Effective March 13, 2022

City Hope Fellowship will continue to base our current safety protocols on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations, which were updated February 25th. These protocols will be updated as pandemic conditions and CDC recommendations change in the future.

Following the latest CDC “COVID-19 Community Levels” metric, in counties labeled High Community Level, everyone should wear a mask in indoor public spaces, regardless of vaccination status. In counties labeled Low or Medium, face masks are recommended specifically for people who (a) are at high risk for illness, (b) have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, (c) have symptoms, or (d) a positive COVID-19 test. We will continue to monitor transmission levels in Delaware County and keep you informed when our county changes status.

We plan to continue to follow CDC guidelines as we have been, with the following exceptions when Delaware County is labeled as Low or Medium:

1. Nursery workers will continue to wear masks.

2. Sunday School and Children's Church workers will continue to wear masks.

3. Communion servers will continue to wear masks while serving communion.

4. We ask that children wear masks during Sunday School and Children's Church

The Lord commands us to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39) and “in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Phil. 2:3-4). The CDC’s latest recommendations are specific to individual counties, based on county-specific hospitalization data. Because Delaware County COVID-19 hospitalizations may rise and fall over the coming months, we should all be prepared to change our masking practices to continue to help care for our neighbors and community.

Part of our responsibility of loving our neighbors as ourselves includes making everyone feel loved, welcomed, and comfortable among us if they choose to continue wearing a mask while others aren’t. Thank you for helping us create and maintain that environment at City Hope!

A huge amount of data shows that COVID vaccines and booster shots continue to be the best way to protect ourselves from infection, and they are particularly effective against severe illness and death. We encourage every eligible person in the City Hope family to get vaccinated and boosted.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How will changes in mask expectations be communicated to the congregation? We will communicate any week-to-week changes in mask expectations through all our typical communication channels, such as text, email, social media, and signs on the Patterson Building doors on Sunday mornings. We will continue to supply masks at our welcome areas.
What data is the CDC’s Community Level metric based upon? According to the CDC, “The COVID-19 community level is determined by the higher of the new admissions and inpatient beds metrics, based on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days.” Learn more here.
Can I still wear a mask, even when our CDC Community Level is Medium or Low? Yes, you are always welcome to worship with us wearing a mask.
Will there still be a livestream for Sunday morning worship? Yes. We plan to continue the livestream of our Sunday morning worship indefinitely.
Why are we following CDC guidelines instead of State of Indiana guidelines? Decisions made by government officials must take into account many factors, including economic and political considerations. CHF is only concerned with the health and safety of our members, friends, and neighbors. Thus, we will follow best practices that are based on medical recommendations from our country’s principal health protection agency.
How can I sign up to get a COVID-19 vaccine or booster? All 3 vaccines are readily available in our community and are available as booster shots. You can learn more and sign up here or sign up by phone by calling 211.
Who should I talk to if I still have more questions or concerns? These protocols were written and approved by the CHF elders. Please reach out to one of us if you have further questions or concerns and we’ll be happy to talk with you.

Paul Brown (paulbrown.bsu@gmail.com)

Adam Hoeksema (adam.hoeksema@gmail.com)

Josh Holowell (josh@hopeformuncie.com)

Paul Nagelkirk (prnagelkirk@gmail.com)