A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. J.C. AUSTIN: UPDATE ON MASK PROTOCOLS
Friends, as you know, we have had a Task Force advising the Session on protocols for managing the risk of COVID infection for almost two years at this point. Our congregation is blessed to have members who are experts in virology, public health, and medical science, and their wisdom and tenacity in guiding us through the pandemic has been invaluable.
This has not been an easy task by a long shot, as recommendations have shifted 
in multiple directions with new variants and new scientific insight on how the virus is spread (do you remember people wiping down their groceries with hand sanitizer at the beginning before we knew it didn’t spread through surface contact?).
As you may know, the CDC recently changed its recommendations on masking. This, of course, was in response to the dramatic decline in the spread of the Omicron variant (the daily rate of new cases in Northampton County is now below 20; it was over 1,000 in mid-January!). Specifically, the CDC now says that masks are not necessary at this point in the pandemic for people who are fully vaccinated and do not have underlying high risk factors.
Accordingly, our Task Force met, reviewed the recommendations in light of our current context in Bethlehem, and determined that they could finally recommend to the Session to move the church to a “mask-optional” protocol for church activities, including Sunday worship. The Session has since voted unanimously to approve that recommendation.
So: beginning on Sunday, March 20, fully vaccinated and boosted people may opt out of wearing a mask to worship or another other church activity, with only two exceptions.
The first exception is for the Preschool. The CDC is still recommending that children under 5 years old wear masks in public spaces, because there is not yet a safe and effective vaccine available for children under 5. Accordingly, all children and adults in the Preschool will continue to wear masks at all times until further notice. The second exception is for worship services that are expected to exceed 50% capacity of the Sanctuary (or Kirk Center). The Task Force and Session both felt that an unmasked “capacity crowd” in those spaces represented too high of a collective risk at this point.
I do want to emphasize that this is mask–optional. There are some people in our congregation who will feel more comfortable now that they do not have to wear a mask; there are some people who feel more comfortable continuing to wear a mask. For some of those, wearing a mask is the only way they can feel comfortable or even safe in attending worship in person. One of our congregation’s core values is that we are “Welcoming to All.” That means, in a mask-optional environment, we will respect and honor one another and the choices we make, regardless of our personal feelings on the matter.
Finally, the Task Force wants to remind us that we are able to make this change now because the circumstances of the pandemic have changed to allow it. Though none of us wants to think about this, I know, there could be a new variant that arises and requires us to resume more restrictive protocols, including a mask mandate. If that happens, we will obviously make the appropriate announcements, and for now, we can all pray that the worst of the pandemic is finally and definitively behind us. But, as we have done for two years, we will make our decisions based on the best available scientific advice, and if that identifies a need to resume masking or other protocols, we will take that very seriously.
In the meantime, though, we can celebrate that, almost exactly two years after we went “digital-only” for our church life and ministry in the lockdown phase, we are in a position to make mask-wearing optional when we gather together. I am so grateful for the resilience and perseverance of this church community through so many hardships, and I look forward to seeing some of your full faces in worship on Sunday for the first time in a while!
Grace and Peace,
J.C.