Community Corner
Church of the Good Shepherd To Resume In-Person Worship
The Vienna church will hold normal in-person worship for the first time since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
VIENNA, VA — Church of the Good Shepherd, a United Methodist church in Vienna, will hold in-person worship for the first time in over a year starting Sunday, June 13.
The church at 2351 Hunter Mill Road has not held its regular in-person worship services since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, per guidance from the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church and the Arlington District. With COVID-19 conditions improving, the Conference and District allowed congregation to make their own decisions about in-person worship beginning in June. The Conference did approve a few in-person events in past months, including a Christmas Eve walk-through service, Holy Week experience and two rummage sales.
In-person worship will return to Church of the Good Shepherd starting with regular 10:15 a.m. worship on Sunday. Members are invited to worship in the sanctuary with restrictions. The church will also continue to offer virtual services via Zoom and Facebook.
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"We are very excited to gather in person and appreciate the work of our Healthy Church Team to develop this plan so that we can begin gathering in June,” said Pastor Eric Song. "Hopefully we will be able to transition to fully in-person post-pandemic worship in the fall."
The church is following numerous COVID-19 policies. Social distancing in pews will be implemented, along with a mask requirement for unvaccinated people. Vaccinated people are advised to wear masks but can remove them when needed. Congregational singing will be allowed. Bibles and hymnals will not be available, but attendees can bring their own. All children can sit with their parents, but nursery care will not be provided. Coffee fellowship will not be offered. Attendees will be asked to provide contact information for potential contact tracing purposes.
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The church will also not offer children's Sunday school during the summer. Adult classes can decide to meet virtually or in person.
For more information about the church, visit www.goodshepherdva.com.
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