From the Presbytery of Newton Trustees to Pastors, Sessions, Clerks and Congregations

UPDATED MARCH 2021

In March and April of 2020 New Jersey was the epicenter of the COV19 virus. With a lockdown and mask requirements we were able to flatten the curve. In December, January and early February  2021 we experienced the “second wave”  The numbers started to drop in late February but now in mid March the cases and hospitalizations are moving back up.  Our numbers are higher than they were during the first wave of March and April. 

Time to not let our guard down YET.

Governor Murphy, because of vaccines and better knowledge of how the virus behaves, has started to loosen the restrictions that we have been living with for the last year.  We are not out of the woods yet.

As of mid March less than 10% of the population is FULLY vaccinated. Thankfully the fully vaccinated numbers are increasing daily.  For all of New Jersey the rate of reproduction is still over 1 % and the positivity rate overall is 8.7%.  The virus is still active. All counties in the presbytery bounds are still RED and the positivity rate averages 7.8% with Morris, Sussex and Passaic Counties are over 18%.

Now is NOT the time to let up.

The highest goal is to keep everyone safe and alive.  That may sound alarmist but at a time when the country has lost over 525,000  lives since March 2020, we believe we need to sound the alarm.

We are all tired and bewildered to what to do.  There has been so much to sort though and manage over this last year.

We understand. We can do this. There is a light at the end of an awfully long tunnel.

The Trustees are recommending the following to help you make decisions for your congregation.

  • Governor Murphy reaffirmed that Worship services, Religious celebrations, Weddings, Funerals or Remembrance services are to be 50% capacity or 150 which ever number is lower. This now includes weddings and funerals.  Even with the Governors’ Religious services policy, every session should set a threshold for when to stop meeting in person for worship. There comes a time when it not safe to meet at all.
    • We recommend that if your county or region is orange or higher OR a CALI score of 3 or more OR has a positivity rate of more than 5% then worship services should go back to being online.   We recommend the following tools to determine which scale to use for area.  You can find  your region or county’s risk level or positivity rate at  COVID 19 ACT NOW and/or  COVID 19 Activity Level Index.
  • Double and Triple your efforts to connect and to reach out to those who are isolated and alone. Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be particularly hard on those who cannot be with friends and family.
  • Have a place on your webpage or in your weekly enews where people can find the closest testing center. Encourage people to be tested for the COVID virus. Also encourage all to work with contact tracers.
  • Find ways to help those who cannot manage the online vaccine appointment apps to get appointments and to get to the appointment.
  • Other than worship we recommend that all church gatherings, including session, committee and congregational meetings, be online even if the gathering is 10 or less.
  • Continue to follow diligently your reentry plans when it is safe to do so. If you have not already done so, please send your reentry plans to the Trustees for review. Your reentry plan needs to  be unanimously approved – INCLUDING THE PASTOR – by the session.
  • If you can or have the desire to hold outside worship services, please make sure people are masked and socially distanced and not crowded around the source of heat.
  • Even though the CDC says it is safe for SMALL groups of fully vaccinated adults to gather without mask, please wait until the Governor’s and NJ Health Department provides guidelines for our state.
  • All Presbytery gatherings including Presbytery meetings, committee or team meetings, Installation services will be online until further notice. Only exception will be Presbytery ordination services.

COVID Resources and Information Page