Updated July 9, 2020
Saying “YES” to the Next Generation!
We are so excited to welcome children back to GateKids! Over the last several weeks, our team has worked hard to provide a refurbished children’s area specifically designed to meet your children’s needs. We have also updated our check-in and cleaning procedures to follow the guidelines of the Department of Human Services. These procedures provide social distancing and increased sanitization while creating a fun environment for children. Your children are important to us and we can’t wait to see them!
If you are not able to join us in person, the GateKids team has provided some fun Bible lessons and exciting activities for you on our YouTube channel!
GateKids Check-In
GateKids COVID Response Policies
Check-In
- Touchless Check-In – At this time we are not allowing self check-in. All of our check-In stations are manned by a GateKids Serve Team Member who will assist you as you check-in.
- Text to Check-In – A new option for check-in is Text to Check-in. Returning guests can check-in by texting “Check In” to “405-252-9526”. From here you can follow the prompts and name tags will be printed at one of our check-in stations.
- We will check the temperature of all children as they arrive. Children with temperatures of 100.4 or higher will not be permitted to attend GateKids. This policy will remain in place indefinitely.
- In order to limit traffic and increase cleanliness and social distancing throughout the Gate Kids facilities, we are not allowing parents past the check-in points. Rather, a GateKids team member will greet you and bring each child to the classroom. Parents of infants can bring their child to the nursery desk where the team lead will assist you.
- When they enter class, each child will either be given hand sanitizer or they will be walked to the in-room bathroom to wash their hands.
Classrooms
- We have separated chairs and carpet seating tiles in each of our rooms. A reward system has been implemented to help encourage children not to move from their spots during service.
- Children will wash hands before and after snack time and every time they enter the room or use the restroom.
- When changing diapers, team members will wear gloves and use disposable changing pads. Hands will also be washed before and after each diaper change. Children’s hands will be washed using baby wipes.
Sanitization Procedures
- Toys that have been in a child’s mouth will be set aside and placed in the “yucky bucket” once a child is finished playing with it. At the end of the day, all “yucky bucket” toys must be cleaned and sanitized before going back into rotation.
- All other toys should be sprayed with disinfectant spray and left to air dry.
- All tables, seats, and bathrooms must be wiped down with an antiviral disinfectant.
- Tile floors should be swept and/or mopped and carpets vacuumed.
- Light switches, doorknobs, and cabinet doors should be sprayed with a disinfectant spray or wiped down with an antiviral disinfectant.
- Bathrooms will be cleaned and sanitized.
- Teachers will be asked to stay until these cleaning procedures are complete.
Check Out
- When it is time to pick up your children, we ask that parents remain at the entrance of the GateKids area. Children will be escorted to meet you by a GateKids Serve Team member.
- At the end of class, children will be brought from their classrooms with all of their belongings to wait for parents in the hall.
- As children’s names are called, their hands will be cleaned with hand sanitizer as they exit the GateKids area.
- Tags will be checked for security numbers before each child is given to their parent and/or guardian.
*At this time, we are not requiring that teachers and volunteers wear a mask while serving children. However, if you are serving in the hallways where you are in contact with the adult congregation, you may be asked to wear a mask.
WHAT TO EXPECT
- Our service will be “family style” and all ages are welcome to attend the service. GateKids will provide a packet for every child with things to enhance their worship experience.
- Social distancing will be practiced and we will have limited seating capacity.
- Our campus will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before each service.
- A touch-free experience will be provided with waving, open doors, digital offerings, and Connect Cards.
- Digital giving will be available through The Gate Church app, Text to Give, and our kiosk.
- Our cafe' will not be open for the first weeks of our reopening.
- To stay updated with events and phasing, please download our Gate Church App or text “EMAIL” to (405)241-9559.
WHAT YOU WILL NOTICE WHEN YOU RETURN
When we return together as a church you will notice some things are obviously different:
- The GateKids area has been refreshed and restructured specifically designed to better serve your children. GateKids and nursery will resume on June 7.
- Also, you will notice greeters, ushers, and our parking team members waving instead of shaking hands.
- Temporarily, we will not reopen our cafe'.
- For the time being, our worship experience will be slightly shorter to accommodate our children and to minimize health concerns.
