Epiphany

Epiphany, which we celebrate on January 6, marking the beginning of the Epiphany season, is a day and season in which we emphasize light, or more specifically, Jesus, the light of the world. The Epiphany season lasts until the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday, which is in February this year. As the beginning of John’s gospel tells us: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. In him was life and that life was the light of all humankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. And the Word became flesh and dwelled among us.

A few favored quotes might shed a little light on the subject:

Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.  

~Chinese Proverb

Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished. 

~Michael Strassfeld  

The hero is the one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by. The saint is the man who walks through the dark paths of the world, himself a light. 

 ~Felix Adler   

An age is called "dark," not because the light fails to shine but because people refuse to see it.  

~James Michener

Not only do you become what you think about, but the world also becomes what you think about. Those who think that the world is a dark place are blind to the light that might illuminate their lives. Those who see the light of the world view the dark spots as merely potential light.

~Wayne W. Dyer

Ring the bells that can still ring. Forget your perfect offering. There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.

~Leonard Cohen

Part of my daily prayer comes from the baptismal service: to “bear the light of Christ”. Like the prayer attributed to St. Frances (see BCP p. 833), "…where there is darkness, let us sow light," where do you see darkness and where light - in the world, in yourself? In reflecting the light of Jesus, in bearing the light of Christ, where someone is dehumanized, treat them as if they, just like you, are made in the image and likeness of God; treat them as if they are Christ, himself. Where there is the darkness of contempt, be the light of compassion. Where there is the darkness of isolation, be the light of companionship and community. Where there is the darkness of hate and cruelty, be the light of the love of Christ. On the day and in the season in which we emphasize Jesus, the light of the world, bear the light of Christ: the light that shines in the darkness that the darkness will not overcome.

 

Marc+

Dear friends,

December 20 is the fourth and final Sunday of Advent.  This liturgical season of waiting is almost over.  Christmas will be here in just a few days.  Come, thou long expected Jesus, indeed!  Our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry reminds us in his Christmas message this year that we Christians are called to proclaim joy to the world, even in these troubled times.  Jesus did not come into the world to fix all of the problems we create and suffer through; Jesus came to dwell among us in the midst of our suffering and to save us in spite of ourselves.  That is the source of our joy and the world’s joy.  Thanks be to God!

We celebrate the Incarnation—God’s gift to us of Jesus as a human baby—through prayer and Eucharist and song.  From Christmas Eve through Christmas morning, we are offering four opportunities for you and your family to worship with fellow St. Andrew’s parishioners as we thank God for the gift of Jesus.  I very much hope that you will join us for one, or some, or even all of those services!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Worship Opportunities

Virtual Christmas Eve Children’s Service:  4:30 PM on December 24

Lovingly crafted for families with children, this short service will include sing-along carols led by Brad Norris; the Christmas story as told by parish families; a brief, child-friendly homily; Holy Eucharist; and candle-lighting.

Outdoor Candle-Lighting Liturgy:  6 PM on December 24

Gather with us on the Main Street sidewalk for a short litany as we pray together, spread the light of Christ from person to person, and receive a Christmas blessing.

Virtual Festive Holy Eucharist:  7:30 PM on December 24

This is our traditional Christmas Eve “late” service, complete with all of the beloved Scripture lessons and filled with special music.

Virtual Christmas Day Service:  10:30 AM on December 25

This will be a meditative and quiet service of Morning Prayer. 

May you, and our suffering world, be blessed anew with the true joy:  recognizing and receiving the gift of Jesus.  I look forward to celebrating the Incarnation with you.

Blessings,

Anne

 

Outdoor Candle-Lighting Liturgy:  6 PM on December 24

All are welcome to attend this service outside the River Road entrance to the church; however, it is limited to 25 people due to current COVID restrictions.  Dress warmly and remember that masks are required.   Please call Bill Wilds (880-5460) to register to attend.   

Good News is Coming

From Isaiah 61:

The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;

He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, and release to the prisoners;

To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…

I was told a long time ago to read the Bible in terms of what happened to a particular group of people and then see what universal lessons can be drawn.

The Old Testament readings for Advent are all about comforting people in their time of distress – pointing to God’s eventual deliverance.  Now, so many years later, we are also in need of God’s saving grace.  We already have the personification of saving grace – our Savior.  We also need grace and deliverance from our current woes.  May we look to God’s actions in the past and trust that, in God’s mysterious workings, we will eventually be rescued and maybe even learn something.

