Updated: September 15, 2022

COVID Protocols:

Many of the provincial and regional COVID protocols and guidelines have been lifted, as well as Trillium’s policies around these restrictions. As the Elevation community, we are striving to create a safe and welcoming environment for all. The following guidelines articulate how we will move forward together:

1. Stay Home When Sick
   The best way to keep others in our community safe is by staying home if you have symptoms or are ill. We ask that we all monitor our own health and opt to stay home if we are showing COVID symptoms, in order to protect those who may be more vulnerable among us. If you ever have questions around whether or not you should join in person, please refer to the Ontario School Screening Tool to guide your decision. If you are signed up to serve, let your team lead or a member of the Pastoral Team know as soon as you can so they can find someone else to serve and you can stay home.
   
2. Masks
   Masks are no longer mandatory indoors. We want to cultivate a mask-friendly environment, and we ask everyone to respect each other’s decisions, comfort levels, and health needs. When physical distance is not available and especially in shared indoor spaces, you may want to wear a well-fitting mask. We will continue to provide surgical masks at each of our entrances.
3. Sanitizing
   We will continue to have sanitizing stations around the building and encourage community members to sanitize their hands upon entry of the building. Sanitizing wipes will also be available in the washrooms for those who would like to wipe down surfaces before or after using the space.
4. Creative Solutions
   We have utilized some creative solutions in the past and we continue to welcome creative ideas. This has included roping off a section of pews for those wanting more physical distance or making balcony space available. If you have an idea, let us know.
5. Screening and Registration
   There will be no mandatory registration or screening process at the door.
6. Vaccination Requirement
   Both Trillium and the provincial/regional guidelines have lifted the requirement for vaccination. Therefore, we will not be requiring proof of vaccination to enter or participate in our gatherings.
7. Capacity Limits and Distancing
   The capacity limits and distancing requirements have also been lifted. 

* Please note that these practices are based on the current provincial and regional guidelines, and are subject to change should those guidelines shift again in the coming weeks or months. 

We welcome you to join us Sunday mornings at 9am, as we gather together in-person at 22 Willow St. Waterloo (also home to Trillium Lutheran Church). 

Our Sunday morning gatherings typically include a time of worship through song, prayer, sharing in communion, scripture reading and a short sermon. Following our time in the Sanctuary, we then have an opportunity to gather around tables in the gym for a time of discussion with one another around the morning’s theme. Children up to grade 5 are dismissed part way through the service and can be picked up from their classrooms after the discussion time at 10:30am.

Over the summer months, we will be moving our gatherings outside for the long weekends (July 3rd, July 31st and September 4th). Stay tuned for details around location and times.

Update: May 2022

Over the months of March and April, we have walked through a transition away from our Sunday morning online services on YouTube as we have known them over the past two years, and towards in-person services at 22 Willow. While the results of our community survey around this show that most of our community members are ready for this transition, we do recognize that there are members of our community who will be impacted by the ending of our Sunday morning virtual services. There are some who have been joining virtually from a distance who will not be able to join us in the same way in-person, and others who do not yet feel comfortable or ready to join in this large group setting indoors. 

As we journey through this transition, we desire to continue to provide ways for those who are not yet ready or able to join in person during this time to feel connected to our community. Over the next little while we will be experimenting with virtual options and will be seeking feedback from the community as we move forward. Below is our plan for the month of May. 

Please do reach out if there are ways that you feel you can help provide these spaces (hosting zoom calls etc) for our community as we continue to navigate the reality of the pandemic and its ongoing impact. We look forward to engaging with the community in any of these in-person (indoor and outdoor) and virtual spaces!  

Other virtual connection opportunities outside of Sunday mornings include:

• Sermon audio podcasts
• Weekly virtual prayer gathering (Mondays at 10am)
• Accessing pre-recorded musical pieces from the worship team on our YouTube channel through this playlist
• Midweek short video reflections from our teaching team sent out to the community each week

A Few Notes About Our In-Person Services:

COVID Protocols:

Many of the provincial and regional COVID protocols and guidelines have been lifted, as well as Trillium’s policies around these restrictions. In following these guidelines, we will be moving forward with these practices in place:

1. Masks
   Although masks are no longer mandatory indoors, we continue to encourage the wearing of masks during this time. We want to create an environment that feels as safe and comfortable as possible for everyone as we navigate this transition. We encourage those 5 and older to continue to wear masks indoors. Thank you!
2. Screening and Registration
   There will be no mandatory registration or screening process at the door. However, we would ask as we move forward with in-person gatherings, that we all monitor our own health and opt to stay home if we are showing COVID symptoms, in order to protect those who may be more vulnerable among us. If you ever have questions around whether or not you should join in person, please refer to the Ontario School Screening tool to guide your decision.
3. Sanitizing
   We will continue to have sanitizing stations around the building and encourage community members to sanitize their hands upon entry of the building.
   Sanitizing wipes will also be available in the washrooms for those who would like to wipe down surfaces before or after using the space.
4. Vaccination Requirement
   Both Trillium and the provincial/regional guidelines have lifted the requirement for vaccination. Therefore, we will not be requiring proof of vaccination to enter or participate in our gatherings.
5. Capacity Limits and Distancing
   The capacity limits and distancing requirements have also been lifted. At this point we are not required to rope off pews to provide for distancing. However, knowing that some of our community members would continue to feel more comfortable maintaining distance, we will have a section of the Sanctuary where the pews will be roped off to allow for distancing.

*Please note that these practices are based on the current provincial and regional guidelines, and are subject to change should those guidelines shift again in the coming weeks or months. 

Kids’ Programming:

We know that KidsQuest is an important part of our return to in-person gathering at 22 Willow. Beginning Sunday May 1st, our kids programming will be in full swing! We’ll be dismissing our kids (up to grade 5) to their KidsQuest program in the second half of the service and parents can pick them up at the end of discussion groups. The nursery will also be open and staffed during this time. We are continuing to encourage our kids (5+) to wear masks indoors during the KidsQuest programming, especially as it will be difficult to ensure physical distancing in these spaces. Parents, although a formal COVID screening will not happen for KidsQuest, we ask you to monitor your children for any symptoms of covid-19 and thank you for keeping them out of programming if they are showing symptoms. We look forward to connecting with some of our youngest Elevation members again!