Update 10: July 11, 2021
The Farringdon Joint Board has tentatively approved our reopening at Farringdon for in-person worship for Sunday, September 19, 2021. At that point, the province should be in the final reopening phase which will allow us to meet in person with fewer restrictions.
The final reopening phase is scheduled to begin July 16th, 2021, but with many on vacation, we felt September would be an optimal time for us to return, especially as it is projected most will be fully vaccinated by September. This date will coincide with Rally Sunday, which will make the day a wonderful celebration.
More details will be forthcoming as our reopening date approaches.
Stay safe and stay well.
Update 9: June 3, 2021
The Provincial stay-at-home order is now expired as of June 2, 2021. However, restrictions regarding gatherings outside of our households remain in place. New reopening phases are set to begin June 14, 2021 (tentatively), but numbers for gatherings will continue to be very limited. Unfortunately, due to this announcement, we will need to remain closed for in-person worship at Farringdon until restrictions are eased.
We will continue providing our weekly worship service online and will also continue to send it out to all members via mail or email.
We will continue to observe provincial recommendations and guidelines and look forward to the day when we may reopen our doors for worship.
We will keep everyone advised as the situation unfolds.
Stay safe and stay well.
Update 8: April 1, 2021
The Provincial government has made the decision to once again place the province in lockdown due to rising Covid-19 cases. This lockdown will begin on Saturday, April 3, and will be in effect for at least four weeks. Due to this announcement, we will unfortunately need to close our doors again for in person worship at Farringdon for the duration of the lockdown. This means our Easter Sunday in person service will be cancelled.
As we did during the last lockdown, we will be providing our weekly worship service online and will also send it out to all members via mail or email.
We hope that this lockdown will be short-lived and that we will be able to open our doors again soon. We will keep everyone advised as the situation unfolds.
Stay safe and stay well.
Update 7: March 21, 2021
Although Brantford/Brant is moving into the Red Zone restrictions as of Monday, March 22, 2021, Farringdon church will continue to be open for Sunday services with the restrictions we currently have in place. (See “Update 5” for details.)
Sunday School is still operational during this time.
Midweek child and youth programs will be conducted fully outdoors. Kid’s club (K – grade 3) will run from 6pm-7pm and Youth Bible Study (grade 4 -8) will run from 6:30pm-7:30pm.
As always, please register online through the Eventbrite link provided. If you feel your child will be uncomfortable outdoors for that length of time, we are happy to offer online programs if enough interest is generated. These online programs would occur on Monday evenings if 3+ children express interest in participating this way
Please let our youth coordinator know if online programming is something you would prefer.
Kid’s Club: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/kids-club-tickets-141742935937
Youth: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/youth-bible-study-tickets-141746119459
If rain is forecasted for the evening, those families who have pre-registered will be notified of a virtual program opportunity.
Update 5: August 29, 2020
Farringdon Church will be reopening for in person service starting September 6th, 2020.
To help keep everyone safe and healthy, the following changes and protocols will be in place:
1) WELLNESS – If you are feeling unwell or have been in contact with anyone suspected of having COVID-19, please do not come to church until you are cleared to do so.
2) SOCIAL DISTANCING – We will be seating people in alternate pews, with no more than three to a pew. Pews will be marked off accordingly. The exception to the number of people in a pew is family groupings, who may be seated together.
3) CAPACITY – According to health regulations, we are permitted to seat 30% of our building capacity for services. Should our attendance exceed that capacity before restrictions are lifted, we are exploring other seating options in order to hopefully allow anyone wishing to attend to do so safely.
4) ENTERING/EXITING – We will request that everyone maintain social distancing while entering and exiting the church and while in the aisles. Following the service, we will exit both through the front and rear of the sanctuary to avoid congestion in the aisle.
5) COFFEE HOUR – There will not be coffee hour or any gathering in the Narthex. You may wish to visit from a safe distance once you leave the building.
6) DOOR GREETERS – Door greeters will be present to welcome you. However, we will not be shaking hands, hugging, etc. Bulletins will be placed in the pews prior to the service to avoid being handled by multiple people.
7) MASKS – City bylaws require that everyone in the building wear a mask for the duration of the service. Masks are required for everyone ages 2 and up, except for those unable to wear a mask for health reasons. Please bring your own mask with you to church. The minister and anyone providing readings or music from the chancel area will not be required to wear a mask in that area.
8) HAND SANITIZER – Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the church for everyone’s protection.
9) SINGING/MUSIC – It has been recommended by health experts that churches should not engage in congregational singing, as this increases the expulsion of water droplets potentially carrying the virus. We will find other ways to provide music during our services but will not be singing as a congregation.
10) OFFERING – We will not be passing the offering plates during service. Offering plates will be placed at the front and back of the sanctuary and you may place your offerings as you arrive or as you leave.
11) COMMUNION – We will be offering corporate communion once a month as usual, beginning with September 13. We have been able to procure individually packaged communion elements of juice and wafers, which will be distributed upon arrival and consumed during communion. There will be no chancel communion for the time being.
12) ONLINE SERVICES – We realize that not everyone will be comfortable returning to church in person right away and we completely understand and respect that decision. For that reason, we will continue to provide the email/mail version of the service each week. We also hope to record a video of the sermon live each week which will then be uploaded to our YouTube channel. These services will be sent out each week following the in-person service at the church. (i.e. Sept. 6th service will be available Sept. 7th)
13) YOUTH PROGRAMMING – As schools are reopening, we have made the decision to also restart our youth programming. Katelyn has developed a comprehensive plan to safely offer both online and in person youth programming. Information on this can be found at https://farringdonchurch.ca/youth-family/virtual-mondays/ and at https://farringdonchurch.ca/youth-family/lets-connect/. Rally Sunday will be held September 20, with youth programming beginning the following week.
14) PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE CHURCH – Once we are officially reopened, we will be striving to maintain as much control as possible over the use of the building, in order to be able to maintain cleaning and sanitizing to the best of our ability. Therefore, during business hours, the church will remain locked. Margot will be in the office for usual office hours and anyone needing to enter the church may ring the bell and gain entry if needed.
Please be kind to one another and know that a bit of patience will be needed to help this process run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. We look forward to seeing our Farringdon family and friends once again!
Update 4: June 11, 2020
Farringdon Church prides itself on serving the community and our congregation with their best interests in mind. The Covid-19 pandemic saw the temporary closure of our church in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines and to help prevent our church family and our fellow community from contracting and spreading the virus.
On Monday, June 8, 2020, The Government of Ontario announced the beginning of Stage 2 reopening which included places of worship allowing to reopen at 30% capacity.
Given the circumstances however, the elders of our church made the decision to keep our church closed until September 1, 2020.
Should there be considerable positive changes regarding Covid-19 in the meantime, we may certainly consider reopening earlier, but that seems unlikely at this point.
We will be continuing to provide our online services and our youth programming on our website and our Facebook platforms.
God bless and protect you!
Update 3: May 25, 2020
To continue in compliance with the Covid-19 measures and guidelines set out by the Government of Ontario, Farringdon Church will remain closed through the month of June 2020.
Our church mailbox is available for contactless delivery and is checked daily.
You can still call the church at 519-759-2495 and voicemails are checked each weekday.
Update 1: Mar 16, 2020
Due to the ongoing global pandemic situation of Covid-19, Farringdon Church will be temporarily closed effective immediately up until April 6th at the earliest.
This includes all Sunday services, office hours, mid-week programming, and meetings.
We will update everyone as the situation evolves.