What to Expect

Whether you're joining us online or signed up to join us in the sanctuary, you're probably wondering what to expect in worship at 11am on Pentecost Sunday, May 23.

Here is a bit about what to expect online or in Advent's sanctuary:

Joining Online

• When should I arrive? We'll go live at 10:55am with our virtual greeters, and worship starts at 11am.

• How do I join? Worship will be streamed live on Advent's Facebook Page just like it has the past year. You'll get the link to join in Saturday's e-letter, on our website, or you can just go to our Facebook page.

• What will be different? The first thing you will notice is that one of our "Virtual Greeters" is at home and the other in Advent's sanctuary. The sanctuary creates new possibilities for live music and movement, but we're not leaving home: We will weave together the sanctuary and leaders at home like you.

• What will be the same? The flow and format will be very similar. Pastor Danielle will greet us, prayers and lyrics will be on-screen, and volunteers will lead worship from both their homes and the sanctuary. The same welcome, message, and God's love will all be there.

Joining In-Person

• When should I arrive? You should arrive at either 10:40am or 10:50am, depending which you signed up for (you can check here). The staggered times will help us seat everyone safely.

• How do I enter? Entering will be different. When you arrive at Advent, our hospitality team will be ready to guide you through each step.

  1. You can enter through the Broadway or 93rd Street doors. If a lot of people arrive at once, a volunteer may ask your pod to briefly wait outside to prevent unsafe crowding in the sanctuary.

  2. Once in the sanctuary, your first stop will be a Check-In Table for a few safety steps (sign-in, temperature check, mask check, sanitizer) and to get a bulletin.

  3. When you're done there, a volunteer will guide you and your pod to your seats.

• What will be different? A lot! We will guide you through different approaches to hymns, offering, and communion for everyone's safety. We have put great care into making each moment as meaningful and safe as possible.

• In addition, we are testing a unique approach to worship where we gather as one community with Advent members online. You will see online leaders and Facebook comments projected on the wall, get to talk to people online during Coffee Hour, and more. You will also see some gear we use to livestream what's happening in the sanctuary.

• What will be the same? While so much will be different, the sanctuary, the organ and piano, the liturgy, and God's love will all be there. And the new things mean we can gather safely, and get to be together as God's people beyond our four walls -- physically and virtually.

New CDC update, same safety guidelines at Advent

As you've probably heard, the Centers for Disease Control issued a statement late last week saying that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in many indoor and outdoor settings.

While we celebrate this turning point, and look forward to the possibility of reviewing and adjusting our guidelines over the summer, this Sunday our safety guidelines will be the same.

So please bring your mask, keep your mask on throughout worship, keep 6 feet of social distance between yourself and other groups, and roll with us as do some parts of worship differently.

Here's why:

1. Following the law. The CDC advice is operative only when state and local authorities adopt the revised guidance, and ours—New York State and New York City—have not yet done so.

2. Caring for everyone in our community. We will not distinguish between who is vaccinated or not vaccinated. We don't know people's circumstances. All are welcome. Until it's safe and comfortable for everyone to not wear mask, we will keep the same guideline to protect and respect everyone in our community.

3. Taking time to transition. We don't want to make changes on a dime. Please give us time to thoughtfully adjust our policies, and everyone in our community time to adjust at different paces to new, changing guidelines after a traumatic year.

4. Following our Bishop. Keeping our current guidelines in place also follows the guidance of the Bishop of our synod.

We're almost there! For this Sunday, please respect Advent's policies, and the guidance of our Hospitality Team and Worship Leaders.

Afterward, there will be plenty of space to share your feedback in the survey going out to everyone. We look forward to hearing it, and making safe and intentional adjustments as we continue to test hybrid worship throughout the summer.

Connecting to Worship

If you have any issues with the link in our e-letter, here are some other options to try:

1. Go to Advent's Facebook page and scroll down until you our livestream
2. Try this link
2. Or this link

If you have any issues or questions connecting Sunday morning, you can get in touch with Deanne who can help you get connected.

Frequently Asked Questions

about Pentecost Sunday

Here are answers to some common questions we've heard so far. We'll keep adding to our FAQs as we hear more questions.

Downstairs - Will be officially closed

Coffee Hour - Will be outside!

Restrooms - Please don't use them unless it's an *emergency*

Kids - While downstairs is closed, our community hall is open to families for restless kids to stretch their legs!

Worship Leaders - Please note that our worship leaders will periodically take their masks off. It's to help you and people online see and hear them. They are all vaccinated and will be at least 15 ft away from the front row.

Elevator - You know the story: It's out-of-order for the millionth time. We are working on a plan to fix it once and for all. In the meantime, our Hospitality Team will be glad to help anyone with our stairs.

*UPDATE* to children attending in-person: Children are welcome to attend in-person as part of your pod! For social distancing safety, try to stick with your pod during worship. Our sanctuary Children's Area will be closed. But we know kids can get restless! To allow restless kids more space for social distancing, we will designate the community hall downstairs as a family rest space. Downstairs will otherwise be closed.

Will worship times on Sunday, May 23 change?No. 11am in English and 12:30pm in Spanish. Since it's a one-time test and we'll be going back to fully online the Sunday after, we will keep the same worship times we've had for the last year.

What safety guidelines will be in place?Masks on at all times, temperature checks, sanitized surfaces, and social distancing. There will be at least 6ft of the distance between all "pods" or groups who sign up, and we will not exceed a maximum capacity of 80 people. While no gathering is without risk, we will follow all the guidelines currently allowed as a safe gathering by city and state guidelines.

Do I need a negative Covid test or proof of vaccination to attend worship in-person?No. All are welcome! The safety precautions we are implementing meet state and city guidelines for a safe gathering. We do ask that you stay home if you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19.

How do people sign-up who don't have internet access?We have volunteers on our Care Team calling them, and offering to sign them up if they want to attend in-person.

What about people who come in off the street? Will they be turned away? Our mission is that all people are invited to experience and live out God's love. We will have a few units reserved, outside of the 35 open for sign up, for first-time worshippers.

I'm joining online. Will anything change for me?You will see our beautiful sanctuary instead of our living rooms. But you can continue to go to our Facebook page as usual to join worship! We look forward to welcoming you to a new hybrid in-person/online experience, and hearing your feedback afterward.