- Hosts/Hostesses will direct you to your seat and we will be seating you from front to back to ensure we maximize our auditorium capacity and adhere to social distancing guidelines.
- We will no longer receive a “physical” offering by bringing our offerings to the front. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to set up online giving by going to our website https://thegatechurch.tv/give/, using our app, or Text to Give. This will allow you to quickly participate during this time in the worship experience. Should you still desire to give by cash or check we will have offering “boxes” available in the building.
We can’t wait to see you! Our staff, housekeeping, and maintenance teams are working diligently to prepare for you. We want your return to be an exciting, pleasant, and safe experience.
See you soon!
Bishop Tony Miller
GET THE LATEST UPDATES
DEAR GATE FAMILY,
It was exciting to hear the news from our governor that Oklahoma is slowly beginning reopening. As well, The Gate Church has been praying and preparing and is ready to reopen our building! Our desire is to honor the requests that are being made by our government officials to provide a safe and sanitized environment for our Gate family so that everyone will engage in our worship experience with great confidence.
Please know this is a slow process and there will be changes that need to be made in order to move through each one of these phases.
PHASE 1: In this phase, which we are currently in, we will continue to function with our online weekly worship experiences, Unhindered groups, GateKids, and GSM ministries until June 5th. At that time we will give an update.
Our transition back into our physical location will be launched in prayer! We will be hosting an online Prayer Service on Friday, May 29, at 9:00 PM.
PHASE 2: For The Gate Church, Phase 2 will begin Sunday, May 31 at 10 AM, with one service only! In order to maintain social distancing, this service is restricted to 450 attendees. Children are welcome in the service and GateKids will provide a packet for every child with things to enhance their worship experience. GateKids and nursery will resume on June 7.
To attend our opening service, we ask that you RSVP to reserve your place. In order to ensure that all available seating is used, please do not RSVP unless you are certain of your ability to come. If you do not feel comfortable attending, you can participate in our online Sunday worship experience on Facebook, YouTube, or Gate.live.
On June 5 we will make further announcements and adjustments for our service on June 7. Thank you for bearing with us and helping us get the word out as much as possible.
ONLINE
During this time we will continue to offer our digital worship experience for those who are unable or are still hesitant to attend at this time. We invite you to join us Sunday at 10:00 AM on Facebook, YouTube, or Gate.live with rebroadcasts at 2:00 PM, 5:00 PM, and 8:00 PM.
Gate Church Family
At the beginning of the year, God spoke to us about new wineskins and being UNCOMMON. We never expected our lives to be interrupted as they are today, but we believe God is re-forming His church to serve the body of Christ and the world in new ways. This is an opportune time for the church to unite, care for one another and build families of faith. This is a time for more church, not less!
During these unprecedented times, The Gate Church is providing alternative ways for the church to come to you. We invite you to join us online, connect on Wednesday, and partner with us in generosity to better serve our community.
WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED
1. Online Prayer. Join our pastors on Facebook Live on Tuesday and Thursday.
2. Sunday Services. Our Sunday service will stream online at 10 AM on our website, Facebook and YouTube. We encourage you to watch with your family or close friends and connect with others in the online community.
3. The Gate Unhindered. We encourage everyone to register for The Gate Unhindered on Wednesday night. Led by a Gate Church leader, each night will feature a teaching video from Bishop Miller or a member of the leadership team, a time of dialogue, and prayer for one another. We encourage everyone to sign up for a virtual group where you can increase connectedness, develop relationships and grow in your walk with Christ! REGISTER NOW
4. Gate Kids. Over the next several weeks, GateKids will provide online resources and teaching for children. Beginning this Sunday, you can watch videos and download activities from Pastors Zack and Scott on YouTube.
5. Gate Student Ministries is going online! Watch our Instagram and Facebook pages for more information about services and Zoom groups!
WE CARE. If you or someone you know needs assistance during this time, please contact our office. Our team is working to find ways to provide food and assistance for those in need, the elderly, and immunocompromised.
If you woud like to volunteer to assist with this ministry please contact us at wecare@thegatechurch.tv.
PARTNER WITH US. UnCommon times call for unCommon people to do unCommon things. God is re-forming the body of Christ to serve our community in new ways.
