After an extended period of online only gatherings, Living Hope Maitland has cautiously returned to in person church services that are lived streamed via our YouTube channel.

Our church leadership and volunteers have worked hard to provide a COVID Safe environment for everyone who chooses to gather in person. To stay COVID Safe requires those who attending to follow some procedures. While some of these procedures might seem onerous, our responsibility to you and to our community is to minimize the opportunities for COVID-19 spreading while providing for your spiritual, emotional and physical needs.

To join us in person we need need to ensure that you:

• don’t have COVID-19. That’s an important one.
• are currently healthy and exhibit no cold/flu symptoms,
• are not waiting on COVID-19 test results,
• have not been in a COVID-19 hotspot with the last 14 days,
• able to maintain social distancing when at church,
• able to wear a mask during your time at church

You start by lining up outside on the crosses that are marked on the pathway. Our very friendly door greeters will let you in as an individual or as a family and take your details for contact tracing. This is a Federal Government requirement. If your a regular attender of our church, your name will be marked off a role, if your new, you will be given a clean pen and a contact form.

After signing in, you can sanitize your hands at our sanitation station or use your own sanitizer. You will be directed straight into the chapel.

In the chapel you can find a socially distant place to sit. Family groups can all sit together otherwise there is a maximum of two people on a pew.

During the service we have singing (possible because we are all wearing masks), prayer, a message from the Bible and communion. You are welcome to bring your own elements for communion, use the specially prepared elements that are brought to your seat or join us in spirit as we remember the Lords table.

After the service anyone who would like prayer or counselling can remain in the chapel. Otherwise we invite you to leave the building at the conclusion of our worship time.

We are currently trialing morning tea which has it’s own simple procedure. While everyone is outside, one person from a family group (or an individual) may come into the foyer to “order” tea or coffee. When it is ready they take the drinks outside.
If you want to talk to someone that is not a member of your family, wait until you have both finished your drink so you are not talking to each other without masks.

The government has placed a restriction of 100 people gathering for religious services. Our chapel has a COVID Safe capacity of 85 people and the hall for Sunday School has a COVID Safe capacity of 40.

Since reopening we have had approximately 50 people join us in person which is not near our capacity. When we start to reach our limits an RSVP system will be put in place.

Our services are broadcast live on our YouTube channel. The livestream should begin at approximately 9:15 ready for our 9:30 start.

You can also catch up with previous messages via YouTube or on our Podcast.

Do you have personal needs or family and friends that need prayer? Our prayer team is ready to lift you and others up to God.