Dear congregation,
We are extremely happy to welcome you back to our chapel and start holding services in person again, but in order to keep everybody safe we are taking some precautions in line with government guidance and best practice from other places of worship. Before I go into detail about these measures, I would like to stress that although the chapel is open for services in person, there is absolutely no pressure to attend if you do not feel that it is safe for you to do so, and we will be continuing with online services which will allow you to take part in worship at home.
Before attending worship
If you are attending the Sunday or Wednesday services in person, you are advised to register that you are attending in advance using the EventBrite app. Cody will send out the links to register that you are attending each week. This is so that we have an idea of the numbers of people likely to turn up to each service and you can enter your details for Track and Trace in advance, saving on admin time at the chapel entrance which could lead to a queue, where people are at greater risk of coming into close contact.
We advise everyone to download and register for the NHS Covid-19 contact tracing app, if you have a smartphone which is able to run this app.
Getting to the Chapel
Worshippers are advised to come to chapel by the safest means possible. The safest methods of transport are on foot through outdoor areas, or travelling in a private vehicle alone or with members of your own household. Public transport services are running as normal into central Manchester. Public transport is widely recognised to be the highest risk means of travel, so if you are unable to travel by any other means, please take precautions while travelling such as wearing a face covering, using hand sanitising gel and observing social distancing while using public transport.
Arrival at the Chapel
On arrival to the chapel there may be a queue of people waiting to enter. If this is the case, please queue on Chapel Walk leaving a space of 2m between yourself and others.
On entry to the Chapel, you will need to sanitise your hands with the gel provided. Some people find alcohol hand gel to be an irritant, if this is the case then you will need to follow the concourse around to the right to wash your hands in the ground floor bathroom.
You must wear a face covering at all times when you are inside the building. If you are exempt from wearing a face covering, then you will be able to wear a face shield/visor. We encourage you to bring your own face covering or face shield/visor, but if you have forgotten to then we do have a small number of each stocked at the chapel, which we can provide to you.
Once you have entered the chapel you will be met with a greeter who will ask whether you have registered your attendance on Event Brite. If you have not, then they will need to take your name and contact details for Track and Trace purposes. This information will be stored securely and kept only for the purposes of contacting you in the case of another attendee testing positive for Covid-19 so that you can be advised as to whether you need to self-isolate or not, and the information will be destroyed after two weeks.
If you arrive in a group, the greeter will ask you whether you belong to the same or multiple households. Members of the same household may sit together. Members of multiple households must sit separately even if they arrived as a group.
Once you have put on your face covering/visor, sanitised/washed your hands, and given your track and trace details, the greeter will direct you to take a seat in the chapel ready for the service to begin.
During the Service
The seating in the chapel has been set out in a grid pattern so that the seats are 2m apart to ensure social distancing. Members of the same household may bring an extra seat from the chapel perimeter in order to sit together, but all members of different households must sit separately.
Worshippers must keep their face coverings/shields/visors on at all times through the service.
Unfortunately, there will be no singing during the service.
Orders of service will not be distributed, as these could become touch points for spreading the virus.
The worship leader will wear a face shield during the service, or speak from behind a screen attached to the lectern.
If you need the toilet, please use the downstairs toilet on the concourse and sanitise your hands before and after using the facilities.
After the Service
At the end of the service, worshippers will leave the chapel via the route that they entered. The greeter will indicate when people can leave, beginning with the back row so that everyone leaves in an orderly fashion.
There will be no tea and coffee after the service, and worshippers are asked not to socialise within the chapel – please exit directly after the service and observe social distancing on your way out.
The chapel will be thoroughly cleaned after each service by our dedicated chapel staff.
If you develop symptoms of Covid-19, do not hesitate to self-isolate and book a test. Please inform Cross Street Chapel if you have attended a service and test positive for Covid-19.
We hope that these measures will help to ensure the safety of everyone in our community using Cross Street Chapel, and we look forward to seeing you – whether that is in person at the chapel, or online.
With thoughts of health and peace,
Adam O’Leary
You can book a space in our services here