Brad Norris
Minister of Music

Hoodrats

We often hear about people who are now actively using our Community Outreach Center (former school), but maybe we aren’t sure exactly who is doing what. One of those organizations, Families in Transition (FIT), offers children after-school enrichment opportunities, though the impact is far greater than that, as you might see in this reflection by FIT’s Executive Director Maura Hampton.

 “Hoodrat is a slang for people, coming from inner city circles, raised by the streets. Hoodrats are rarely well mannered, or educated, instead they are more characterized by a derelict upbringing, due to the hardships of hood life in most cities.  While some people, coming from the hood are able to break through the cultural barrier set in front of them, most people are left behind, to struggle in the midst of inner city difficulties.” (slanglang.net)

 I pulled into the parking lot and saw the children.  Desi, Miylah, and King were playing on the sidewalk when they saw my car.  “Mrs. Hampton!” they screamed and came running.  They made such a racket.  The excitement they felt at the sight of my car never ceases to amaze me.  By the time I parked and got out they were right there at my door, full of questions.  Miylah started peering in the windows, trying to see if I had any treats or toys for them.  I grabbed a small, boxed Christmas tree from my back seat and went to see Desi’s mother, Ms. Brooks.  The children were very curious about my package as we approached the hallway, and I turned to them and said, “I need to speak to Desi’s mother so I will see you later.”  Miylah, full of her usual antics started to ask more questions, so I reminded her it was none of her business, and stepped inside the hallway and knocked on the door.  “Who is it?” I heard Ms. Brooks say in a deep voice.  “It is Mrs. Hampton,” I said loudly so she could hear me over the sound from the t.v.  She opened the door and smiled when she saw me.  “Ms. Brooks, I have a Christmas tree for you.  A lady heard about your need and bought you a new one.”  Her face lit up.  She told me that she kept her artificial tree at her sister’s storage unit, and it became infested with bedbugs.  “Thank you so much Mrs. Hampton.  You have no idea what this means.  Now I can use the money for the tree towards my rent.”

 I asked her about her job search, and about how her children were doing.   We talked about how excited the children are about our new ministry space.  I said we will be able to have space to do homework, play at the park, offer art and music, and have a weekly bible study.  “Daveon believes in Jesus, Mrs. Hampton.  I heard him tell the kids that Christmas was Jesus’ birthday, and not about presents,” she said.  “Ms. Brooks, your children have been coming to our bible study for 3 years, and I have seen Daveon grow in his faith and knowledge of the Lord.  He has a sincere faith.” I said.  She got tears in her eyes.  She told me that Daveon always prays before dinner.  I asked her about Jhernee, her daughter in the seventh grade.  She indicated that she is doing well except in two classes.  She had all A’s and is upset because she has two B’s.  “Mrs. Hampton, it is hard for Jhernee because the twins bother her when she is doing her homework.  This week she was working on a paper, and she kept getting distracted.  Writing is not her strength, and she got a 70 on her paper.  She was so upset, she cried.”  “Ms. Brooks, I want you to know that when I plan for our new space, I think of your children.  I want Jhernee to have a quiet place to work on her homework after school.”

 She appeared to be touched by this and told me that Jhernee would be excited.  She shared that Jhernee never goes outside.  “She will only go with you Mrs. Hampton.  Otherwise she is afraid.  She just doesn’t have any ‘mean’ in her” she said.  “I know she doesn’t. And I know how tough it is out here on the streets.  That is why I hope Jhernee will come even though she is in middle school.  She can use our office, a place all her own so she will be able to concentrate.” I said.  “That would be so nice Mrs. Hampton.  Nobody thinks about us out here.  Even the people who live in the houses across the street from us, they call our kids “hood rats.”  These kids aren’t bad, they are just a product of their environment,” she said.

We talked for a while longer, but I honestly don't remember much else from our conversation.  I was upset by the thought that people would refer to anyone as a "hoodrat."  I wished Ms. Brooks Happy Thanksgiving, and I headed outside.  When I got in my car, the kids came over to say goodbye.  I opened my door and Desi leaned in and put her arms around me and lay her head in my chest.  I leaned down and gave her a kiss on the head.  “I love you Desi.” I said.  “I love you too.” She replied. “And you know who I love too?  God.”  And she lifted her head and looked at me with her big beautiful dark eyes.  These precious children are created and loved by God.  They are made in His image.  And it is in their faces, that I see the Lord most clearly.

