What To Expect on Sunday during COVID restrictions

We want church to be safe for you and everyone else. That means that while we still gather for the same purpose – to meet with God in his word – it will look and feel a little different compared to what it was like before COVID.

General Guidelines

While in the building please observe the following:

Where reasonably practical, ensure a distance of 1.5m at all times.
Maintain a distance of 5m in front of singers or musicians playing wind instruments.
Observe the max per person room limits as displayed at all room entrances.
Observe general COVID etiquette guidelines as per the NSW Health Dept link below.
Avoid sharing microphones, lecterns, pens, bulletins, and Bibles.

On Sundays…

Do not come to church if you are feeling unwell or have any flu-like symptoms. If you are a volunteer, decline in Elvanto and the relevant coordinator will address the issue. If you develop symptoms or start feeling sick while at church go home immediately. Please ask for assistance if you need help to get home safely. The service is still being streamed online.
Do not open the building to the public on a Sunday morning unless you are the Greet Team Leader and ushering is ready to commence. 22 October 2020. The Greet Team leader will keep track of overall numbers (max occupancy under the 4sqm rule is 190).
Only the designated song leaders (max of five people at any one time) can sing.
Try to remain in your allocated seat as much as possible. Leave 2 empty seats between yourself and the next person.

Kids on Sunday

Parents are welcome to have their children with them in church or attend the relevant Kids Church class.
We understand that children, especially young children, are not able to physically distance. However, parents and other adults caring for children and teaching children must endeavor to physically distance from other adults.
In the church service, we will endeavor to seat families with babies and young children in the kid-friendly area at the back. We understand that young children will roam a bit in this area. Parents with older children should remain in their allocated seats.
We understand that parents with babies may need to come and go between their seats in church and the foyer. We understand that parents with children in the pre-K class may need to come and go between their seats in church and the pre-K class. However, as much as possible, parents and children should endeavor to not move frequently between church and the K-6 class.
There is a change table in the ground floor disabled toilet.
Due to COVID restrictions, no morning tea will be provided at Kids Church. Parents should provide their children with their own drinks and snacks.
Due to COVID restrictions, all our classes have room maximums that must be observed. We cannot guarantee that there will be room for your child at Kids Church.
If your child has allergies or special needs inform the teacher verbally at drop off and ensure these details are entered when you check-in.
Our child protection policy requires that all children be checked-in each Sunday.
Please ask our Greet Team (wearing the lanyards) if you have any questions.

Children not yet attending school but able to walk (Pre-K)
- The pre K class is in the Chapel on the ground floor.
- Parents are welcome to stay in the room. The service is streamed on the big TV.
Children in Primary School (K-6)
- The K-6 class is the basement.
- Parents leave their kids here and need to pick them up again promptly at the end of the service.
Getting into Church with Kids
- Parents with strollers should use the mobility lift and enter church step-free via the basement entrance and the main lift. Parents entering via the basement and needing to drop off their children in the basement classes should do the drop-off before using the main lift to proceed directly to the check-in desk on the ground floor to check-in themselves and their children.
- Parents not needing the mobility lift should use the main entrance up the stairs and check in all members of the family at the check-in desks before
  dropping children into Kids Church.
- Parents of K-6 children should not enter classrooms and observe social distancing during drop-off and pick-up.

Guidelines for Church Meetings

Do not come into the church building if you are feeling unwell or have any flu-like symptoms. Contact the meeting organizer and decline. If you develop symptoms or start feeling sick while at church go home immediately. Please ask for assistance if you need help to get home safely. If you do not attend because you have flu-like symptoms It is now recommended that you get tested for COVID infection before attending in the future.
Do not come to church if you have been in Victoria in the last 14 days even if you are asymptomatic.
Apart from Sunday morning, the building is not yet open to the public. Keep the main gates closed and come and go through the York St door. Ensure this door is closed behind you.
Only those invited to meetings by the church organizer should attend the meeting. The meeting organizer is required to keep careful contact details of all who attend and to ensure these guidelines are adhered to. See COVID Guidelines for Hub Leaders | COVID Guidelines for Staff and Meeting Organisers

This page will be updated regularly as govt restrictions change.

These guidelines should be read in conjunction with generic govt and denominational guidelines: See the NSW Health link for advice on when to get tested.

We are a COVID-safe building.
We have a COVID-safe plan registered with the NSW government.

How to find us

Money
There is no collection at church.
Regulars give online.
You can make a one off or regular payment here.

Wheelchair Access
The greeters at the front door can direct you to the
access lift that provides step-free access into church.

The Bible in the City

One of our core convictions is that God has revealed himself in his word, the Bible. If you are someone wanting to know God, nothing is going to be more helpful than looking at the Bible.

Our vision is for people to find their joy and delight in God who has revealed himself to us in the Bible. As a church in the city, we aim to think deeply about how the gospel shapes all of life through the humble, careful and prayerful study of God’s Word. We long for God to do a deep work within each of us that we might survive and thrive amidst the complexities and challenges of city life. Our desire is that we would know God more deeply so that we might find our hope and delight in him, but also that we might be richly equipped to love the city.

Normally, we work our way through books of the Bible, section by section, Sunday by Sunday. We don’t just look at the bits of the Bible we like and skip over the bits that make us uncomfortable or that don’t fit in with our own ideas. On the contrary, we expect that meeting God in his revealed word will challenge our ideas, our values and our lives. You can check out what part of the Bible we are currently looking at here.

Each Wednesday, a network of groups meet to dive deeper and think practically about the piece of the Bible we looked at on the previous Sunday. You can listen to the Sundays talks online.

You don’t need to own a Bible or bring one along to church. The section we are looking at will be printed on paper and given to everyone or a Bible will be placed on your chair. You don’t need to be familiar with the Bible in order to come along and you won’t be asked any questions about the Bible or what you currently believe. We normally read a simple English translation called the New International Readers Version.

Whenever we meet God in his word, there will always be things that need to change for us, new things to get our heads around, important things about God to rejoice in and praise him for. We ask God to change us and the world by speaking to him in prayer. When we pray in church, normally one person out the front speaks and the rest of us listen. If what they have said is what we also want to say to God we can agree by saying “Amen” at the end. Occasionally, we say short prayers aloud together – these are always on the screen.