COVID-19 Announcements


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Join us for remote worship this Sunday at 11:00 am:

  • Boone UMC Website

  • Church App

  • YouTube Live

  • Facebook Live (login recommended)

  • Listen to our 11:00 am Sunday services by radio by tuning in to WATA 1450 am/96.5 fm

June 25, 2020

The Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church is recommending that churches not return to in-person worship, due to the Governor’s decision to remain in Phase II for three more weeks because of a rise in COVID-19 cases.

Connect with us online for small group opportunities. Check our calendar for events with “ONLINE” in the title.

May 21, 2020

Worship Guidelines from WNCCUMC Announced
The Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church announced guidelines on May 21 regarding in-person worship during COVID-19. As the state of North Carolina prepares to enter Phase Two, the following will be effective Saturday, May 23, 2020, through at least June 30, 2020. The following is taken directly from their announcement:

“As we phase into in-person worship and ministry, we call on John Wesley’s ‘3 General Rules’ to undergird our direction.

1) Do No Harm.

2) Do Good.

3) Stay in Love with God.

As faithful disciples of Jesus Christ in the midst of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we remain committed to our biblical mandate to “love our neighbors as ourselves” and our Wesleyan call to ‘Do no harm. Do all the good we can. Follow the ordinances (stay in love) with God.’ In doing so, we seek ways to engage faithfully in worship, study, and ministry while ensuring the health and safety of our members and communities as our first priority.

Presently, UMC churches in Western North Carolina are not holding in-person, indoor worship. Discontinuing indoor worship has helped us love our neighbor

well by keeping everyone safe. These guidelines will be reviewed regularly and revised based on updated information.”

May 21, 2020Thursday and as needed

Boone UMC’s building remains closed with the following exceptions:

  • Essential Staff, Monday through Thursday and as needed

  • Essential Staff, Sunday worship

  • Non-staff and Non-essential Staff, Lobby only for donations and other drop-offs; all other areas of building are closed

The building remains closed until reopening procedures are developed and approved by the Church Council’s Health and Safety Team. Thank you for your understanding as we work to keep you and staff safe. If you have questions or need assistance, please call the Church Office at 828.264.6090 or email communications@booneumc.org.

March 17, 2020

(with updates made April 27, 2020 in bold green to programming information)

As we continue to assess Boone UMC’s response to COVID-19, our staff is busy making adjustments to programming. The following information is being offered to help you plan during this time of disruption. Each decision is being made with focus on our mission, Loving our community and inviting all to discover life in Christ. Our goal is to remain free grammar checker connected with you while keeping everyone safe. Please continue to check this page for updates as additional programming changes are made. For additional information, please send an email to communications@booneumc.org.

Discipleship

  • Onsite meetings WILL NOT BE HELD indefinitely. ONLINE TECHNOLOGY WILL BE USED as determined by group leaders. Direct communication will be given by group leaders. More information to come.

  • Lunch Bunch WILL NOT BE HELD.

General

  • Thursday Night Dinners WILL BE AVAILABLE 5:00-6:30 pm, drive-thru style from the portico, located at the lower left side of the church building at the Children’s Wing. No dining will occur inside the building.

  • Committee/group meetings WILL NOT BE HELD IN PERSON/ONLINE TECHNOLOGY WILL BE USED as decided by committee/group leaders indefinitely.

  • Summer Literacy Program plans HAVE NOT BEEN ALTERED at this time. More information to come.

Missions

  • Guatemala Mission Trip WILL NOT OCCUR AS SCHEDULED.

  • Firewood Ministry WILL CONTINUE.

  • Hospitality House Meals WILL BE MODIFIED. Winter Shelter Check-Ins WILL BE MODIFIED. Email Pastor Laura for more information.

  • May 17 Mission Celebration WILL NOT OCCUR AS SCHEDULED.

Music and Arts

  • All choirs, chimes, and dance and rehearsals WILL NOT BE HELD IN PERSON/ONLINE TECHNOLOGY WILL BE USED indefinitely. Online meetings have been scheduled and can found here.

  • May 17 Fine Arts Series performance: Boone United Methodist’s Nexsen Ringers Handbell Choir with special guests. John Rutter’s Mass of the Children WILL NOT OCCUR AS SCHEDULED.

Children’s Programming

  • All children’s programs (Sunday School, Confirmation Sunday morning and evening gatherings, Club 45) WILL NOT OCCUR AS SCHEDULED indefinitely.

