For updates on our operating status, please visit this page regularly, or follow us on the church’s Facebook, Realm or Twitter accounts.
A Word from Pastor Donalson:
“During the summer of 2020, I wrote to you and said these words, 'Right now, we find ourselves in unprecedented times and unchartered territory. To say that the last 5 months have been difficult would be an understatement. The spread of COVID-19 has affected our lives in ways that none of us could foresee to include how we fellowship and worship together as a family in Christ.'
Here we are, almost one year ago from when we last met as a congregation in the Sanctuary of the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. While we are still dealing with some difficulty, the reality is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Many Americans continue to get vaccinated daily, and both the infection numbers and deaths continue to decrease weekly.
The team that I put together early on during this crisis has continued to do its work. This team has laid out a comprehensive, sensible, and thoughtful plan and protocols. After much prayer and conversation, we have decided to re-enter the Sanctuary, starting the 1st Sunday in April, which is Easter Sunday. For the time being, we will have one Service on Sunday Mornings at 10:30. This is a reminder that we will continue to Broadcast every Sunday morning on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. If you are not comfortable coming back just yet, we understand. Please continue to worship with us virtually. We will follow the guidelines of the CDC and the State of Virginia. Please familiarize yourself with the protocols that the church has set in place.
Right now, the plan is to have worship on Easter Sunday and then the Transition Team will decide the following week about how we move forward. It is our goal to let you know by Wednesday, April 7th what our plans are moving forward. Whatever the decision is, EVERYTHING ELSE will remain virtual. To have anything at the church needs prior approval by the Transition Team.
Please understand that the health and safety of the membership of Mount Pleasant continues to be our number one goal. Let us all continue to pray that God would have his way and we get back to normal as soon as possible."
Your Servant in Christ -
Dr. Kevin E. Donalson Sr.
Senior Pastor
Updated: April 25, 2021
OPERATING STATUS
Current Operating Status: In-person Easter Services are planned for Sunday, April 4th at 10:30 a.m. Please use this link to review registration information. The online service schedule remains unchanged. All services and Word Fuel classes are online. Church is only open to essential personnel required to support online services and church maintenance facilities.
MPBC RE-ENTRY PLAN
The following procedures will be used when the church opens for physical attendance.
SAFETY PLAN
1. Pre-Arrival Checklist
There will be a checklist sent out via email to the membership and posted on the Realm and MPBC website. We are asking that each member would review the checklist weekly and assess the health status of yourself and your household prior to attending service at Mount Pleasant.
If you answer yes to any of the questions on the checklist, we are asking that you avoid in-person worship service and stay home and take advantage of the live streaming services on Facebook Live and YouTube Live.
If you have a fever or symptoms of COVID-19, or if you have known exposure to a COVID-19 case in the prior 14 days, you are asked to not attend in person worship services and take advantage of the live streaming services on Facebook Live or YouTube Live.
For those Church Family members who may have had close contact with a person with COVID-19 we are asking you to stay home and take advantage of the live streaming services on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Close contact is defined by the CDC as "Being within approximately 6 feet of a person with COVID-19 for about 10 minutes, living with someone who has COVID-19, taking care of someone with COVID-19, and having direct contact with infectious secretions from a person with COVID-19.”
We will continue to offer Online Worship Services for any Church Family who do not feel comfortable coming to Worship Service for any reason.
2. Proper Hygiene Practices
When you arrive at the church, there will be a health check in the Parking Lot. This will consist of a temperature check and brief health survey.
We encourage you to continue to maintain good hand hygiene, washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. We will have adequate supplies to support healthy hygiene behaviors, including soap and hand sanitizer.
MASKS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES. Masks are meant to protect other people in case the wearer is unknowingly infected but does not have symptoms. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided for you. If you cannot wear a mast for a sustained period, you will not be able to attend in person Worship Services.
Water Fountains WILL NOT be available for use. Bottled water will be available if needed.
3. Physical Distancing
Following the guidelines of the CDC we will social distance while on the campus. We will provide physical guides, such as tape on pews, floors or walkways and signs on walls to ensure that congregants always remain at least 6 feet apart to the best of their ability.
Family members may be seated together but everyone else will be seated in six-foot increments.
4. Cleaning and Sanitizing the building
The church building will be cleaned in between each Service.
We are asking that once church is over, you exit the building immediately so that the cleaning may start.
Industrial cleaning supplies will be used. If these products types are a known irritant for you and or family members you may want to consider staying at home and participating in the streaming services on Face Book Live or YouTube Live.
ALL activities at the Church during the week will remain cancelled unless approved by the Senior Pastor. (We will continue to live stream Wednesday Bible Study!)
5. In case someone becomes sick during in- person Worship Services
If anyone begins to show symptoms during Service, they will be taken to the Crying Room until they can be transported home.
We will notify local health officials if a person diagnosed with COVID-19 has been in the facility and communicate with staff about potential exposure while maintaining confidentiality as required by HIPPA, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other applicable laws and in accordance with religious practices.
Our protocol will be to close off areas used by the sick person (s) and to not use the area until cleaning and disinfection has been completed. We will ensure safe and correct application of disinfectants.
