Here you will find the latest information on how St. John’s is responding to the COVID-19 situation.

    Worship and educational opportunities are offered in a variety of ways at this time. Follow the buttons below for detailed information. 

    Worship Information
    Virtual Connections

    Re-Engagement Plan

    Download St. John’s re-engagement plan here. (Rev. May 2021)

    Risk Levels

    St. John’s current risk level is Green.

    Red – Virtual Worship only

    Yellow – In-person worship in Fellowship Hall

    Green – In-person worship in Sanctuary

    St. John’s COVID Task Force Assesses the following indicators:

    • Daily new cases per 100Ka
    • New cases per 100K w/in last 14 daysb
    • Ability to implement key mitigation strategies
    • Infection Ratec
    • Positivity Rated
    • 14-day case ratee
    • % change in new cases of previous 7 days vs current 7 days based on Dodge county population 21K
    • % ICU beds in Olmsted occupiedf
    • % of inpatient beds in Olmsted occupied by Covid Patients
    • Existence of SJK community Covid outbreak (Propose: Number of SJK Community Members with positive test within 5 days of attendance)
    • Number of SJK community members quarantined as a result of Community Outbreak

    Sources used by the task force are:

    • a covidactnow.org (sourced NYT & US Census Bureau via state & local health officials)
    • b No. new cases in county last 14 days / 21,000 x 100,000 (14-day case count from John’s Hopkins)
    • c covidactnow.org (sourced NYT via state & local health officials)
    • d MDH weekly update (includes probable & antigen positive cases)
    • e MDH data for k-12 schools
    • f covidactnow.org (sourced NYT via state & local health officials, HHS, & state & county dashboards)

    Latest Updates – June Updates

    On June 6, the COVID 19 Task Force recommended a variety of updates to the procedures at St. John’s. The following updates are what the St. John’s Council approved Tuesday, June 8:

    • Kitchen volunteers who are vaccinated are not required to wear masks or socially distance, but it is recommended that unvaccinated volunteers continue to do so. This is in line with the policy elsewhere in the building, which follows recommendations from the CDC and Minnesota Department of Health.
    • The kitchen will be thoroughly cleaned and all water systems flushed prior to the kitchen resuming use.
    • Exhaust fans do not need to be run unnecessarily.
    • When the kitchen is fully cleaned (no later than July 1), food and coffee can be part of fellowship no matter age or vaccine status.
    • Catered food and coffee may be served indoors immediately.
    • Offering plates, hymnals, and Bibles can be moved back into sanctuary. People are encouraged to use hand sanitizer before entering the sanctuary and before using these items. Fogging for disinfecting can no longer occur with these paper products in use.
    • CKP staff will not be required to wear masks indoors starting July 1 or when Dodge County reaches 70% full vaccination rate for ages 16 and up.
    • As of July 1, the rooms in the Sunday school wing will again be open to congregation

    Task Force Purpose

    A task force has been convened to provide direction, advice and information to council to aid in their decision-making process. To be clear from the outset: it is the purpose of this task force to advise our congregational council, but it is not the decision-making body in our congregation. Our elected council leadership is solely responsible for this aspect of our life together in ministry.

    Task Force Personnel

    This task force is composed of professionals from many areas and expertise, including medical professionals, public health professionals, educators and administrators, public service and police, engineers, finance, management, and others. Please review the list below for further information about this incredible group of leaders who have come together to provide direction for our congregational leadership to aid in the decision making process for our worship and ministry life at St. John’s.

    St. John’s Lutheran Staff Representatives:

    • Deacon Amanda Sabelko, Deacon of Faith Formation
    • Lindsay Colwell, Director of Youth and Family Ministry

    St. John’s Lutheran Council Representatives and their Professional Vocation:

    • Sam Marsland, President. Nurse Anesthetist at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester
    • Rayelle Haase, Vice President. Certified Veterinary Technician

    Congregational Representatives and their Professional Vocation:

    • Dave Aakre, Retired IBM Engineer
    • Michelle Coy, ICU Nurse and Educator at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester
    • Terry Czeck, Culinary; Certified Food Production Manager with the State of Minnesota.
    • Amy Evans, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Olmsted County
    • Jim Evenson, Police Lieutenant, Rochester Police Department
    • Heather Hilgart, Technical Specialist and Assistant Supervisor, Infectious Disease Serology, Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester
    • Joshua Larsen, Kasson-Mantorville Middle School Principal
    • Ariana Wright, Kasson-Mantorville Elementary School Principal
    • Tracy Lee, Financial Analyst/Project Manager at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester
    • Jackie Longendyke, Commissioning Professional for Mechanical and Electrical Building Systems

    Recommendations by Focus Area

    More information about current recommendations from the individual focus areas of the Task Force is available here.

    Questions, Comments, or Concerns

    Please feel free to reach out to members of your St. John’s Lutheran leadership team:

    Sam Marsland, Council President
    Rayelle Haase, Council Vice President
    Heather Hilgart, Council Secretary
    Dave Bornfleth, Council Treasurer
    St. John’s Lutheran Church Office Email

    Office Hours

    Office hours have resumed to normal: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm and Tuesday 8:00 am – 1:00 pm. Vaccinated individuals are no longer required to wear masks while inside the church. We strongly recommend that un-vaccinated individuals continue to mask until two weeks after they are fully vaccinated.

    Additional Resources

    For more information on best practices during this time, please refer to the Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization websites.

    Past Messages