  • Confirmation Sunday morning and evening gatherings WILL NOT BE HELD IN PERSON/ONLINE TECHNOLOGY WILL BE USED indefinitely. All other Confirmation activities WILL NOT OCCUR AS SCHEDULED. More information to come.

  • Diaper Drive WILL CONTINUE until the end of March. Packages of diapers can be dropped off at the Health & Hunger Coalition.

  • Vacation Bible School plans HAVE NOT BEEN ALTERED at this time. More information to come.

  • Packets are being delivered to families so that worship and learning can continue at home.

Youth

  • Sunday School and Sunday evening programming WILL NOT OCCUR AS SCHEDULED indefinitely.

  • Small Groups are considering connecting remotely. Information has been communicated directly through Youth ministry communications.

  • Middle School and High School Bible studiesWILL NOT BE HELD IN PERSON/ONLINE TECHNOLOGY WILL BE USED.

  • Discipleship Group will OCCUR REMOTELY.

  • Middle School retreat WILL NOT OCCUR AS SCHEDULED.

  • High School retreat plans WILL NOT OCCUR AS SCHEDULED.

  • Online worship and learning opportunities for youth are being delivered electronically.

Boone United Methodist Preschool

  • Will FOLLOW WATAUGA COUNTY SCHOOL CLOSURES.

March 13, 2020

A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes.

With the bishop’s call to suspend worship the next two weeks, we are offering a new way to worship together. We invite you to join us online via Facebook Live or Instagram Live from your smartphone this Sunday morning, March 15, 2020, at 11:00 am. Engage with us through your social platform’s comment section while we experience worship in a new and different way. We will stick with our theme of Trusting God’s Leading as we look at part of the story of the Israelites in the Exodus. Invite your friends and family to gather around your largest screen and join us in seeking God’s presence and leading during these uncertain times.

In addition, we are streaming through Facebook Live from Blackburn’s Chapel with Pastor Ben Floyd at 11:00 am, this Sunday, March 15, 2020.

As we gather in our online space, we ask that you consider how you will continue to give to all that is happening in and through this congregation. We have recurring and one-time online giving options available through our website, as well as our phone app. Download the BUMC app for free from your smartphone’s app store, then create a profile to gain full access to features.

We are so excited to connect with you on Sunday and witness how the Holy Spirit moves us!

March 12, 2020

It has just been announced in a letter from Bishop Paul Leeland of the Western North Carolina Conferencethat public worship gatherings have been suspended for the next two weeks. All Boone United Methodist Church Sunday morning worship services, including Boone Sanctuary services, Crossroads, and Blackburn’s Chapel worship, are canceled until March 29, 2020. Sunday School classes are also canceled.

Current events are creating significant disruption to the rhythm of our lives, and this disruption can be unsettling. Worship reminds us that we can trust God’s provision for our lives and helps us connect with each other. To help us continue to worship as a community, pastors of Boone United Methodist Church are putting plans into place for online worship. Watch for more details during the next few days.

Please note that the continuation of smaller gatherings, including Bible studies and small groups, is at the discretion of group leaders. If you are a group leader, please be in communication with the pastor or staff person overseeing your group with any plans and updates. Contact information for Boone UMC staff can be found here.

As this rapidly evolving situation has unfolded this week, our messaging has quickly shifted. At the time that Bishop Leeland’s announcement was made on the afternoon of Thursday, March 12, the following COVID-19 update had been drafted. Since many of Boone United Methodist Church’s smaller gatherings occur within the walls of the church building, this information is still relevant.

Coronavirus Update

As we watch news regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, Boone UMC’s staff members are actively taking steps to protect you as you move around the church building.Here are steps that Boone UMC is taking to protect you and your family, as well as a few suggestions we can all follow during this time:

  1. Minimize Contact – We will no longer shake hands as we greet each other, though we acknowledge the important role that shaking hands and hugging plays in our worship community.

  2. Wash Hands – Please wash your hands often with soap and for 20 seconds. Flyers have been posted in restrooms as a reminder regarding the importance of handwashing. Hand sanitizer is available at multiple stations; please take time to sanitize your hands as you enter and exit spaces throughout the building. Avoid touching your face with your hands.

  3. Self Distance – If you do not feel well, please stay home and take care of yourself.

  4. Disinfect Surfaces – We are looking into several options for deep cleaning surfaces at the church. In the meantime, we are disinfecting commonly touched items, including the offering plate, sign-in notebooks, door handles, coffee pots, etc.

  5. Communion – We will change the way we serve communion during this time and will use individual cups instead of the common cup.

For up-to-date information about COVID-19, the following link for the CDC is provided at the following link:

cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

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