Sunday Worship Update

As you no doubt know, in-person worship resumes at Shepherd of the Valley this Sunday at 10:00 AM. A couple things will be different post-pandemic. Here’s a head start on the wrinkles you’ll want to know about.

SCREENS AND NEW AUDIO

Thanks to a generous gift in memory of Mark McLagan, we now have new screens and audio in the sanctuary. Hopefully, the audio glitches that plagued us in years past will disappear.

We will not have bulletins during the service. Instead liturgy responses and other worship aids will appear on screens around the sanctuary. This is already saving us thousands of dollars a year in copier costs and it spares trees as well.
We will have a monthly update sheet with long-term announcements, congregation birthdays and anniversaries, and the like. You can pick those up on your way in the sanctuary.

MUSIC
As we’re still wrestling with pandemic issues, liturgies will be spoken instead of sung. Also music will be shared by small groups or on video instead of whole-congregation singing. We’ll evolve as the year continues onward. We anticipate being able to do more participatory music as COVID continues to recede.

COMMUNION

You have two options for communion now.

• If you’d like to commune in your own seat, wafer-grape juice packets will be available in the entryway. Just grab one and you’re all set when communion time arrives!
• You can also come forward to the altar in small family groups. We’ll ask that you come slowly, keeping social spacing. You’ll receive the bread and an individual cup of wine or grape juice from the pastor and communion assistant, just like you always have. People serving communion will be masked.
• After you’ve communed at the altar, instead of giving your empty cup to a third assistant, you’ll leave it in a basket for empty cups on a table in front of the altar.

​REMINDER
We would love people to sign up to read, share the Psalm and prayers, and to help set up and serve communion. See your church email for the link to sign up, or contact the church office to let us know what dates you’re interested in! 

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