In the Season of Advent

From the bidding prayer to a service of Advent Lessons and Carols in The Book of Occasional Services (p 22):

Dear People of God: In the season of Advent, it is our responsibility and joy to prepare ourselves to hear once more the message of the Angels, to go to Bethlehem and see the Son of God lying in a manger.   Let us hear and heed in Holy Scripture the story of God’s loving purpose from the time of our rebellion against him until the glorious redemption brought us by his holy Child Jesus, and let us look forward to the yearly remembrance of his birth with hymns and songs of praise.  But first, let us pray for the needs of his whole world, for peace on and justice on earth, for the unity and mission of the Church for which he died, and especially for his Church in our country and in this city.  And because he particularly loves them, let us remember in his name the poor and hopeless, the cold, the hungry and the oppressed, the sick and those who mourn, the lonely and unloved, the aged and little children, as well as all those who do not know and love the Lord Jesus Christ.  Finally, let us remember before God his pure and lowly Mother, and that whole multitude which no one can number, whose hope was in the Word made flesh, and with whom, in Jesus, we are one evermore.

This Advent bidding from the heart of our Episcopal tradition speaks volumes about who we aspire to be, that we would choose to put ourselves in mind of the poor and hopeless, the cold, the hungry and the oppressed, the sick and those who mourn, the lonely and unloved, the aged and little children, as well as all those who do not know and love the Lord Jesus Christ before we just settle in to the heartwarming message of the angels; that we not only hear but heed in Holy Scripture the story of God’s loving purpose for humankind before or as a way of entering into the story of going to Bethlehem to see the holy Child Jesus lying in a manger.  

To our misfortune, however, the commercialism of the Christmas season has all but obscured Advent so that, for most people (maybe even some of us), it seems that the Christmas season begins with the first TV commercial in September and ends the day after Christmas rather than following an enriching period of preparation, ending with the joyous twelve-day celebration of the Christmas season beginning on Christmas Day.  From Advent wreaths and candles to Advent calendars and solemn prayer, this Advent let's set aside time to prepare ourselves in joyful expectation for our Lord’s nativity.

Marc

Shifting Sands

I am so blessed to be serving a congregation of such gracious people.  So many of you have asked about how the transition is going and how much you are looking forward to meeting my family.  In this upside-down world we live in in this COVID-19 era, sometimes the best I can answer is that the sands keep shifting.

When I first came to St. Andrew's, I needed to start (in March) before we sold our house (in April).  At that point, Leticia was working on getting her medical licensure (as a doctoral level nurse practitioner) secured in Virginia.  Then due to the world pretty much blowing up, her job asked her to stay through August, so we sold the house and she (and Elizabeth) got a short-term lease on a house in Columbus, anticipating a move to Virginia then.  Then her job asked her to stay through October and so we went through the arduous task of moving from the rental house when the lease ended to another short-term lease (through October) on an apartment.  Apparently, the administration at Leticia's job assumed she was staying through the end of the year, though that was not Leticia's understanding, thus the apartment lease only through October.

In the meantime, Leticia was notified that she had been accepted into an eighteen-month academic (essentially a Masters) program focusing on mental health.  Already having so many academic credentials, she really debated whether to enter the program, but this was now the third time she had been accepted and told me "I keep coming back to it."  In the realm of theology, I know what that sounds like: discernment - not just to an academic program or a job, but a calling to a vocation.  This is something she really does need to pursue and I fully support it.

The unfortunate thing, as we have since learned, is that even after securing her medical licensure in Virginia, Leticia's program does not have arrangements with anyone in Virginia for her to complete her clinical hours and thus she cannot do the program if she moves to Virginia.  Consequently, she will remain in Indiana for the duration of her program.  I, of course, have only just begun at St. Andrew's and, with the impact of COVID-19, under highly unusual circumstances.  It isn't feasible at this point for me to consider relocating again (and the only Episcopal Church in Columbus is the one I just left), so I will remain at St. Andrew's until the Spirit directs otherwise.  This is certainly not ideal and not what we were anticipating when this saga began last year, but it's an upside-down world at the moment and what we simply have to deal with.  (Anyone have a little garage apartment they want to rent to a quiet tenant?)

I am appreciative of everyone's interest and graciousness and especially Anne's support as we try to navigate these shifting sands.  Like everything else in these crazy times, we'll make the best of it and be thankful for God's faithfulness through it all.

