Southminster Presbyterian Church

An open and affirming community, seeking a caring and just society.

6500 Overland Rd
Boise, ID 83709

208-375-5330
office@spcboise.org

Rev. Marianne Paul has been called to be Southminster Presbyterian Church's Transitional/Interim Pastor while we are searching for a permanent Pastor.
 

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission Statement
    • Contact Us
  • Worship
  • Events
  • Our Pastors
  • Donate
  • Construction

Worship Outside/Online

May 27, 2020 By Marcella Auld Glass

On May 31, we will try an experiment with worshipping outdoors in the grove and see how it goes. From there we will decide if we will do that every week, or once a month, or go back to only worshiping online. This is a time where we especially appreciate your flexibility and your willingness to adapt. 

Our foremost priority is the safety of our congregation, so please take care of yourself! If you aren’t comfortable attending a public gathering, please watch worship online.

The church’s YouTube channel is here.

The church’s Facebook page is here

May 31, Pentecost, at the usual time of 9:30, we will worship outside in the grove on the north side of the parking lot, using the portable sound system. We will continue to stream the service for anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable attending in person. (If we have technical issues with streaming, we will have a recording up on YouTube and Facebook as soon as possible.)

If it rains, all of these plans go on hold and we will only live stream the service. Please check the church website that morning if the weather looks inclement.

Here’s a few ways worship and congregational life will be different from past practices:

  • No person-to-person contact. We will not be Passing the Peace, distributing communion (we will still be having communion—see below), or passing offering plates during the service. There will be a way to drop off your offering if you have it as you enter the grove (thank you to everyone who has been giving online and mailing in checks!). 
  • No bulletins. As another way to minimize contact between individuals, we will not be passing out bulletins. Please print yours at home or bring it up on your phone or a tablet. You’ll also be able to worship fine without one. There will be a few spoken prayers, but not as much liturgy as our in sanctuary services. 
  • No congregational singing. Evidence is mounting that singing expels far more microscopic, potentially-virus-containing droplets than merely talking, so we are going to play it safe because we love all of you and care about safety.  There will be music in the service, including special music and a prelude and postlude on piano, but we won’t be singing together as a congregation. This will likely hold true until there is a vaccine.   
  • The building will be open only for emergency bathroom use. The nursery staff will not be working, and children are welcome in the grove for our shorter service. 
  • No coffee hour or congregational potlucks. Until we have a vaccine, shared meals won’t be able to occur. 

Here’s what we are asking from everyone who comes to worship:

  • Don’t attend if you’ve recently been in large crowds, if you’re sick, if you think you might be sick, or if you have been around anyone who is sick.
  • Wear a mask. This is more than a suggestion. We expect everyone who is at worship to wear a mask and if you don’t yet have one, please contact the office and we’ll get one for you.
  • Maintain at least 6 feet of distance. Or more. We’ll have lots of room to spread out. And yes, as challenging as it will be, we will need to refrain from those three golden Hs: Hugs, High fives, and Handshakes.
  • Bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket. Again, to reduce contact, everyone should bring their own seating. If you need help with this, let Pastor Marci know and we’ll figure something out. 
  • Bring some food for communion. We can’t pass out little pieces of bread, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have communion. We’re going back to the early church days and sharing a meal together at the end of the service. So bring what feels right to you—a small morsel or a full meal. It can be a can of Diet Coke and a banana muffin. Or a bottle of water and a ham sandwich. Remember alcohol is not allowed on church property, so please leave the sacramental wine at home.
  • Wear Red. It is Pentecost, the birthday of the church and we will be collecting the Pentecost Offering, which goes to support national children’s and youth ministry, including the Presbyterian Youth Triennium. If you’re worshiping at home that day, also wear red and put photos on social media with a #SPCBoise hashtag so we can see your outfits. 
  • Baptism. We will be baptizing baby Claire that day, so that will be a fun celebration.
  • Congregational Meeting. At the conclusion of the service, we will have a congregational meeting to elect Bruce M. to serve as Elder. We will also get an update about the construction project. It will be a brief meeting. 

