COVID-19 Updates
We will post all updates to our COVID-19 response on this page. Please visit back regularly to stay up-to-date!
March 5, 2022 Update
The provincial government started easing restrictions in a phased approach starting on February 9th. On March 1st, almost all restrictions were lifted. Details on the provincial public health actions can be found here: https://www.alberta.ca/covid-19-public-health-actions.aspx.
Effective March 1, 2022:
Masks are no longer mandatory, building capacity is no longer limited, and social distancing is no longer mandatory.
Stay home if you have any COVID-19 symptoms. If you test positive, you must isolate and follow masking protocols afterwards as per the provincial requirements.
While there are no masking/distancing restrictions in place, please act in a safe manner and be aware of people's comfort levels. You are welcome to continue to mask/keep distance if desired.
In-person Kids’ church has restarted. More details on our Kids page.
February 12, 2022 Update
The provincial government started easing restrictions in a phased approach starting on February 9th. Details on the provincial public health actions can be found here: https://www.alberta.ca/covid-19-public-health-actions.aspx.
Restrictions - Effective Feb.9:
Masks are still mandatory (except for children under age 13 as of Feb.14th).
Building capacity no longer limited.
2 metres physical distancing recommended between households, or 2 close contacts for those living alone.
Kids to remain with parents/guardians in the service. In-person Kids’ church is planned to restart on Feb. 27th. More details on our Kids page.
September 16, 2021 Update
Restrictions - Effective Sept. 16:
Capacity limited to 1/3 fire code occupancy (~66 people).
Masks are mandatory.
2 metres physical distancing between households, or 2 close contacts for those living alone.
Kids church is on hold. Kids to remain with parents/guardians in the service.
September 4, 2021 Update
Good afternoon WSC,
We are once again facing some discouraging COVID numbers within our city and province. Please continue to pray for the health of all those affected. Please also lift up in prayer our front-line workers who continue to work diligently.
Below is the latest from AHS as it affects the church:
Mandatory restriction – Effective Sept. 4 at 8 am
Masks are mandatory in all indoor public spaces and workplaces.
Recommended measure – Effective Sept. 4 at 8 am
Albertans are encouraged to limit in-person contacts.
Unvaccinated Albertans are strongly recommended to limit indoor social gatherings to close contacts of only 2 cohort families up to a maximum of 10 people.
As a result, here are our current operating procedures:
1. We would ask that anyone attending the church in person to please comply with the mandatory mask restriction.
2. Although it is great to be together again, please do your best to maintain 2m of space between non-family/non-cohorts.
3. Make use of the hand sanitizing stations found throughout the building.
4. As always, if you are feeling unwell, please stay home.
Thank you, WSC, for helping keep our community safe.
Pastor Kevin
Calgary Mask By-Law Info:
July, 2021 Update
We are re-opening for in-person services in July, starting on July 4th @ 10am.
We will provide more details about our in-person summer services in the following weeks. Please make sure you are on our email list for any updates (email office@westsprings.church to be added), and continue to check our website.
Going forward, we will continue to stream our services live on Facebook (and posted later on Youtube and our media page here on our website), for those who can’t attend or don’t feel comfortable attending yet.
Special dates for July:
Sunday July 25th: "Be Love" Challenge. No in-person service. Take this Sunday to “Be Love” — go for lunch with an old friend, help out someone in need, … whatever you think of. Then, tell us about it!
Sunday, August 1st: In-person tailgate service in the parking lot. Bring your own brunch and lawn chairs.
Sunday, Sep 5th: In-person Prayer Service; No livestream on this day.
April 8, 2021 Update
Dear WSC,
We love our church family and our community! So out of care and concern for our family, friends and neighbours, the Board and staff have chosen to close to in-person services for the time being. We really loved seeing you at Easter, but we also realize with overall COVID case numbers, variant numbers, and hospitalizations on the rise, this is the most sensible option to help our neighbourhood stay safe and healthy.
We will continue to meet online each week on Sundays at 10:05am on Facebook live: https://www.facebook.com/westspringscalgary
We understand that it might be easy to feel disconnected while we are not meeting in-person. Please reach out for any need you may have! Pastor Lorilee: 403-828-3924, lorilee@westsprings.church or Pastor Kevin: 403-999-9234, kevin@westsprings.church are more than happy to help out however we can. As well, there are plenty of online opportunities to connect with each other – check out your options at https://westsprings.church/connect
Kids: We meet Sundays over YouTube/Zoom. Contact Pastor Lorilee lorilee@westsprings.church for more information.
