Dear church family at Reservoir Presbyterian Church,

It was encouraging to see that Melbourne’s recovery from the “second wave” is progressing well, and the State Government has progressed to “step 2” of its roadmap for reopening. What does this mean for us as a church?

A. Things that Stay the Same:

• We will continue to run our live-stream at 10am and 5pm every Sunday. Nobody is allowed in the building, except those necessary to run the live-stream (5 people maximum). The same rules as before apply regarding: permission letters, sign-in/sign-out, cleaning surfaces, wearing masks, and staying home if you are unwell.
• Kids church for term 4 will re-start over Zoom on Sunday 11th October.
• No onsite work may be done at the church, including lawn mowing.
• Most of our small groups are continuing online-only.
• Weekly activities (STA, Playgroup, English Classes), if they run, will be online-only.

B. New Opportunities:

• We are able to begin our “Missionary Prayer Picnics” on Saturdays and Sundays for those who live within 5km of the church. (Note: no food or drink may be shared). We hope that those who live further away will be able to attend when we move to the next step.
  • If you would like to attend a prayer picnic, please RSVP following the directions in the congregational email, or by contacting Jeff Harris. Jeff will then contact you when there is an available slot for you to attend.
• We will run a 20-minute outdoor prayer service at 11:30am each Sunday, for up to five people who do not have access to the live stream. If more than 5 people turn up, extras will be asked to come back at 12 noon, for the service to be repeated. (Note: You are only allowed to come if you live within 5km of the church building.)

C. What’s Next?

The Session are thinking about what comes next, and how we will manage the re-opening of the church building for Public Worship. We’ll let you know as the government makes further announcements.

Thankyou for your perseverance in love, faith and service. Keep going!

In Christ, The Session of Reservoir Presbyterian Church

You can download a printable copy of this update here.