We advise congregants with symptoms of COVID-19 or who have tested positive for COVID-19 not to return to the facility until they have met CDC’s criteria to discontinue home isolation and or been properly cleared by authorized medical staff.
Service Attendance and Participation Guidelines
1. Worship Service
Following the CDC guidelines stating that occupancy shall be limited to no more than 50% of the lowest occupancy load on the certificate of occupancy of the room or facility in which the religious services are conducted, we will have no more than 180 for each Service (this includes members attending and support staff). We will have Service at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM and will continue to offer Online Service at 10:30 AM each Sunday.
Members will be asked to RSVP for a specific Worship Service on The REALM. Once we reach our maximum capacity, we will shut the RSVP mode down, which will be an indication to either search for another Service or participate in our online Service. We are asking that you come to the Worship Service that you sign up for.
We will have an abbreviated worship service at both services.
2. Our Best Practices are as followed:
The choir will be limited to 6 people (not including musicians)
We will walk to receive the offering. Offering will be held at the end of service. We will use best social distancing practices to receive the offering.
For the Lord’s Supper on the 4th Sunday. We will populate the pews with the elements using the cup holders in the back of the pews and will also utilize the empty bible holders for additional space. Used containers will be left in holders behind the pews and the Ushers will collect them between services.
We will have one Men’s and one Women’s bathroom open during services. We are asking you to limit it to three persons in a bathroom at a time.
Baptisms will be suspended until further notice.
Baby Blessings will be scheduled through the Senior Pastor’s office and may be done on an alternate date.
3. Church Activities
Due to CDC and the State of Virginia Guidelines it is best that we continue to follow Social Distancing Guidelines. Thus, Sunday Service is all that will be offered in the MPBC building until further notice.
Wednesday Night Bible Study will continue to be offered online.
There will be NO CHILDREN’S CHURCH.
All Meetings will continue to be virtual.
Download the Complete MPBC Ministry Continuity Plan Amid COVID-19
Use this link to download a PDF of the MPBC Ministry Continuity Plan Amid COVID-19
RE-ENTRY SCHEDULE
PHASE I DAILY OPERATION WITH MINIMUM STAFFING (see pages 3 through 10 of the MPBC Ministry Continuity Plan) July 7th
PHASE II REOPEN WORSHIP SERVICE (see pages 11 through 32 of the MPBC Ministry Continuity Plan) TBD
PHASE III MPBC CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (see pages 57 and 58 of the MPBC Ministry Continuity Plan) TBD
PHASE IV Full Operation (within Federal, State, and Local Guidelines, see pages 33 through 41 of the MPBC Ministry Continuity Plan) TBD
COVID Reference Library
Please use the links below to review COVID19 reference guidance:
Coronavirus and COVID Reference 1
Notification-Enforcement-Discretion-HIPPA Reference 2
Airborne Transmission of SARS-COV-2 Reference 3
Characteristics of Airborne Bacterial Communities in Indoor and Outdoor Reference 4
Transmission of COVID Virus by Droplets and Aerosols Reference 5
N95a - Sufficient Protection for COVID 19 Reference 6
COVID-19 Protection Reference 7
LArson Electronic HVAC Catalogue 2020 Reference 8
LArson Electronic HVAC Information Paper Induct Reference 9
LArson Electronic HVAC Information Paper Reference 9
Far UV Light 222 nm Reference 11
IUVA Fact Sheet on UV Disinfection for COVID-19 Reference 12
Efficacy of an Automated Multiple Emitter - Whole Room UV-C Reference 13
COVID-19 Sterilizers - Disinfectant - Purifiers - Guidance Policy Reference 14
Tudi-Whitepaper-NPBI Reference 15
GPS-White Paper - NPBI Explained Reference 16
Global Plasma Solutions Virtually Eliminates Static SARS-CoV-2 Reference 17
GPS-iMOD Modular Needlepoint Bipolar Fact Sheet Reference 18
Independent Laboratory Test Results Reference 19
Innovative Bioanalysis Reference 20
MERV Filter Systems and COVID-19 Reference 21
ASHRAE Position Document on Filtration and Air Cleaning Reference 22
Amended EO-67-Order of Public Health Emergency - Seven Reference 24
State of Virginia Safer at Home - Phase-Three-Guidelines-Reference 26
CDC’s main COVID-19 Web page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Virginia Department of Health COVID-19 Web page: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/
Virginia Governor’s COVID-19 Web page: https://www.virginia.gov/coronavirus/
For information on the status of COVID -19 at a county, state, and nation level; statistics, vaccines, prevention, symptoms, treatment, and testing https://www.bing.com/search?q=
COVID-19 TESTING SITES
COVID-19 testing is available in Fairfax & surrounding jurisdictions.
Use this link to find a coronavirus testing site in the Fairfax Health District or search for a testing site in Virginia near you. Note: this may not include every site currently offering testing in Fairfax Health.
MPBC HOSTED COVID-19 TESTING
To support safe interactions, MPBC hosted COVID-19 testing on Saturday November 21, 2020.
2516 Squirrel Hill Road Herndon, VA. 20171
703.793.1196
© 2020 Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. All Rights Reserved
Online Sunday Service 10:30AM
Wednesday Word Fuel (Bible Study) 7:00 pm