Family of God Lutheran Church     ELCA

Message from the FOG Security Committee

We are delighted to let you know that the security door and handicapped access is now complete and ready for use. Woo hoo!

Important Updates for Accessing Our Church Building

The Church Council has been working on a project to update the security of our church for a number of months. The initial phase of this project came to fruition when the new electronic access system was installed to the front door entrance including buttons for improved accessibility for those with limited mobility or disability challenges. A huge THANK YOU to the church member whose generous donation made this project possible. 

"What's next and how will it impact church members?"

The next phase of this project is to rekey the remainder of the church. This phase will occur soon after January 1, 2024 and will impact those who use a key to access the building for church related activities or other support.

We wanted to get the message out with time available to set up new access for those who may require it when the current keys will no longer work. The church will still be available for activities and access can be permitted through the front door electronic access system via a key fob provided by the church office or through a phone app downloaded onto your own personal smart phone.

"What do I need to do for access during church non-traditional business hours?"

If you are a church member who will need routine access to the church facility during non-traditional business hours, you will need to arrange for access. 

For initial access requests required by January 1, 2024, please email Claudia Peterson at dramafanatic98@gmail.com by December 15, 2023.

For future access requests (after December 15, 2023) please submit to the church administrative assistant, Amy Masterman at admin@fogchurch.org or by calling the church office at 763-424-8625. Special requests will need to be submitted at least 24 hours prior to needing access or by Friday for the weekend.

When requesting building access, please provide: your name, phone number, email address, a brief description of the rationale for needing extended business hours access, and the method of facility access - key fob or via phone app.

"What else do I need to know about the new security practices?"

The church facilities are available to congregation members that have a specific identified need. Access may be permitted if the identified need is deemed appropriate by designated security administrators. Access will be permitted for all identified church activities. Access may be granted for a specific day and time or more open ended extended business hours, 7 days a week. Those who are permitted access will have responsibility to monitor others allowed in the building during their activity.

The rear door of the church will be regularly locked during church business hours, but will be unlocked during church services or special events. Key fob and phone app access will only work for the front entrance to the church.

Electronic key fob or phone access will identify who accesses the building and when. This information will be tracked by the electronic system and the newly formed FOG Security Committee will audit church access activity annually, at a minimum, to identify if adjustments to the policy are needed.

"Why are we doing this?”

The simple answer is that we need to ensure better security of our church. Over many years, there have been many keys given to church members for various activities which have not always been returned. There hasn't been a good tracking system for logging who was provided with keys, and we don't really know who may still have keys to access the church whenever they want. In addition, it is possible that some people with keys are no longer members at Family of God. It is time to clean this up to provide more security of our church and implement a better system of tracking so that we will be able to answer who has access to the church and know when the building is accessed.

Questions can also be submitted via email to Claudia Peterson at dramafanatic98@gmail.com.

We hope you will understand the rationale of this change, and be supportive. It is a new process, and that can make it challenging since we are changing a procedure that has been used for over fifty years. 

Thank you for patience as we make this transition.

FOG Security Committee - Betty Masterman, Claudia Peterson, and LeAnne Tieman