In Person Services to resume on Sunday, July 19th

Until further notice, the following boundaries and guidelines are in effect at Prairie Hills Covenant Church for all gatherings inside the building. We recognize that these are unprecedented times and that putting restrictions on building usage and personal requirements are inconvenient and, in some cases, feel intrusive. And so we ask that you be gracious to others and respect these markers not only for your safety but for the safety of others. We want to create a safe and welcoming environment for all people and look forward to removing these restrictions as soon as possible.

Boundaries and Guidelines

1. Usage of the Prairie Hills Covenant Church building for gathering is restricted to three areas:

a. Sanctuary (maximum occupancy of 100)

b. Gathering Space - Lobby (maximum occupancy of 25)

c. Restrooms (across from the kitchen)

2. Please note that this means all other areas of the building are off limits for gathering until further notice, including the kitchen, nursery, fireside room, and all classrooms. The offices, sound booth and custodian closets are restricted to staff and official personnel only.

3. If any person is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please do not enter the building. We ask that symptomatic people and any people who have had contact with an infected person not enter the building until after 14 days of self-quarantine without symptoms.

4. All people are requested to wear masks, wash hands regularly, use hand sanitizer and maintain social distancing of 6 feet separation as much as possible.

5. Before and after gathering events, please take conversations outside.

6. Food and beverages will not be served in the building until further notice.

7. Leadership of groups that gather are responsible to communicate these boundaries and guidelines to their people to avoid hard feelings and confusion.

8. Groups using the church are responsible to sanitize hard surfaces to prepare the building for the next group.

Thank you for your help and cooperation

Regathering Announcement from the PHCC Council 6.9.20

The Regathering Plan for PHCC continues to be phased in. We recognize that other churches and organizations are already gathering as groups in their buildings. We respect their choices and ask you to respect the pace of our plan. We have a committee working on the development of short range and long range guidelines for church gatherings and designing a process for their implementation. Our goal is to provide a safe and welcoming environment. We also recognize that part of our new reality is that we will need to be flexible and prepared to respond quickly to new information and changes. The first phase of the plan has been to provide a live FM broadcast in the parking lot and YouTube internet streaming of our worship services. Last Sunday was our first Parking Lot Service. We are very appreciative for the volunteers who spent many hours preparing, testing and serving at the service. We will provide both the FM Broadcast and the YouTube Streaming of the worship services as a permanent part of our ministry. The second phase of the plan will be to begin gathering in the building for worship. This phase will hopefully begin in July depending on a number of factors. The Regathering Guidelines will outline the protective requirements and practices we will be following. We recognize that people have different convictions and needs during this time and that they will need to make their own choices about when they are comfortable to regather in a crowd. The third phase will include instituting Life Groups (small group) gatherings both live in homes and at church as well as via Zoom for study and fellowship. We will also continue to adjust our guidelines and gathering practices as we learn and experience the new realities. We ask for your continued patience and grace toward each other as we move forward. We value your input and ask for your prayers as we all seek to love God, love others and make disciples. Please contact Pastor Rick at rick@prairiehills.org if you have any questions.

The PHCC Council

Parking Lot Service - What to Expect

We are excited to start our PHCC Parking Lot service this upcoming Sunday, June 7th at 10:30 am.  We hope to see you there!  Here are answers to some FAQ’s you may have.

What can you expect?

The worship service will be held in the PHCC parking lot with cars facing the church entrance.  You will be greeted at the beginning of the parking lot by a volunteer.  They will hand you a bag that has been filled with a bulletin, a prayer request card, a pencil, and a communion cup for everyone in your vehicle.  The bulletin will include the worship order, responsive reading, song lyrics, and announcements.  Pastor Rick will be standing under the covered church entrance.

You will be directed by a Parking Lot Attendee where to park.  Please watch for these individuals in the vests.  You are invited to stay in your vehicle to listen to the service or bring and sit in a lawn chair next to your vehicle.  We ask that you keep the standard 6 feet social distance from other families.

The worship service will be broadcasted on a FM station that will be listed on a white board by the front doors.  The service will have all our usual elements including worship songs, scripture, prayer, offertory, and communion.  The entire service should be around 1 hour in length.  We are providing all volunteers with a mask and gloves.

How will we get our prayer request cards to Pastor Rick?

At a point during the service, the ushers will come around and gather any prayer requests.  You may also use the PHCC App on your phone to send a prayer request electronically.  Pastor Rick will pray for all prayer requests given during the service.

How will I give my offering?

Like the prayer request cards, ushers will come around to the cars to collect any offering.  You also can continue to give electronically through the App or the website. 

How will I have communion safely?

We are providing individual disposable communion cups that have the juice and wafer all wrapped together in one piece.  Of course, gluten free options are still available so please make sure to let the greeting usher know that you need a gluten free cup. 

What if I need to go to the bathroom?

We request anyone needing to use the restroom to use the East side exterior door (the ones by the kitchen) to access the bathrooms. 

A message from the council - May 13, 2020

The Church council is working on a Re-Gathering Plan.  We will continue to worship virtually through our YouTube broadcasts through the month of May.
The Re-Gathering Plan will include gradual steps in order to maintain safety and at the same time be welcoming.  We recognize that there will need to be a number of changes in our building and gathering policies.  So, we will take our time and work together toward the new "normal".  We ask for your patience and participation.

Pray for wisdom and strength.  Volunteer to help as we make adjustments, and care for those who need your love and support during this transition.  

A full schedule of the Re-Gathering Plan will be coming soon.  In the mean time, "Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid.  Do not lose heart." Isaiah 7:4

Thank you and stay well!

A message from Pastor Rick - April 3, 2020

Make sure to join us this Sunday online at 10:30 am to celebrate Palm Sunday. Also, be watching our YouTube channel everyday next week for a Holy Week Devotional. On Good Friday from 12 - 7 pm, there will be an opportunity to add a nail to the cross which will be under the entrance overhang at the church. On Easter Sunday, the cross will again be available at the church for flowering from 8 am - 12 pm. We do ask that everyone follows the social distancing recommendations of 6 feet. To help follow that, we ask that only 1 individual/couple/family go to the cross at one time. Thank you and God Bless!

A message from your Council - March 18, 2020

We have decided that, in accordance, with the guidelines set by the city, we will be suspending all official gatherings including worship services for the rest of March. We will continue to provide an online worship experience along with other resources for study and connection. Thank you for your continued generosity in giving and in prayer.

How do I participate in the Online Worship Experience?

We have set up a YouTube Channel to store our previous and current worship experiences along with Children sermons and messages from Pastor Rick. Click the button below to go to the channel. We encourage everyone to subscribe to our channel as you will be notified when a new video as been uploaded.

A letter to the congregation from the Council from Friday, March 13th