Hi Church,

Over the last 24 hours, there have been several developments and updates in relation to the management of COVID-19 in Australia and around the world. We may have heard many reports that can cause us to be fearful but we want to encourage you to be always remain thankful and joyful, seeking peace and strength in God.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 4:6-7)

This coming Sunday, March 15^th, all of our services across all of our campuses will be run as per usual. In light of the advice from the Australian Government, and while engaging God-centred wisdom and faith, we will be implementing further precautionary measures to ensure that you and your families enjoy a healthy environment while attending church. These initiatives include the following:

1. While you are always welcome at Planetshakers Church, we kindly recommend that you refrain from attending any of our services or events if you or any of your family members are experiencing flu-like symptoms or have arrived into Australia from any of the high-risk countries identified by the Department of Health, in the last 14 days. You can access the full list of countries here.

   If this applies to you, don’t worry! You will be able to watch our church services via live stream on our YouTube, Facebook or Planetshakers websites from the comfort of your home.

2. If you are a volunteer serving on one of our teams and you are experiencing flu-like symptoms or unwell in any way, please let your Team Leader know as soon as possible so that they can organise a replacement and ensure that you are prayed for and cared for in your absence.

3. As of this coming Sunday, March 15^th, we will be installing hand-sanitizing stations in various locations across all campuses. We encourage you to make use of them as directed by our wonderful Guest Services Team.

4. We will be increasing the regularity and quality of cleaning services in our church buildings.

5. If your child feels unwell and has flu-like symptoms, please kindly refrain from bringing them to our Planetkids programs/Planetkids Play centre. We recommend that they remain at home, rest and seek medical attention. If they do appear ill at church, you may be asked to take them home in order to protect other children and avoid unnecessary alarm amongst other parents. Please use discretion and wisdom to prevent this happening, as we do not wish to offend or inconvenience anyone in this way.

You may be aware that earlier today, our Prime Minister made an announcement recommending that gatherings of more than 500 people be suspended until further notice. As a result, we will be supporting this recommendation by making some temporary changes to our services from Monday 16^th March 2020.

However, for this Sunday, due to the number of people attending our Melbourne City Campus, the following additional measures will be implemented:

1. The current auditorium seating layout will be re-configured temporarily to promote a healthy environment for our church family.

2. The altar area in front of the stage will not be open during praise and worship so please ensure that you remain passionate and interactive from your seat! Anyone who accidentally or deliberately enters this area will be asked to return to their seats. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation on this.

3. For those families with children who attend our Planetkids programs, there will be changes to the existing check-in locations. These changes are as follows:

Age Group Check-in Location

• • Infants to 4-year-olds
    Planetkids Play centre Business Entrance: 10-12 Cecil Street (see map below)
    
    
  • Primary School-Prep to Grade 6
    Planetshakers Warehouse: 412 City Road (see map below)