A letter from Pastor Jaison Koshy & the ICC Executive Board
Dear ICC Family,
We would like to let you know that we are tentatively planning to open our doors for weekend services
for Father’s Day weekend (June 21). We are so excited to be able to welcome you back! There is
something so powerful about the people of God worshipping and hearing the Word of God together.
Your health and safety and the well-being of our community are extremely important to us. We have
created a safe and responsible plan for gathering again in worship. All our gatherings will be at
Rochester Location where we can easily practice social distancing in the large, well-ventilated building
and ensure a high level of sanitation. Every surface has been deep-cleaned and will be cleaned after
each service. We have arranged seating in our main sanctuary to operate at 50% of our capacity; Isles are arranged 6 feet apart for households to sit together. This phase is going to require a lot of patience, flexibility, humility and honor. All our services will be family services; there will be no kids/student
ministry, nursery or childcare in keeping with the state guidelines. All other ministry activities are on hold until further notice. This means all children will be there in the sanctuary during the service. We understand there will be noise and activity, so please do not stress about this. We encourage you to
follow the recommendations to wear a mask when possible, though once you are in your seat that
becomes less critical because of the distance between clusters of seats. Finally, we will continue to livestream all of our services for those who are unable to attend or who chose to continue to worship from home. We want you safe and well.
The doors will open at 11:30 AM. If you arrive before the 11:30 AM please remain in your vehicle or
social distance in the parking lot until the doors are opened. When you enter the building we kindly
request that you do not congregate in the halls but go immediately to the sanctuary. Once you are
seated, we ask that you please remain near your seat so that the ushers will know what seats are
available. The back few rows are allocated to the families with young children. All doors to the sanctuary
will remain open throughout the service to eliminate the need to manually open and close them. We realize that you have a place where you like sit but this is going to be a good opportunity to practice
humility honor and respect to one another. Please remember, families need to sit together in the same isle if possible. At this time, we urge that all children, teenagers and students to stay with their families and parents all the time.
After the service, we ask that you do not congregate in the building. Please exit quickly and fellowship in the parking lot while exercising social distancing.
The following safety procedures will be in place. Please know these are not implemented out of fear but in a spirit of love and honor for those who may be more vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus.
1. Masks are highly encouraged throughout the service. (Please bring your own mask. Disposable masks will be available if you do not have one.)
2. Common areas and gathering spaces in the building will be closed. This means no coffee and no lingering in the foyer.
3. Before every service, the sanctuary, seating, and all high-touch surfaces will be
disinfected. The church will be thoroughly cleaned throughout the week.
4. Hand sanitizers will be available throughout the building. We encourage you to use them frequently.
5. If you need to sneeze or cough, please cover your mouth and nose or sneeze into your elbow.
6. We will not distribute any bulletins or printed materials.
7. Greeters and ushers will greet you verbally. We will not shake hands, hug, or high five. Instead, we
will air hug, wave, and smile and encourage you to do so.
9. Water fountains will be supplied with paper cups and trash cans for disposal. We encourage you to
bring your own bottled water.
10. Offering will be deposited in offering boxes in the foyer before or after service. We continue
to encourage you to give electronically.
11. Individual packets of Communion will be picked up in the foyer before service. They will be in plastic
baggies so that you can place the trash back into the baggies after communion and dispose of them
after service.
12. Altar Ministry will take place after the service is over and the livestream audience has
been dismissed.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, if you are high-risk because of age or underlying health
conditions, we encourage you to stay home and continue to join us via livestream. While we would love
to see you in person, we love you and we want you to stay healthy.
Attending in person is not a sign that you are more mature, more godly, or more committed than the
person who chooses to stay home. Staying home does not make you smarter or more caring than the
person who attends in person. You’ve done a beautiful job of loving and caring for others over the past
several weeks, please keep that same attitude of love and concern as we transition into this next phase.
We know this will be different and may even feel awkward, but be reminded, this is temporary. We can
all work together and get through this knowing that the challenges of re-opening will be over soon.
Like you, we are ready for this to be over! Many of these things feel like a hassle and extra work–
because they are! But, this is just Phase 1. It is going to get better.
We look forward to worshipping with you on Fathers day Sunday, June 21st at 11:30 AM! We are going
to celebrate being together again and the faithfulness of God during this season! Come ready to worship
expecting that God will do something amazing!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Jaison Koshy and ICC Board.
