8th of November 2021 Update:

Dear City Church Family,

We hope you’re having a great day!

There have been some changes made last week to the NSW government’s COVID recovery roadmap plan. Today we have confirmed there are some positive changes for our church service capacity effective immediately! This is really great news for us!!
We wanted to let you know how these changes impact City Church going forward. 

There are four ways in which these changes will affect City Church:

    •    We are able to move from the 4 square metre rule to the 2 square metre rule for our church services effective immediately. This is great news, as our services have been reaching capacity very quickly under the restrictions we have had.  
This means from this Sunday (14th November), anyone attending our services will no longer need to pre-register for services online as we will have increased capacity that means we will have plenty of room for everyone. You will only be required to sign in via QR code upon arrival. 
    •    Masks will be required to be worn whilst inside throughout the duration of our services now until the 15th of December or until the 95% NSW government vaccination target is achieved instead of the 1st of December date we originally announced.  
    •    City Church Connect groups will now officially resume in-person for everyone from the 15th of December instead of the 1st of December date we originally announced. 
    •    Congregational singing is allowed again in our services from this weekend onwards. 

For all information regarding the COVID Roadmap for Places of Worship please visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/business/rules#toc-weddings-and-religious-ceremonies 

On our website and at the entrance of our church building you will be able to find all the COVID safety requirements for City Church. We are operating with a thorough COVID safety plan in place and are asking everyone to take personal responsibility to ensure their safety and the safety of others. Air purifiers have been installed at City Church and we have made every effort to create a healthy and safe environment for everyone. 

You will notice when you arrive at City Church, that we now have free bottles of water available for everyone in the foyer. We understand that wearing masks throughout the service can be uncomfortable, so we have arranged bottles of water to be available to give some respite by taking off your mask, to have a drink of water when you need to throughout the service. 

The good news from the updated roadmap for us is that we have plenty of room now for everyone to attend our church services! We are also glad we can sing and worship together corporately. We look forward to seeing the church regather together over the weeks ahead and are excited about the Christmas season that will be soon upon us. 

Finally, we want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of our incredible City Church volunteers who serve the church so spectacularly and are the reason we are able to function and gather again through in person church services and to create our online services. We have a special volunteers Christmas party planned to celebrate and thank every volunteer on Tuesday 7th December at 6:30pm at City Church. Dinner and dessert will be provided. This night is for every volunteer that has served in the life of City Church over the last 12 months. Please register at https://citychurchau.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1072354 for catering purposes. These nights are always so much fun and we look forward to celebrating with you!

God’s church is roaring back with the sound of corporate worship and the gathered body in person together again. The best days are ahead for City Church as we step into this new season with hope and confidence in our God! As always, we will have online church options available for those unable to be at church in person at this time.

Psalm 122:1
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

See you soon!


Much Love,

Ben & Amy

 

 

October 2021 Update:

Dear City Church,

We are coming back together! 

With the recent updates to the government road map for churches in NSW, we are thrilled to announce we have a plan to regather again. We are excited to let you know in person City Church services will be resuming on Sunday 7th November! We will resume with a 9:30am service (full kids program available). 

With the 80% NSW government milestone achieved and changes made allowing churches to go back for all people (vaccinated and unvaccinated) we are excited and ready to gather again very soon. 

Restrictions are easing regularly but for the purposes of clarity we have included the current plan. (This is obviously subject to change and if restrictions ease further we will apply those changes and let you know). 

Throughout November, we will have a gradual easing of restrictions which will include:
    •    4 square metre rule
    •    Masks mandatory
    •    No singing in the services from the congregation 
    •    Pre-registration required with limited numbers

Then, from December we will have a greater easing of restrictions which will include:
    •    2 square metre rule
    •    No masks 
    •    Singing allowed

We are thankful for a plan going forward, and even though we will have restrictions to abide by we are excited we are able to gather in person to worship, receive the word and fellowship with one another. 

Services will be available to register for online from Sunday 24th October. We will only have limited spaces in the services for the first stage of reopening throughout November, so we encourage you to book your place early when registrations open (full kids program will be available). City Youth services will also resume in person in November with no pre-registration needed. 

As you have the opportunity in the coming weeks and months, we encourage you to meet with your loved ones, your friends, and the people in your church community in person through one on one catch ups and as the guidelines allow. Whether it’s a walk together, or a catch up in the park, it’s so important to do life together with people and it contributes enormously to our mental, emotional and spiritual health. This is a time to come together. However, we will not be resuming official in person church connect groups until December 1st when we can give the opportunity to meet with everyone together equally in our groups (or if government restrictions ease before then).

A number of City Church departments, teams and groups across the church will start to gather again in person over the weeks and months ahead. Let’s keep connecting and serving God and people as we take this next step forward. 

Below is a road map of plans for services and key events coming up:

7th November- In person services return (full kids program available).

1st December - Connect Groups returning in person 

5th, 12th, 19th December - Christmas series

7th December – 6:30pm Volunteers Christmas Party

19th December - 4:30pm Picnic in the Park

24th December - 6:30pm Christmas Eve Service 

26th December - Boxing Day service (online only)

2nd January, 2022 - Sunday in person services return 

30th January, 6th and 13th February, 2022 - Vision Sunday Services 


OPERATIONAL DETAILS:

Pre-registration for services and events: Easy registration at citychurchau.com/events 

Mandatory Masks: Face masks are mandatory in all indoor public settings including places of worship. Children under 12 are exempt but are encouraged to wear masks where practical. We kindly encourage you to bring your own mask and wear it at all time while onsite at City Church. As of 1st December masks will no longer be mandatory. 
 
No congregational singing or dancing: Congregational singing and dancing is not permitted at places of worship throughout November, however will resume in December.

COVID safety: Our COVID safe plan has been updated and remains in effect. City Church has been approved as a ‘COVID Safe Organisation’ and our staff have completed the Australian Government Department of Health COVID 19 Infection Control Training and our team trained in COVID safe practices. We’ve undertaken a review of our processes to ensure we are demonstrating excellence in our church environment.  Cleaning frequency has been increased and our venue will receive a thorough clean with hospital grade disinfectant in-between every service.  There will be no printed materials, offering containers or communion passed around during service. Individual commercially packaged communion packs will be available for collection upon arrival at church.

Hand sanitiser stations have been installed at our main entry & exit points and sanitiser is readily available right throughout the building so please make use of it!
 
To maintain a safe worship environment, we kindly ask that if any of the following apply to you, please do not attend the service:
    •    If you feel unwell or are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19 (eg: fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, sneezing/runny nose or loss of sense of smell);
    •    If you have COVID-19 or are awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test;
    •    If you have been in close contact with any known or suspected cases of COVID-19 in the past 14 day 
    •    If you have returned from overseas travel or have visited an identified hotspot or exposure location in the past 14 days. For the latest case locations please see:  latest COVID-19 news and updates. Instead, we warmly invite you to join us online for City Church services on YouTube or Facebook. 

In conclusion, people will have to make their own decisions on when they feel comfortable to come back to in person church services. Our heart is to leave no one behind as we make this transition back into regular services and gatherings. We understand this can take time and we want to walk with each one of you as you make the decisions at your own pace. Online services will run alongside our in-person services as normal. Over the weeks and months ahead, let’s continue to have love and grace for one another as we move into this exciting next chapter together. 

We will be in contact with you with more information as we move forward and things change in the weeks ahead.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us for any further information required at office@citychurchau.com 

The best is yet to come!


Much Love,

Ben & Amy