Teens: We meet Sunday nights at 7pm over Zoom. Contact Pastor Kevin kevin@westsprings.church if you have any questions.
Thank you for your understanding as we continue to do the best we can to care for our church family, friends and neighbours.
Pastor Kevin
March 27, 2021 Update
West Springs Church,
We are happy to invite you back to in-person worship services starting Easter Sunday April 4th!
Please note we are following AHS requirements for Places of Worship: https://www.alberta.ca/enhanced-public-health-measures.aspx. As such, please keep the following in mind as we gather:
1. Use of masks is mandatory.
2. Physical distancing of at least 2 meters should be adhered to at all times.
3. Frequent use of hand sanitizer is strongly encouraged.
4. Each service will have a capacity of 30 attendees. An event registration will be sent out each week with the e-newsletter (please ensure we have your email address) and will be on our Registration page. Please re-register each week you are planning to attend.
We will follow capacity numbers/restrictions as AHS directs and keep you informed as to how these affect our operation as quickly as possible.
Your health and safety are our top priorities. We will continue to provide online livestreaming of our services for anyone unable to attend in-person services: www.facebook.com/westspringscalgary. You are still very much a part of our church family!
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Pastor Kevin at kevin@westsprings.church or 403-999-9234 or the church office at office@westsprings.church or 403-249-2838.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Upcoming Services
Good Friday:
Online only, 9am April 2. Join us at: https://www.youtube.com/ArlingtonWoodsChurch
Easter Sunday:
Update: Now 11am only (9am service cancelled).
11am April 4 — Pre-registration required for in-person attendance. Update: Our 11am in-person service is full (pre-registrations have reached our max 30 person capacity). You can still join us virtually on our Facebook live stream at 11am.
Online livestream at 11am: www.facebook.com/westspringscalgary
Future Sundays:
The usual 10:05am start time, online & in-person (pre-registration required, max 30 attendees).
In-Person Services are subject to change / cancellation based on AHS requirements and the WSC Board’s regular evaluation of the COVID-19 situation.
March 3, 2021 Update
Planned Re-Opening April 2021
Dear WSC,
We have some great news! The Board has approved the motion that, with the cooperation and coordination of the staff, ministry leaders, and acting under direction from AHS, we will begin to plan our reopening towards Good Friday and Easter services (April 2 2021).
Our number one priority is safety for all who step through our church doors. We will be following all recommendations from AHS regarding places of worship.
When we gather:
1. Physical distancing between households must be maintained.
2. Mask use is mandatory.
3. Please make use of hand sanitizer often (there will be stations spread throughout the building).
4. For in-person services:
a. While we presently remain closed, in-person attendance is currently capped at 15% of fire code occupancy which would be 30 people for us. Our hope is this number will increase with the Alberta Government’s “A Path Forward” Step 3 which should be in place by our reopening if the COVID picture in Alberta continues to move along its present trajectory. We will adhere to whatever attendance restrictions are in place upon reopening.
b. Registration for in-person attendance is required. This form is found online at www.westsprings.church and must be filled out each time you attend a service. We will have Welcome Team members willing to help you in filling out the form should you need assistance.
c. We will continue to livestream our services Sundays at 10:05am on www.facebook.com/westspringscalgary for those unable to attend in-person.
d. Children’s ministry (K-6) is hoping to reopen to in-person kids’ church during regular worship service hours on April 11 (one week after Easter). If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Pastor Lorilee lorilee@westsprings.church.
e. Teen ministry will be announced at a later date.
f. The Nursery will be open for parents to supervise their children if needed.
A note on programming: In-person faith group meetings are permitted when conducted at a place of worship as long as physical distancing and public health measures are followed. With this in mind, we are reviewing our outside of Sunday morning programs and may continue to provide online only or online/in-person options for these meetings. We will be sure to update you as we work out the details of reopening.
As we work toward reopening, we ask for you patience, grace, and flexibility. There are a lot of moving parts to safely reopening. Please be patient and extend grace to us as we figure things out. We are committed to giving you as much information as we can in as timely a manner as we can. Please also be flexible as AHS recommendations can change and therefore our plans may need to change. Any decisions the staff or Board make will be with public health measures and your safety in mind.
