RVUUF Task Force on Progress toward Reopening-Statement of Intent and Direction August 2, 2021

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The Board has appointed a task force charged to work on developing the alternative pathways we might take toward re-opening RVUUF. The goal of adopting the Re-Opening Policy over a year ago was to secure the safety of all members of our community. We continue to hold that purpose even as we, like you, are anxious to gather together again in person.

Recognized issues in re-opening include the following:

  1. Air circulation in the Great Hall is inadequate. It may be expensive to bring up to what is needed. We are investigating.
  2. The socially-distanced capacity of the Great Hall is too small to accommodate our usual Sunday worship service attendance. We are exploring the possibility of renting other venues. We are also looking into options for combining live services in the Great Hall with electronic transmission.
  3. Traffic flow from the front door through the foyer into the Great Hall is well designed for socializing and poorly designed for social distancing. We will work on ways to address this problem.
  4. The design of the restrooms seems to preclude social distancing. We will consider possible solutions to this problem.
  5. We are considering the possibility of meeting outdoors. The side yard of the church is too small for the whole congregation. Any meeting in the side yard needs access to a restroom. We are checking on the cost of a port-a-potty. There are parks in the area we might use. Outdoor meetings have both advantages and disadvantages.

“When will we know?” you might ask. Frankly, we don’t know how long it will take to explore the possibilities we have identified, or even to be sure we have identified all the possibilities. We will report progress when it happens. We are working diligently to resolve these issues as soon as we can.

This does not mean we will start meeting in person soon; meeting in person involves the weighing of risk factors. The current resurgence of COVID in Oregon and in Jackson County is not an encouraging sign. [for more information on these issues, click here]

We will report again soon. –Donna Barrett (Chair), Vida Taylor, Jean Crawford, Roger Howe, Vori Arnold, Marcia Sandler, Walter Ensign, Dawn Nightshade