NLC COVID-19 Reporting Plan

We are aware that we will most likely have people infected with the coronavirus present at our Sunday services and at other New Life Church gatherings. We believe the policies and procedures we have implemented will limit the possible spread from an infected person, but we can only mitigate risks – we cannot eliminate them entirely. In light of this, we want to be transparent with those who may have attended a service or other church gathering with someone who has tested positive for the virus or who has a pending test. Our goal is to be as open with you as possible so you can do what is necessary to take care of your health and consider the health of others you many interact with. Should this situation arise, impacted individuals will be contacted as soon as possible. For more information about this process, please read on.

Please report if…

You attended an event at or affiliated with New Life Church (including in-person Sunday services, home groups, events hosted on NLC property, and other gatherings) and…

  1. … you later learn you had contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in the two weeks before attending the event.
  2. … you test positive for COVID-19 in the two weeks after attending the event.

Reporting Process

If you are in either of the situations outlined above, please contact covid-reporting@nlcweb.org or 734-417-0665 as soon as possible to inform us.

Next Steps

  • Joel VanderSchel and Betsy Huebner will follow up with anyone reporting the above situations (the “reporting individual”) to ask a few questions and begin working out appropriate next steps. If Joel and/or Betsy are taking time off, Pastor Nik Spasovski and/or Steveie King will cover for them.
  • Protected health information (PHI) will be kept private and confidential. Joel and Betsy may need to share about the situation with other decision makers or with others who attended the same event(s) as the reporting individual. However, names and identifiable health information will not be shared. Any information shared beyond Joel and Betsy will be de-identified and kept anonymous.
  • If necessary, others who attended an event with the reporting individual in the two weeks leading up to the onset of symptoms or exposure (or, if symptoms are not present, the two weeks before the date of the test) will be informed that they may have been exposed to coronavirus and should get tested.
  • New Life Church will comply with local and state health department guidelines in order to assist with contact tracing and informing potentially exposed individuals.

Regardless of the context, if you are exposed to or test positive for coronavirus, we highly recommend you contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible.

This is an unprecedented time in our nation and our world and the reality is that we are all left to navigate a situation we haven’t faced before. As a church, our primary desire is to stay positioned to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and soul and to love our neighbor as our self. It is impossible to set policies that will appeal to everyone, but our decision making process is oriented around these two goals. May the Lord watch over you and may He continue to draw his church closer to Himself.