ALL THE DETAILS:
Tower Hill is excited to begin to open our campus once again. We know how important community is. We know gathering together is a part of living our faith together. We’ve missed you too! And we are thrilled to start providing more opportunities to be together, in person and indoors, and to do so as safely as possible. We know that a safe approach to reopening allows us to love our neighbors by protecting them the best we can.
There are a number of safety precautions and modifications that we are taking to make Tower Hill as safe as possible as we return indoors:
SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR REGATHERING
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
Please RSVP to the worship service you will be attending on our website. This helps us plan ahead to provide the best worship experience possible.
SELF-ASSESSMENT
Please self-check for COVID-19 symptoms (cough, fever, chills, muscle pain, difficulty breathing, sore throat, loss of taste or smell) and risk factors before attending any Tower Hill events. Please stay home if you are feeling unwell or if you’ve tested positive or been in contact with anyone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
TEMPERATURE CHECKS
To keep you safe, all staff and volunteers are required to receive temperature checks upon arrival. We will also temperature check all guests for our indoor worship services. Anyone registering 99.4 or higher (no-contact thermometer, the equivalent to 100.4) will be asked to go home and return when they are well.
MASKS
Bring and wear a mask for both indoor services and outdoor events. Masks must be worn throughout each event or service. Wearing a mask is not a political statement-- we wear masks as a way to demonstrate Christ’s love for our most vulnerable.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
All Tower Hill environments will be conducive to social distancing and we ask that all individuals / families remain at least 6-feet apart from others during any indoor services or small group events.
HAND SANITIZER STATIONS
Hand sanitizer stations will be provided at indoor services and have been installed throughout Tower Hill’s facilities.
FOOD & DRINK
For now, we won’t be serving any coffee at our indoor services or small group gatherings and we ask that you don’t bring any outside food or drink with you. Since you can’t eat or drink with a mask on, we believe this is best for everyone’s safety and comfort levels. Of course, you may stop by Guest Services for bottled water in an emergency.
REDUCED CAPACITY
We have reduced our occupancy limits on all gathering spaces in accordance with Governor Murphy’s Executive Order.
NO-CONTACT OFFERING
There will be designated areas in the lobby/Narthex to leave your offering.
FACILITY ENHANCEMENTS FOR REGATHERING
HVAC
In order to ensure that our Sanctuary and other spaces are as safe as possible, we hired French and Parrello Associates, an engineering firm, to advise us on best practices and upgrades. Our FPA engineer recommended Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization equipment to be installed on all HVAC equipment that services the larger gathering areas. We have done so. We believe purchasing this equipment is a long-term investment in the state-of-the-art air purification system. This system is a proven technology that delivers clean indoor air that is safe – producing neither ozone nor other harmful by-products – and is effective in removing particulate matter from the circulating air.
HVAC filters will be upgraded to a MERV 13 to increase the filtration of the indoor air.
HVAC systems set to increase fresh air flow/air circulation where possible.
CLEANING
All gathering spaces are cleaned and disinfected in between each use and following proper protocols for safe and effective cleaning daily (this includes all worship areas – pews, chairs, bathrooms, audio/visual equipment). Worship areas will be cleaned before, between, and after services.
Aside from Sunday mornings, there will be regular cleaning of the Sanctuary and production areas, including bathrooms, to coincide with rehearsals and live streaming. Sanitation and disinfection of the Webster Hall bathrooms will occur daily and as necessary.
The custodial staff has increased the cleaning of high contact surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches, countertops, sink handles, restrooms, and water dispensers.
We have purchased an electrostatic sprayer and approved chemicals recommended by the CDC to best fight COVID-19.
EXTRA SAFETY STEPS
We have added signage reminding all community members to remain socially distant, wear facial coverings, wash hands, etc.
Doors will be propped open to avoid contact by persons wherever possible.
Water fountains have been disabled.
We thank you for respecting these safety precautions and for helping us to keep others as safe as we possibly can when we get together. These precautions are not out of fear, but out of responsibility and love. We are so excited to be together again. Big socially distanced air hugs!