This is the first of a three-part series on weather cancellations and the church.
Late last month, our congregation's office received information from a couple of TV stations about changes to their weather-related closings and delays announcement procedures. This is a timely reminder of the need to be prepared for the ways that winter weather can affect -- and force changes to -- church activities.
The first part of this preparation is to decide the conditions that will force a congregation to delay or cancel worship services, other activities, or regular office hours. Creating criteria ahead of time can make it easier to decide whether to cancel or not. In fact, it may even allow you to prepare the congregation for what to expect.
No one likes to cancel activities that have been planned, especially worship services, but sometimes that is the most responsible decision. There comes a point where the risk is unnecessary, and there are times when it is wise to discourage people from traveling.
There are a variety of factors to consider, including current road and weather conditions, how quickly roads near the church are plowed and treated, how far people would be driving, and how quickly people could receive assistance if they had trouble. Congregations off of main roads are more likely to cancel than those on city snow routes, as are those with more elderly members.
There are some basic criteria that can make the decision of when to cancel easier. Many congregations, including my current one, follow the actions of the local public school district. If the schools are closed, the church office is closed and all activities are canceled. If schools are delayed, the church office will open an equal number of hours later as well. We publicize this policy throughout the winter months, so that people expect the decision.
Personally, I also follow the forecast of the National Weather Service. If the local weather office issues a Blizzard Warning, Winter Storm Warning, or Ice Storm Warning including hours of a church service or activity, we cancel. This allows us to communicate the decision early, sometimes even the night before, which increases the odds that everyone will get the message before they might start traveling to the church service or activity.
There are other times when decisions need to be made on whether to meet or cancel, especially when weather arrives during the evening hours or over the weekend. Here are some basic things that can be done to help make the decision:
Late last month, our congregation's office received information from a couple of TV stations about changes to their weather-related closings and delays announcement procedures. This is a timely reminder of the need to be prepared for the ways that winter weather can affect -- and force changes to -- church activities.
The first part of this preparation is to decide the conditions that will force a congregation to delay or cancel worship services, other activities, or regular office hours. Creating criteria ahead of time can make it easier to decide whether to cancel or not. In fact, it may even allow you to prepare the congregation for what to expect.
No one likes to cancel activities that have been planned, especially worship services, but sometimes that is the most responsible decision. There comes a point where the risk is unnecessary, and there are times when it is wise to discourage people from traveling.
There are a variety of factors to consider, including current road and weather conditions, how quickly roads near the church are plowed and treated, how far people would be driving, and how quickly people could receive assistance if they had trouble. Congregations off of main roads are more likely to cancel than those on city snow routes, as are those with more elderly members.
There are some basic criteria that can make the decision of when to cancel easier. Many congregations, including my current one, follow the actions of the local public school district. If the schools are closed, the church office is closed and all activities are canceled. If schools are delayed, the church office will open an equal number of hours later as well. We publicize this policy throughout the winter months, so that people expect the decision.
Personally, I also follow the forecast of the National Weather Service. If the local weather office issues a Blizzard Warning, Winter Storm Warning, or Ice Storm Warning including hours of a church service or activity, we cancel. This allows us to communicate the decision early, sometimes even the night before, which increases the odds that everyone will get the message before they might start traveling to the church service or activity.
There are other times when decisions need to be made on whether to meet or cancel, especially when weather arrives during the evening hours or over the weekend. Here are some basic things that can be done to help make the decision:
- Drive around and judge road conditions for yourself. If the roads are unplowed or icy, carefully go home and cancel.
- Make sure that your parking areas and walkways near the church building are safe. If they are unplowed, untreated, or still slick, cancel. If people cannot safely go in and out of the building, it is an easy decision to tell people to stay away.
- If it is brutally cold, cancel. Unusual cold temperatures create problems for cars. (By the way, brutally cold is a different temperature range in different places. It does matter what people and equipment are used to.)
- If there is ice, you should cancel. Ice greatly increases the risk of people falling because it covers so many surfaces -- roads, sidewalks, railings, car door handles, buildings, and more.
- Don't let a special holiday or event cloud your decision. It can be painful to cancel Christmas Eve, but sometimes it is necessary. (A few years ago, I had to cancel a Palm Sunday service, which means that it could happen on Easter too.)
And, after the decision is made, share the rationale with others in the congregation. Help people to understand why the decision was made to cancel, or, in some cases, not to cancel when other congregations did. Listen to their feedback, which can help strengthen the criteria for making these hard decisions when the situations arise again.
This can be a stressful decision, but preparation can make the process easier. One key part of that preparation, which I will discuss in a future post, is "Who makes the call?"
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