Live Update to Residents-April 8, 2021
Today’s Live Update on our in-house TV970 covered the latest news at Westminster Canterbury Richmond. It featured John Burns, President and CEO; Jason Pace, Manager Dining Services; and Lynn McClintock, Director Pastoral Care. The next Live Update will be Thursday, April 15.
The following updates were shared.
John Burns
Vibrancy! Updates
We hope you enjoyed the Vibrancy! narrated tour that debuted at last Thursday’s Live Update and aired throughout the week on TV971. We will share more information about Vibrancy! as the project progresses and will answer frequently asked questions at upcoming Live Updates.
COVID-19 Updates
There are no cases of COVID-19 in residents or employees. Mary Morton Parsons Health Center staff are tested weekly due to the current positivity rate of 5.1% in Henrico County. Thank you for continuing to follow the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Virginia Department of Health (VDH). Please keep wearing a mask in public spaces and maintain social distancing.
We are taking additional steps to further reopen the campus. Please continue to take personal responsibility to make choices that keep everyone safe and healthy. This is a personal decision. Some are eager for the guidelines to loosen, while others are not yet comfortable with the idea of being around others. Some may choose to begin holding gatherings with fellow residents within the new guidelines.
Independent Living Visitation
Effective tomorrow, Friday, April 9, the following changes to visitation guidelines go into effect.
Independent Living visitation in resident apartments will be determined by the resident and should be based on the size of the apartment and the ability to maintain social distancing. Independent Living visitation is no longer limited to only two people in apartments. If visitors are not vaccinated, it is strongly recommended to allow for social distancing of six feet and wear a mask. All visitors must be screened at the Avalon entrance and receive a bracelet. All visitors should sign in and out at the reception desk nearest to the apartment they are visiting. Visitors are not allowed in public spaces, lounges or dining areas on campus. Visitors should enter the building, sign in at the reception desk and go straight to the apartment of the resident they are visiting.
For overnight visitors, preregistration and a negative COVID-19 test result are no longer required. Overnight visitation should be determined by the residents in the same way as daily visitors, based on social distancing and the comfort level of the resident. Visitors must be screened at the Avalon Entrance upon each arrival to campus and sign in and out at the reception desk. For emergency procedures it is extremely important to have a record of who is staying on campus overnight.
Outside Contractors
If residents hire an outside contractor for pick up, delivery or other services, please call Security at ext. 1111 to register the contractor. This information will be shared with the Gatehouse staff who will direct the contractors.
Offices
Offices are now open to residents, but please call ahead for an appointment to allow for social distancing within the office spaces.
Capacity Limits
Capacity limits in lounges, program areas and gathering spaces are being adjusted. Please abide by the signage in the areas you reserve. Please reserve all spaces through Courtesy Services, who can advise you on room capacities and the most appropriate spaces for your event. Processes are being adjusted to help Housekeeping monitor spaces for sanitization. We encourage you to use spaces that require minimal set up. Public areas are open only to residents. No visitors are permitted in public spaces at this time.
If you are interested in reserving a lounge or other public space to play bridge, mah-jongg or other activities, please reserve the space through Courtesy Services.
The Courtyard Billiards Room capacity will increase from four to seven players at a time. The Marketplace Billiards is limited to four players.
The Sara Belle November Theater, McGue-Millhiser Arts Studio and Wellness teams are adjusting programming to allow for additional classes and events based on new capacity limits. Please watch for additional information on Touchtown and in The Tales.
Bank Reopening
The Bank reopened on Wednesday, April 7, and will be open on Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Peggy will be onsite. Appointments are not necessary for small transactions like deposits and withdrawals. Please follow social distancing guidelines when inside the bank or lining up in the hall as needed.
Jason Pace
Dining Updates
The following reminders about Dining procedures and updates on coming changes were shared.
Delivery
• Dinner delivery is available daily.
• How do you place an order? Call ext. 6259.
• When do I call? Between 2-5 p.m. Monday-Sunday. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday Midday Dinner.
• What if I call after 5 p.m.? Your order will become a carry-out order, which you would pick up in person at the Marketplace.