Marc

Action Gospels

We are quickly coming to the end of the Church Year; the last two Sundays, culminating with Christ the King Sunday, have Gospel lessons that focus on Christian action.  This Sunday is the parable of the talents:  one person got five to work with, another two, and another just one.  Five and two were able to double their investment of money, time, and sweat equity.  The person with one talent did nothing – he was, sadly, fearful of failure.  The following Sunday has the well-known Gospel: “I was hungry and you gave me food…” and the converse “I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat….” Even in the midst of our collective suffering, we have the call to reach out beyond ourselves.  With prayerful consideration, we can find ways to do the greatest possible good with our resources.  Then, on Christ the King Sunday, we will know who, indeed, is King of our hearts.

Brad Norris
Minister of Music

Flexibility and Virtual Christmas Services

As we approach our regathering, let’s be like Gumby:  Flexible!

Dear friends,

The Covid-19 pandemic has created havoc in our lives in many different ways.  The world over, people have had to modify all kinds of plans and adapt to ever-changing situations.  That’s certainly been true for us at St. Andrew’s over the past months, and I anticipate that it will hold true for many months to come.

As we lay plans for our November 29 regathering, I ask each of you to take to heart the need for us all to be flexible in our interactions and also, as always, to be kind to one another. 

In a recent meeting, our staff talked about what a fluid time this is, with new information coming out daily.  Led by our Health and Safety Officer Joel Duregger, our parish staff and leaders are working hard to prepare for the regathering by ensuring that all necessary protocols are in place.  We are also incorporating into our plans all new diocesan guidance as we receive it. 

One happy piece of new guidance is that a few choir members, wearing special masks, will be allowed to sing during our worship service.  What a blessing that will be!  (Please note that for safety reasons, congregational singing is still prohibited.) 

There will doubtless be more changes to our plans as the days go by.  One of my favorite lines in the BCP is this petition from a Compline collect:  “…that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness” (pg 133). Yes indeed.  May we rest in God’s eternal changelessness, and may we be as flexible as Gumby!

Special Virtual Christmas Services

After much thought and prayer, I have decided that our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services this year will be virtual, rather than in-person.  Even though we will have regathered for worship by then, the protocols don’t allow for anywhere near enough seating for the number of people who usually come.  There is no perfect solution, but doing the services virtually allows for the most people to participate.

Our wonderful staff and I are already hard at work planning three very special services to help us celebrate Jesus’ birth:

• A Children’s Christmas Eve Service, complete with special music from Brad; cameos by some of our parish children; a retelling of the Christmas story using beloved creche sets; and a child-friendly liturgy.
• A Traditional Festive Christmas Eve Service, making use of our rich Book of Common Prayer liturgy and beautiful music from Brad and other musicians.
• A Simple Christmas Day Liturgy, straight from the Prayer Book.

You will definitely hear more about these special services in coming days, but I wanted to let you know as soon as possible that our Christmas services will be virtual.  This also gives our musicians, flower guild, and altar guild time to make and implement plans to add their beautiful gifts to our worship.

 --- Anne

How Are You Doing?

I wonder how everyone is doing - I mean how are you really doing?  We've had several months of trying to figure out how to live and function in circumstances we haven't, in our lifetimes, had to deal with on a national and global level before and it seems we are settling into whatever we call a new normal at this point, even if just a bit.  From simple life chores like going to the grocery to travel to Communion, I think by-and-large most folks are doing the best they can, but aside from the devastating impact on peoples' livelihoods, physical health, and the number of deaths, together with the widely recognized overly-stressed culture that we already lived in pre-COVID, the collateral damage on mental health is taking such a toll that even the World Health Organization has recommended not initiating a societal-wide lockdown to contain the virus, even as record daily cases continue to be reported. 

I don't have an answer beyond suggesting that we continue to be diligent in following protocols, reminding us that there are resources for those struggling with whatever is troubling, and that the community of faith that is St. Andrew's stands ready to continue to respond in love, as we have been.

 

Marc

A Few Thoughts on Stewardship

I have been a parishioner at St. Andrew’s for two and a half years, but I have been an occasional visitor for at least 25. I used to visit when I came to Virginia in the summers to see my family.  St. Andrew’s has become like a family to me, as well. When I was new, I could not get over how everyone talks to each other and knows each other. I had never had that in any church before.  People checked on me all the time even before the coronavirus. People care about me and look out for me. When it became too hard for me to come up to the altar for Communion, Bill and the other servers came to me for “drive-by service” at my pew. Once, I accidentally dropped the host in the wine, so they started helping me out by intincting it for me. And now that everything is shut, I still get phone calls, letters, and even care packages from people at church. I am especially happy that now we can receive Communion and that parishioners go out of their way to bring it to me. I feel special, and remembered, and loved.

