Policies & Resources
Policies & Resources
Welcome to our Policies & Resources page, your source for important information about our church’s policies, COVID guidelines, and annual report. Here, you can learn more about our community and its operations.
Westminster Presbyterian Church Policies
- Anti-Racism Policy
- Building Policies
- COVID Guidelines
- Digital Photo Policy
- Earth Care Policy – See also our Earth Care page for more details
- Funerals/Memorial Services
- Personnel Policies and Procedures
- Safe Church Policy – Read on our Connect & Grow page under “Children, Youth, & Families”
- Wedding Policy
Westminster’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The health and safety of the Westminster Presbyterian Church community is of utmost importance to us.
Westminster fully resumed worship in our main sanctuary in September 2021. We livestream the service on Zoom and do our best to make sure that both our in-person and our online congregation can fully engage with worship and interact with each other.
Westminster has adopted the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new guidelines for face masks in accordance with COVID-19 Hospital Admission Levels. This provides the recommended prevention steps by county.
Practices are guided by the current COVID-19 hospital admission level and other data for Albany County as provided by the CDC. Please check the following website for current information: County information on the CDC’s website (Note: county check data is provided by CDC with updates every Thursday by 8:00 pm ET)
Our masking policy is as follows:
- COVID-19 county check = High: masks are required
- COVID-19 county check = Medium: Masks are optional. People may decide to mask at their individual discretion or comfort level.
- COVID-19 county check = Low: Masks are optional. People may decide to mask at their individual discretion or comfort level.
For more details, please read: Westminster’s COVID-19 Precautions
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make decisions about your response to the pandemic?
What precautions do you take inside the church?
- Masking: As the hospital admission level in Albany County changes, the CDC’s guidance about masking changes. We will follow their recommendations as described on CDC’s website: CDC COVID-19 by County. When the level of hospital admission is HIGH, everyone is required to wear a mask while inside the building, including during the worship service. If you arrive at the church without a mask when the level is HIGH, we will supply you with one for your use.
- Social Distancing: We have a spacious sanctuary and assembly room that allow individuals to maintain physical distancing, at their individual discretion and comfort level.
- Communion: We serve communion on the first Sunday of every month as well as during some special services. Individual disposable communion kits are available for those who prefer this option.
What precautions do you take with children?
- All children, birth through school age, remain in the sanctuary during worship. We have a quiet activity bag (crayons, paper, etc.) available for each child, whether a first-time visitor or a regular attendee. Just ask an usher for one if we don’t offer it to you first!
- Our Church School for school-aged children begins at 11:15 am. Children can attend either in-person or on Zoom.
Do you allow singing?
Please note that when the COVID hospital admission level in our county is HIGH (as indicated on the CDC COVID-19 by County website), masks must be worn by all while singing.
I'm not comfortable coming into your sanctuary. What should I do?
We worship together, sing together, pray together, and share our concerns and celebrations together!