• What do I get in my meal? For $10, you can get the Nightly Feature with soup, listed salad, entrée, listed sides, beverage and dessert OR Entrée Salad Option or Baked Chicken option.
Carry-Out
• Carry-out is available Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner.
• How do I place an order? Call ext. 6259.
• When do I call? Between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.
• When will it be ready? 15-20 minutes later. The phone attendant will give you an approximate time.
• What do I get with my meal? Nightly feature – Choice of soup OR salad (Caesar or house), entrée, two sides and dessert for $9 OR you can order entrée salads, burgers, sandwiches, soup or hot dogs from the dinner à la carte menu.
Delivery is ideal for those who like the nightly feature and the complete meal deal for $10. Carryout is perfect if the full meal deal has been more food than you need and you prefer ordering a variety of items from the à la carte menu daily.
Reservations
Dine-in reservations are required for all meals. Call ext. 6030 with your name, phone number and reservation request. Reservations are made on a rolling seven-day calendar. For example, if you call today, Thursday, April 8, you may make a reservation for any day through next Thursday, April 15.
Expanding to Parties of Four
Beginning Sunday, April 11, there will be a limited number of tables available for parties of three and four. We are still required to limit capacity to 50% of pre-pandemic levels, so only specific tables will be available for parties of three and four to allow for proper spacing. These tables will only be available for parties of three and four unless reservation levels permit otherwise.
Kathleen’s and the Canterbury Room
Dinner service will resume in Kathleen’s on Monday, May 10. Reservations will be required. The same seven-day reservation system will be in place as we reopen. Full details will be available in the April 22 issue of The Tales.
Lynn McClintock
Pastoral Care Updates
Psalm 122:1
“I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord!”
Thursday worship is now in person. Singing is allowed. Please come early. Thursday worship and Evening Prayer are televised on TV970.
A Sermon for Every Sunday will continue for the next few weeks but will eventually be replaced by in-person worship on Sunday afternoons. This week’s sermon will be given by Dr. Brian Blount, President of Union Presbyterian Seminary. His text will be from 1 John, and the title of his sermon is “Don’t Go in the Basement.”
Pastoral Care volunteers will resume their volunteer efforts soon.
Area clergy will return to campus to preach. Ministers who have congregants at Westminster Canterbury will be invited to stay in the Sanctuary after, remaining at a safe distance in the pulpit, to spend some time with their members who live and work here.
Area clergy may visit one resident or resident couple in their apartment per visit to campus. At this time, they will not be allowed to go room to room to visit several parishioners on the same visit. This is for residents’ safety. Thank you for your understanding.
Other Pastoral Care programs are now in-person with safe distancing in spaces set up by the Pastoral Care team. Additional small groups will resume soon, so stay tuned for additional information.
We will start a fourth round of small group discussions on race and racial reconciliation. Led by residents, these groups have been very thought-provoking with an open spirit where all can explore the challenges of race in the United States, including right here at home. If you are interested in signing up for an upcoming group, please call Vanessa Perry at ext. 1502.
We will not be holding memorial services that are open to the public yet. Graveside interments in the beautiful Emmaus Garden are allowed with a maximum of 16 attending, including clergy.
Pastoral Care has created two notebooks, one in the Tower Library and one in the Business Center in the Center Lobby, with the obituaries of the residents who passed away from 2020 to present. Also included are obituaries of staff who passed away during this time, who were employed at the time of their death. We offer this as a way to remember and give thanks for the amazing people we have lost during this time.
The next live music in the Sanctuary will be Tuesday, April 13, at 11 a.m. Annette Sparks will be playing favorite showtunes. Seating is limited. Please call Chaplain David Curtis at ext. 5179 to reserve your seat today.
Prayer
O God our Creator, your kindness has brought us the gift of a new day. Help us to let go of yesterday, for it is no longer ours to hold. Help us not to covet tomorrow, for our expectations tend to become singular and rigid. Help us to accept the uniqueness and beauty of THIS day. It’s right here, right now! Thank you, Lord. Amen.