Response to COVID-19
Updated Friday 17 July
NEAC is excited to be relaunching in-person on 19th of July 2020. All our services will be meeting at St Stephens Church at 189 Church St, Newtown.
Over the last few months, the NSW government have been slowly lifting COVID-19 restrictions, in response to the falling levels of coronavirus in NSW. According to current restrictions (find out what they are here), places of worship are able to reopen under certain conditions. We care deeply about the safety of everyone who attends our church, especially those who are most vulnerable from the virus. We are a COVID certified business with a COVID safety plan and will be following all the guidelines provided by NSW Health.
1 Corinthians 10:24 says "Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others" . We are called to sacrifice our own freedoms to love other people, so at NEAC, we will be adhering to the restrictions laid out below, in order to love the people around us.
Information on the restriction are below:
Conditions of entry
In order to attend church services at NEAC, you will need to confirm that you have not experienced any cold or flu symptoms in the last 48 hours. We are not able to admit anyone who has been sick recently.
Upon entry, you will be encouraged to use hand sanitiser, and to follow NEAC COVID-19 guidelines, including social distancing.
Upon entry, you will be encouraged to use hand sanitiser, and to follow NEAC COVID-19 guidelines, including social distancing.
Social Distancing and Seating
We are encouraging all our attendees to social distance. This means keeping 1.5 metres between you and others at all times. We will also by capping the amount of people attending each service to comply with the four metre square rule.
When you enter the church, you will notice that some pews have been roped off. These are not available for seating.
The available seats are marked with a placecard that reads "Please take a seat here". these are the seats that are available. You can sit by yourself or with ONE other person from your household where there are two placecards next to each other. We can't currently have more than 2 people sitting together to ensure social distancing.
When you enter the church, you will notice that some pews have been roped off. These are not available for seating.
The available seats are marked with a placecard that reads "Please take a seat here". these are the seats that are available. You can sit by yourself or with ONE other person from your household where there are two placecards next to each other. We can't currently have more than 2 people sitting together to ensure social distancing.
Children's Programs
Children's programs will be running at both our morning services. All care will be taken to promote social distancing and provide a clean and safe environment.
Drop off
For the 9am service, drop off will be at 8:45am and for the 11am service 10:45am.
Drop off will be at the main cemetery fence gate. For safety purposes there will not be access to the hall via the side driveway. During this time, we ask that parents drop off their children as efficiently as possible.
If you have a preschool aged child, we ask that you take your children to the toilet before the service and then settle them in the preschool room with their leaders.
Pick up
We ask that you pick your children from the hall swiftly after the service and then join everyone else for morning tea at the side of church. The fenced area will be available for kids to play in during this time under the supervision of parents. However, we will need you to vacate this area for the next service by 10:45am
Food
Due to new restrictions, we are not longer able to provide morning tea to share. For the sake of loving hangry kids, we ask that you pack and label a drink bottle and some snacks for your child.
Creche
There will be two creche spaces designated in chirch. There will be comfortable seating in these spaces but no toys. Bring your own toys!
Find out more here
Drop off
For the 9am service, drop off will be at 8:45am and for the 11am service 10:45am.
Drop off will be at the main cemetery fence gate. For safety purposes there will not be access to the hall via the side driveway. During this time, we ask that parents drop off their children as efficiently as possible.
If you have a preschool aged child, we ask that you take your children to the toilet before the service and then settle them in the preschool room with their leaders.
Pick up
We ask that you pick your children from the hall swiftly after the service and then join everyone else for morning tea at the side of church. The fenced area will be available for kids to play in during this time under the supervision of parents. However, we will need you to vacate this area for the next service by 10:45am
Food
Due to new restrictions, we are not longer able to provide morning tea to share. For the sake of loving hangry kids, we ask that you pack and label a drink bottle and some snacks for your child.
Creche
There will be two creche spaces designated in chirch. There will be comfortable seating in these spaces but no toys. Bring your own toys!
Find out more here
Bathrooms
Upon entry, you will be encouraged to use hand sanitiser.
Due to the small size of the bathrooms, only one individual or one family will be allowed in either the gentlemens or ladies bathroom.
The bathroom area will be closed to help the children's ministry between 8.45 to 9.00am and 10.45 to 11.00am. There will be no access to the gated grassy area except if you are dropping off children.
Due to the small size of the bathrooms, only one individual or one family will be allowed in either the gentlemens or ladies bathroom.
The bathroom area will be closed to help the children's ministry between 8.45 to 9.00am and 10.45 to 11.00am. There will be no access to the gated grassy area except if you are dropping off children.
Records
We are required to record the names, phone numbers and email addresses of everyone who enters the church building. We need to keep these records for 28 days. These will be given to NSW Health for contact-tracing if there is a COVID case at NEAC. You will be given instructions at a welcome marquee in front of the church.
Cleaning
The pews and frequently used surfaces will be disinfected by volunteers between every service to ensure there is no spread between services. We will also not be using physical Bibles or anything that will be passed from person to person. We encourage you to bring your own Bible for church!
The building will be deep cleaned once a week to ensure that COVID won't spread at NEAC. We will be using cleaning products and procedures recommended by NSW Health and Safe Work Australia.
The building will be deep cleaned once a week to ensure that COVID won't spread at NEAC. We will be using cleaning products and procedures recommended by NSW Health and Safe Work Australia.
Erskineville Church
Due to the smaller size of the Erskineville church, we will not be able to host church services there. We can only host one person per every four square metres, and this means that temporarily the Erskineville church will need to be shut.
However, we are now holding two services at our Newtown Church (189 Church Street) at 9am and 11am, only a short walk away from Erskineville.
However, we are now holding two services at our Newtown Church (189 Church Street) at 9am and 11am, only a short walk away from Erskineville.
Small Groups
Small groups are currently able to meet in person on the church premises and in homes. Only 20 people may gather in a private dwelling and we encourage all small groups to observe social distancing. If you need more information about small groups, please email hello@neac.com.au
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at hello@neac.com.au or by phone at (02) 9557 2043