Dear members and friends of Burnhead Church, following the Scottish Government’s decision to permit Churches to open for public worship, the Kirk Session of Uddingston Burnhead Parish Church took the decision to continue streaming services online and, in compliance with all safety requirements, to reopen for public attendance in a phased manner as follows: –

Sunday’s 9^th and 16^th August: restricted capacity for 40 to ensure our safety measures and procedures are working before expanding to 50 thereafter.

Entry to the Church will be by reservation of seating through a booking system. Anyone wishing to attend on a Sunday will need to register their desire on a dedicated phone line by 5pm Wednesday of that week – the number for which is 07955 595974. You will be asked to leave your name, contact phone number and number of seats required for your household (only one name per household is required). Your name and contact details will be used to compile the necessary Test and Protect list for each Sunday. This information will be stored for the regulated time period and then destroyed. To reduce the amount of phone calls involved on a weekly basis, only those allocated a seat will be contacted with the confirmation by midday on Saturday.

Seats will not be allocated on a first come, first served basis, but on a number of criteria including a rota allowing everyone a chance to attend as often as possible. Of course at this time you may fee that you are not ready to come back to Church due to worries over Covid-19, in which case the Kirk Session would encourage you to stay at home and continue to watch the services online. It may be also that you would prefer to wait until the restrictions on singing have been lifted so that you can enjoy the service as you were used to before lockdown began, or you may want to wait until we can share in fellowship after the service. No matter the reason, if you are not ready to return to Church, the Kirk Session respects your decision and is here to support you in any way that it can.

The available seating in the sanctuary consists of 9 rows, 2 metres apart with 17 seats in each row. People will be allocated a row and not a specific seat, as this will prevent unnecessary passing of people already seated. To explain further – the first person or household to arrive allocated to, for example Row 3 would be asked to sit at the furthest end away from the entrance. The next person or household to arrive allocated to Row 3 would then be asked to sit on the next available seat to those already seated, leaving 4 empty seats between each household.

You may wish to refer to the Floor Plan illustrated below with regards to the following points: –

Entry to the Church building will be from the main car park via the door between the Jubilee Hall and the Main Hall. Notices will be on display advising the need to wear a face covering and to keep 2m from other households. Everyone entering the building will be required to use the hand sanitizer at the entrance. A member of the Duty Meet & Greet Team (D5 on the floor plan flowchart) will be on hand to ensure compliance with these regulations.

There will be a one-way system (clearly marked) in operation throughout the building with floor markings every 2 metres. Row allocation seating plans will also be on display as people travel from the main entrance to the Sign-In Area.

When people get to the Sign-In Area, where team member D3 is on duty, contact details will be checked for both: Test and Protect purposes and allocation of Seating Row.

As people enter the sanctuary, team member D1 will be on duty to ensure people go to their correct row and leave the correct distance between each household. Team member D2 will be on hand to help if required.

Offering – As there will be no collection of the offering with offering bags being passed along the pews, there will be an offering plate situated at the entrance to the sanctuary and one situated at the exit for those who forgot on the way in.

Service End – At the end of the service people will be asked to leave by the opposite door to the one they came in, where team member D4 is on duty to guide and assist. Please remain seated until invited to leave. Row 9 will exit first, then Row 8 and so on until Row 1 has cleared the sanctuary.

Exception to the above instructions: – Disabled access via doors at Sign-In station where team member D3 will tell them when it is safe to enter. Disabled exit church sanctuary same as others then exit building via Vestibule and the door they came in.

SonHouse – Due to the current restrictions we are, at this time, unable to restart the Crèche, Sunday School or Bible Class. This is in line with all youth organisations that use the Church building. Children can of course attend the worship service with their household and we would encourage parents and guardians to bring suitable reading or activity material for young ones who may otherwise fall asleep during the sermon. Please remember that children need to be included in the number of your household wishing to attend.

Communion – We will be continuing our practice of celebrating Communion on the first Sunday of each month and would ask all who are attending on those days to bring their own bread and wine, as it will not be possible to serve these to you until restrictions ease further.

Toilets – Due to high risk of cross contamination within toilets, the Kirk Session has decided to restrict access to only one person at a time. If at all possible it is hoped that the toilets are only used in emergency situations. If during the service you need to use the toilet, please remember to observe the one-way system and keep as far apart from others sitting in your row as possible.

Cleaning – For your information, when all have left the building, all areas will be disinfected using a F0-500 Fogging machine, which generates a cloud of disinfectant that covers every surface. Doors will then be locked for 4 hours prior to ventilating all areas.

Church Flowers – With the restrictions on people entering the building and as there are no guarantees as to who can attend worship it was felt that we would wait until at least Phase 4 before returning to fresh flowers in the sanctuary. It was stated at the Kirk Session just how much receiving the church flowers can mean to people, especially in difficult times, and we pray that we will be able to return to some kind of normality sooner rather than later.

Thoughts and Prayers – The past few months have not only been a challenge, for some they have been a tragedy. Some have had to watch from a distance as loved ones underwent medical treatments; some have been denied access to those we want to support in their time of need. Sadly for some, loved ones have been lost. Throughout all this time of trauma and trial we can however take comfort that our loved ones, by the grace of God, are now safe in the arms of Jesus and the ones we were separated from were never alone, for our Lord walks with us, always.

I pray that you continue to stay safe until we meet again in God’s good time.

Yours in Christ,

Les Brunger