly the same as before COVID-19. Some elements of the service will be modified to comply with government regulations.
- Currently, indoor singing is allowed with your mask on.
All in-church programming beyond the Worship Service remains cancelled until further notice. There will be:
- No Sunday School
We will not be passing offering plates. Please use the collection boxes at the back of the sanctuary.
There will be no physical bulletins. Announcements will be displayed on the screen and at malvernbaptist.ca.