Our team is working diligently to provide creative ways to minister to you and our community during this critical time. Ministry continues to happen on a daily basis and we invite you to partner with us through unCommon generosity! Your recurring gifts are vital to the work of the ministry. You give online at thegatechurch.tv/give
UPDATE | March 17, 2020
As things continue to change in our nation and world, we know that God is in control and He cares for each of us. We believe that these are unCommon days, which call for an unCommon people to share Christ’s unCommon love. During this time, we encourage you to find ways to help a neighbor or someone in need, or share encouragement to someone who may be discouraged.
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance or pastoral care, please contact our office at mailto:wecare@thegatechurch.tv.
Please join us in prayer for government officials, healthcare workers, and those who have been affected by the Coronavirus. The Gate Church leadership team continues to monitor the situation and the guidelines provided by the local and state agencies as well as the CDC. We will provide regular updates on social media and this page.
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…” (1 John 4:18).
UPDATE | March 13, 2020
As the spread of Coronavirus continues to be a growing concern across our nation, The Gate Church is taking additional precautions to provide a clean environment for our guests. We ask you to join us in prayer for our world, government officials, and those who are affected by this virus. Psalm 91 declares that God is our refuge and fortress, and we put our trust in Him.
We will hold services as usual on Sunday. In consideration of our guests, our host's team will be as friendly as ever but will greet you with a fist bump or elbow bump, wave, and a great big smile rather than a hug or handshake.
Our services will continue as scheduled, but if you are unable to attend, please watch on our website, YouTube or Facebook Live.
UPDATE | March 12, 2020
With the heightened awareness and public concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), we want to assure you that The Gate Church continues to carefully monitor this situation. We are taking a proactive approach to ensure our environments are clean and safe. The health and well-being of our community remain a top priority.
As of today, we are adding additional measures to our weekly strategy in light of potential germ and virus contact throughout our facilities. We also want to communicate several health and safety protocols that have been a part of our team's regular strategy for quite some time.
- All seatbacks in the Worship Center are being disinfected after every service.
- Our weekly cleaning procedure includes that each table, seatback and all countertops are wiped down with Clorox wipes, carpets are vacuumed and garbage is emptied.
- Our GateKid's classrooms and toys are always disinfected after each service by our staff and volunteers.
- All cubbies, toys, and toy containers are sprayed with Lysol disinfecting spray as teachers exit the classroom.
- In addition, when children use the restroom, they are supervised for washing their hands with soap and water. Before snack, they use antibacterial soap or wash their hands in the restroom.
At this time, we are following the guidelines of the CDC and the overall risk to the general public remains low.
Our services will continue as scheduled, but if you are unable to attend, please watch on our website, YouTube or Facebook Live.
March 7, 2020
Gate Church Family,
As you are aware the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has reached the United States and the state of Oklahoma. I ask you to join me in prayer for those who have been affected by this virus, as well as their families and caregivers.
At The Gate Church, we understand our responsibility to care for our congregation in all respects, including their health and well-being. In accordance with the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), we have taken the following measures to provide a clean environment for our guests:
- Our facilities are cleaned and disinfected regularly including door handles, common surfaces, food service, and children’s areas.
- In addition to hand soap available in the bathrooms, we have alcohol-based hand sanitizers available for use throughout the building.
- Cleaning wipes are available so that commonly used surfaces can be wiped down before each use.
- We plan to continue to monitor suggestions for public meeting places such as churches provided by the Center for Disease Control.
We also ask the members of our congregation to take necessary precautions to keep yourself and others healthy. Please be mindful of these suggestions from the Center for Disease Control:
- Stay home if you are not feeling well.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw used tissues in a lined trash can.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
If you or a family member are sick or need to stay home during this time, we invite you to watch our Sunday services online on our website, YouTube or Facebook Live.
Our response as a community of faith is that our God is “our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble (Psalms 46).” By faith, we speak over our church, our city, nation, and the world that God will place a guard around us (Psalms 91).
Therefore, let us not fear, but walk in confidence that we serve an UnCommon God! May we take this opportunity to be an UnCommon people, serving as the hands and feet of Jesus through our prayers and love for others!
-Bishop and Pastor Kathy