I miss being with you at church, and especially the music. We are so lucky to have Brad and such talented musicians. We are also lucky to have Anne and Marc and the vestry who genuinely care for us.  I love our community and am grateful for our church family. Thank you for who you are in my life! 

Marge Rand

Regathering on November 29, 2020

Dear friends,

Our vestry has been grappling for months with the tough decision about when to regather in person for worship. As you know, the issue is hard and complicated. Leaders in different arenas have come up with wildly different decisions about regathering—just look at the local school systems and their divergent approaches!  

I am deeply thankful for the leadership of our vestry and most especially for the grace that shapes their interactions with one another. In the midst of the vitriolic political atmosphere in our country, our vestry has practiced something else altogether: respectful, compassionate listening and speaking. They are modeling true Christian leadership, and I am so grateful. What a blessing to us all.

After much prayer and discussion, the vestry has come to consensus about a date to regather in person: Sunday, November 29, the first Sunday of Advent. That is the start of the Church New Year, a very appropriate time for us to start up live worship again.  

Between now and then, there is much to be done. Our regathering plan has been approved by Bishop Susan; now we need to attend to all of the practical details to make our regathering as safe as possible. In coming weeks you will receive information about the specific procedures and protocols we will be following, and we will also create a video to show you what to expect in our new-normal live worship.  

A few important things for you to know:

• Although we will indeed do all in our power to keep everyone safe and healthy, nothing we do can eliminate all risk of infection.
• Our virtual worship is here to stay. We will be live-streaming and also recording our worship services so that those at home can continue to participate virtually, and we will continue to offer ways for our virtual worshipers to receive communion.
• No one—not even clergy or staff or vestry members—is required to come to in-person worship. Whether or not to do so is a very personal choice, and we will respect and support each other’s decisions.
• If anyone attending worship in person tests positive for Covid-19, everyone present at that service will be expected to quarantine for 14 days. There will be no in-person worship the following Sunday.

There is a possibility that we will need to cease in-person gatherings in the future. Based on Virginia Department of Health statistics (see below for more information), I have set the following parameters around our in-person worship:

• Once we have regathered, we will continue in-person worship as long as the combined average of the 7-day testing positivity rates for Hampton and the Peninsula remains under 10%. If the average reaches 10%, in-person worship will be suspended for at least 14 days and until the combined 7-day average is again under 10%.
• If the combined average of the 7-day testing positivity rates for Hampton and the Peninsula is above 8% but lower than 10%, only one clergyperson will be physically present at the live service. The other will participate online. (This arrangement will lessen the possibility that both clergy would have to quarantine at the same time if there is any Covid-19 exposure at a service.)  

I know this is a lot to take in, and I imagine it will be met with many different emotions. Some folks may feel frustrated that we aren’t regathering sooner; others may feel anxious that we plan to regather at all in this circumstance. It helps me to remember that we are in an impossible, unprecedented situation; and that we are all, with God’s help, doing the best that we can.  

Writing about Jesus, the author of the gospel of John says, “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” Indeed we have. Especially in this challenging time, may we offer to one another and to our broken world the precious gift of that grace.

Blessings and peace to each of you.

Faithfully, Anne

Virginia Department of Health statistics 

We are using the “testing” dashboard found at this site, which is updated daily:

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/coronavirus/covid-19-in-virginia-testing/

• From the right-hand drop down menu, select “total.”
• From the left-hand drop down menu, select a health district. (We will be tracking Peninsula and Hampton and averaging them together.) 
• The percentage you see is the 7-Day Positivity Rate Total

A Few Thoughts on Stewardship

Some call it Fate, others call it luck, but I prefer to think that the Lord above led me in 1992 to my incredible wife Judy and that Judy led me to St. Andrew’s.  In the bargain I gained a beautiful, loving wife, a church family, a church home, and a church community, for the rest of my life.