Please feel free to contact the church with any questions or concerns you may have: office@westsprings.church or kevin@westsprings.church.
In Him,
Kevin Bishop (Interim Pastor) and Adam Beach (Board Chair)
November 22, 2020 Update
We are closed to in-person services until further notice.
Please read Adam Beach’s and Pastor Keitha’s letter below and we look forward to connecting with you online!
November 20, 2020
West Springs Church,
Over the past several weeks, the COVID 19 cases in Alberta and across Canada have been rising at a rapid rate. Out of an abundance of caution, the West Springs Church board, staff and facilities team have decided to move our Sunday morning services to a virtual format, live stream format, effective November 22, 2020. You can connect live on our West Springs Church Calgary Facebook page at 10:05 AM each morning. For those who do not use Facebook, the video will be uploaded to our YouTube Page on Tuesday. We encourage those that do connect at 10:05 on Sunday mornings to engage with one another virtually, and to provide feedback on quality, content and platform options so we can serve you well. If you have not found your way to our new Facebook page, here is a link: https://www.facebook.com/westspringscalgary. The easiest way to connect is to like or follow our page so updates, services and other information is easily accessible.
We recognize that for some, this move to a virtual format will be a disappointment, while for others a relief. Wherever you find yourself on that spectrum, please know decisions were not made lightly and our priority is maintaining connection with one another. The church leadership will be working to maintain connection outside of Sunday morning through avenues such as: phone calls, virtual visits and prayer connect times, yet we know that our efforts are only a part of what is required to keep us connected. In order for us to maintain deep and meaningful connection with one another we encourage family units, volunteer teams and individuals to reach out to one another as we worship together, from our individual homes. As we walk through, yet another stretch of the pandemic, our need for one another continues to grow- if you require assistance or simple conversation do not hesitate to reach out to the pastoral team and do not hesitate to reach out to one another.
As we look ahead to the Christmas season the pastoral team is working to creatively continue our traditions and celebrations. Please stay connected to our social media and website for more information on ways we will celebrate advent, care for our community and celebrate Christmas Eve together. Please note that our Children’s and Youth Pastors will be in touch with families, in the near future, to discuss how these groups will engage together.
As we walk through another transition together, please keep the WSC leadership in your prayers as we seek to make wise decisions in the coming days and weeks. Most importantly, we invite you to hold one another in prayer whether that is on your own, or by joining us for our prayer connect on Wednesday, November 25th at 7pm.
If you have questions or concerns about our decision to move to a virtual service, please do not hesitate to email: keitha@westsprings.church or Adam Beach, our WSC Board Chair, at adam.beach@gmail.com.
As we wait together, for the much anticipated normalcy of a post pandemic world, the words of Habbakkuk seem fitting as we prepare for this Sunday’s virtual service together.
“If it seems slow in coming, wait for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Look at the proud: They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.”
Habakkuk 2:3-4
Adam Beach
WSC Board Chair
Pastor Keitha Ogbogu
Lead Pastor
September 6, 2020 - Re-Opening Information
We are excited to reopen our facilities for worship and community use beginning September 6, 2020. We have missed worshipping together but acknowledge that not everyone is comfortable joining us for in person services. Please know our staff and volunteers are working to ensure that a portion of our Sunday morning service will be live streamed for you to view with us or watch later in the week. We want to stay connected, even when it isn’t always possible for us to be face to face. For those who will not be joining us for in person services, we ask for your patience and grace as we “experiment” with our live stream. Your feedback will be important.
For those who will be joining us for in person services please note that the facilities team and staff are working hard to ensure that we can gather safely.
What to Expect:
Contact Tracing
As you may have heard in the media or witnessed at other locations, managing contact tracing is an AHS requirement. We will be using online registration (see button below) and possibly manual methods to keep records of individuals who are in the building. This means that you and any guests that join you will be asked to give your name and contact info (phone number or email) each time you attend. This information will be kept for 2 weeks and then destroyed and discarded to ensure your privacy. Please know that all renters will also be following contact tracing protocols to ensure safety across the board.