Filed Under: Pastor's Blog

Coronavirus Update

March 12, 2020 By Marcella Auld Glass

Southminster Boise Health Plan  March 12, 2020

As the news and concern over the COVID-19 situation continues, we at SPC are taking prudent steps in order to keep our community healthy. We are monitoring the Boise School district as well as other alerts for our area.

Personal Preparedness

For 80% of cases, COVID-19 is a mild illness that does not require hospitalization. We cannot eliminate COVID-19 but we can limit its spread by:

  • Washing hands with soap and water, frequently
  • Don’t touch your face (mouth, nose, eyes)
  • Staying home when sick, until the illness is resolved
  • Covering coughs and sneezes with tissue and elbows, and washing hands afterwards
  • Staying away from others who are ill
  • Ordering a month’s supply of medications
  • Avoiding spaces where crowds gather, when possible
  • Talk to your doctor about possibly postponing non-urgent trips to the doctor if you’re in a high risk health group

Our Plan as a community of faith:

We are already taking extra steps to keep the building as clean as possible. One of the things that slows the spread of this disease is “social distancing”. While there haven’t been any identified cases in Idaho yet, we haven’t been testing people for the virus in any great measure. People can spread the disease for more than a week without having any symptoms of it. It seems likely there are cases of it in Boise already, and the best way to slow any spread of the disease is to not gather in large groups.  

Here’s an article from the New York Times about the importance of slowing the spread. Lots of people will still get the disease, but if we can keep our healthcare system from being overwhelmed, we will all fare better. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/science/coronavirus-curve-mitigation-infection.html

Out of an abundance of caution, and to protect the vulnerable people in our community, the session has decided to suspend in person gatherings at church for the next three weeks. We will re-assess the situation at that time. 

We will NOT gather in person to worship March 14, March 22, or March 29. (We will gather online using Facebook Live). 

Bible Studies, SAGES, circle meetings, choir rehearsals, etc will also take a break through March. 

We will contact the groups that use the building and recommend they consider ways to meet virtually.

The office will remain open. We will continue to keep the building clean and disinfected, as best we can. 

We are staying in touch with the school district too, and if they close, we may need to mobilize some healthy people who can help deliver food to food pantries. There are some children in our community who rely on free lunches at school and we want to make sure they still have access to food in the midst of this situation. 

Our Lenten journey this year seems like it will be rockier and more complicated than in some previous years, but we are still on this journey together. We pray that during this time of worshiping apart, we will appreciate the gifts of worshiping together even more.

* We will keep you updated through  Facebook, church website (www.spcboise.org), and email  *

Idaho’s Coronavirus Website: https://coronavirus.idaho.gov/

Central District Health’s Website: https://www.cdhd.idaho.gov/dac-coronavirus.php

Filed Under: Pastor's Blog

Look at these faces!

  • Something for all ages

    Join us for Presbyterian Women's Bible Study, Men's Breakfasts and Lunches, Vacation Bible School and kids activities, youth events, choirs, and mission and service opportunities.

Come to SPC


6500 West Overland Road
Boise, ID 83709
1-208-375-5330

Office Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
9 am to 3 pm

Sunday Schedule

Worship: 9:30 AM

No Sunday morning services on Sabbath weekends

Sabbath Weekends

Worship on Second Saturday of each month is at 5 pm. The following Sunday morning is a day of Sabbath rest, with no scheduled worship or activities.

Useful Links

  • Covenant Network of Presbyterians
  • Boise Presbytery
  • Presbyterian Church (USA)
  • End of Physical Life Planning Resources
  • Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
  • Special Music

Newsletter

Sign up to receive our newsletter.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2021 Southminster Presbyterian Church · Thanks to kanso.