My story begins with the replacement of a small drawer in the cabinet used for storing linen in the sacristy.  Judy had served on the Altar Guild for many years and when she asked me to take a look at a drawer that was missing, I gladly agreed.  The drawer had been removed for repair some time earlier and never returned.  Having some skills and a love for woodwork, I made the drawer and in the process of installing it realized that the entire cabinet needed to be painted and the drawer handles could be updated.  It was then that I noticed that the wood behind each handle was deeply grooved and worn.  I realized that the grooves were the result of thousands of openings and closing by the wonderful, dedicated ladies of the Altar Guild, including my sweet Judy.  I pondered the countless hours of hard work over all those years by those amazing women.  How the repetitive touch of those gentle, loving hands could literally wear away paint and wood; like the imperceptible wearing away of solid rock by the constant flow of a gentle stream.  It was then that I realized that I had a calling, that I had been offered an opportunity to give back in some small measure for all that I had gained by being a part of the St. Andrew’s family.

Over the next twenty-eight years I have found extreme pleasure and satisfaction in building furniture, making repairs, painting and refinishing.  I built the two pedestals on either side of the altar and oaks bases to raise the flower vases.  I also built the healing stations and the pedestal used at baptisms.  My good friend Carey Curtis and I built and installed the Tree of Life Memorial in the small side chapel.  We noticed that two of the stained-glass windows were reversed and, amazingly, one of them had been installed upside down and had been that way forever. 

I was on my knees one Christmas putting a fresh coat of varnish on the altar rail and the altar furniture.  From that perfect posture I was able to listen to Brad Norris and two young men playing brass instruments practice for the Christmas Eve service.  The sound was so wonderful and so powerful that I recorded it with my cell phone looking up at the altar and gradually raising the camera to the stained-glass window.  I was blessed to be at the right place at the right time and on my knees to boot.  Over the course of the years there were projects large and small and too numerous to mention.  All it took was a phone call from Rachel Roby, Bill Wilds or anyone of the many people serving the church and the Lord in their own way and who needed something fixed or replaced.

I mention these things not for myself, but rather, to illustrate the gift of giving something of yourself back to those you love and cherish.  We all have different skills, interests and abilities.  It is the combination of those things into a unified team effort that moves us forward as a church.  Together we can move mountains, one stone at a time.  I thank my darling Judy and the Lord above for giving me the opportunity to play a small part in making St. Andrew’s the family home that it is.

Greg Edwards

Update on re-gathering: Communion every week; new live stream capability

Dear friends,

As you know, the vestry is still in deep and prayerful discernment about a regathering date for in-person worship.  Meanwhile, Marc and I and the staff and many lay leaders are working hard behind the scenes to make our virtual worship the best it can be.  Rachel Roby is busy learning how to use our new “MEVO” camera, which will show you a wider view of the altar area church during worship services.  As soon as we have worked out how to live-stream the MEVO footage, your view of the virtual services will dramatically improve. 

A second change that we will make beginning on October 18 is that we will be celebrating Holy Eucharist every Sunday.

In compliance with our diocese’s updated guidelines for communion during COVID, there will be three ways for you to receive the bread and the wine.  Each of the options is slightly different from what we’ve been doing, so please read the following carefully:

• If you would like to receive the bread and wine in person from a clergy member, come to the River Road door of the church on Sunday between 12 and 1 PM, and make sure to wear your mask.  (Note the shorter time frame—we will stop serving at 1 PM, not 2 PM.)
• If you would like to partake of communion at home while participating in the service virtually, you can call Bill Wilds (595-0371, ext. 1007) during the week and make an appointment to come and pick up consecrated communion kits for your family to use during the following Sunday’s service.  (If you choose this option, please create/designate a “holy place” in your home to store the consecrated Body and Blood between the time you pick it up and Sunday morning.) You will need to call each week if this is your option of choice. 
•  If you are not able to leave your home, please call the church to ask for arrangements to be made for a Lay Eucharistic Visitor (LEV) to bring communion to you.  The LEV will come into your home and conduct a very short version of the Communion under Special Circumstances liturgy from the prayer book.  The LEV will be masked the entire time he/she is in your home, and the whole service won’t take more than 5 minutes.  (Our plan is to ensure that all of our homebound members who would like communion receive it once a month – the first Sunday of each month at this time.)  For those who live in residence homes, LEVs will meet parishioners in the lobby of the facility or outside if weather permits. 

In this very difficult time, when all of us are so hungry for so many things—peace, relief, healing, hope, compassion, justice—let us thank our loving God for feeding us with his very self.  I look forward to sharing Eucharist with you every week. 

Blessings,
Anne