Masks and Social Distancing
The City of Calgary has mandated that all public spaces require individuals to wear masks. West Springs Church falls under this mandate and so we request that all individuals wear masks when entering the building. If you are unable to wear a mask, due to medical concerns, please indicate that upon entrance to the building and take extra caution to ensure social distancing is maintained. In order to follow AHS guidelines, social distancing is required both on Sundays and when you enter the building during the week. To ensure social distancing at all times, we request that individuals sit only with their immediate families or their cohorts. While this is not our usual way of sitting together, we request that you respect and follow through with this measure. The facilities team will arrange the seating in such a way to ensure the physical distancing can be maintained. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Sanitizing and Disinfecting
There will be several sanitation stations within the church. The foyer will have 2 or 3 stations, each classroom and all offices will have access to hand sanitizer. The space will be professionally cleaned on a weekly basis and disinfected each time groups use the space. Our building will be professionally disinfected following each service.
Singing
Our worship leaders are ready to lead worship in song and using other creative means. Currently AHS does not recommend that the congregation join in with that singing as this is a means of spreading the virus in an exponential fashion.
Children
For our first phase of re-opening, children and youth will remain with their parents/guardians for the full morning worship service. Specific guidelines for children’s and youth ministry will be communicated by the individual pastors leading these areas.
Self Health Check
It is recommended you take the COVID-19 Self-Assessment and the Personal Health Risk Assessment to help determine if you should stay home. If for any reason you feel ill or have been around individuals who are ill, have travelled outside the country, or had contact with individuals who have COVID-19, please choose to worship remotely. While you will be missed, your absence ensures the safety of others.
Our aim is that as we worship together, we can keep each other safe.
Your cooperation with these and other measures are much appreciated. We also welcome feedback on processes that are problematic or need increased measures. You are welcome to contact the church office or the chair of facilities to address these concerns.
We cannot wait to see you face to face and to have the opportunity to worship together. We look forward to seeing you on the 6th of September. If required, a comprehensive outline of safety measures is available in the WSC office (email: office@westsprings.church).
Thank you for your commitment to the safety of others.
Useful Links:
August 8, 2020 - Update
We are planning to return to in-person Sunday gatherings in our church building starting on September 6th, 2020.
We are excited to return to worshiping together with you, and we want to ensure that we can do so safely while also providing a positive experience. The Facilities team and Board are currently developing a comprehensive strategy for re-opening.
Check back here in the 1st week of September for more details regarding our re-opening plan, policies, and procedures.
March 18, 2020 - Move to Online Services
This past Sunday we had the opportunity to gather and be reminded that despite what we see around us, worry and fear need not be where we reside as follower of Christ. In fact, we were reminded that God is present with us in the midst of the upheaval that we see around us and are experiencing in our lives and homes.
On March 15th, the Alberta Government reported there have been cases of COVID-19, contracted via community transmission, and since then have increased our provincial status to a state of emergency. As a result of these announcements, Schools have been closed indefinitely and the cancellation of worship services has been encouraged. Coupled with this the Government of Alberta orders that all gatherings over 50 people be cancelled.
The Board and Staff at WSC have heard the advice from these various sources and desiring to participate in the act of loving our neighbor, we are encouraging social distancing.
This means that Sunday morning services at WSC will be online and not at our church facility until further notice.
Online Church Services
Please know the staff team are working to develop inspiring, relational and meaningful virtual services. These will be broadcast at our regular time (Sunday, 10:05am) via our Youtube page and Facebook Page:
Services will be made available to be shared or watched at a later time following the live event. We also encourage you to offer your feedback as this is a new medium of worship for us all.
Support
During this time of virtual church services please know that the ministry team and staff want to ensure that you feel supported by the church community. If you need assistance, prayer, encouragement or find yourself unwell due to the COVID-19 virus or other illness, we encourage you to call or email us. For general inquiries please email: office@westsprings.church.
Staff and ministry leaders will also be proactively checking in with individuals who make up our congregation during this time. While we may not be able to meet face to face, we are open to video calls, phone calls, text messages, “snail mail” and emails as a means to connect with you. As part of our worship includes building community, we encourage you to find creative ways to stay connected with one another.
Our staff will also begin working from home with limited weekday interaction in the church building. All staff are still available via email, the church phone messages will be checked regularly and Pastor Keitha is available by phone or text at any time.
Please know, the WSC Board, Staff and Ministry Team want you to feel supported during these unpredictable times!
Thanks
We want to thank you for your continued support of our ministry at WSC and are grateful for your prayers as we navigate and respond to the COVID 19 information that we receive from government and health authorities.
Contact
If you have questions or concerns regarding the information within this letter or need to stay connected with one of our team members do not hesitate to contact us at: