An update from Anne

Dear friends,

Blessings to you.  So much has changed so suddenly for all of us in this past week, and we are all struggling to come to grips with this “new normal” even as each day brings new challenges.  The good news:  God is here.  God is with us.  God is with you.  And we at St. Andrew’s are living into this opportunity to practice being the Church—which is, as it always has been—the people, not the building. 

A few answers to some questions you may have:

What if I need to reach the parish clergy or staff?

Marc and I and the parish staff are all still hard at work, and we are available.  Mostly we are working from home, but we are also checking our church voicemail.  You can reach us by phone or by email.  We hope you will do so!  My email address is annekirchmier.saec@gmail.com, and Marc’s is marcvance.saec@gmail.com. 

        

What if I have a pastoral emergency or know of someone else who is ill?

PLEASE call me at 804-687-5396

What about worship?

It is so hard for us not to be able to gather to worship God together.  We are all missing that. 

If you have access to the Internet, Marc and I are posting a daily worship video on the church Facebook page.  Email Rachel Roby at saec0371@gmail.com to learn more. 

If you are not online, remember that The Book of Common Prayer has for centuries been our resource for public and private worship.  If you aren’t already doing so, consider praying Morning Prayer each day.  The Rite I (older language) version begins on page 37.  Rite II Morning Prayer begins on page 75.  There’s also a lovely set of devotions for morning, noon, early evening, and close of day that begins on page 137.

If you would like us to bring you a prayer book or some other print resource for worship at home, call the church office at 757-595-0371 and we will make arrangements to do so.

In this time of “social distancing”, I encourage you to take on a practice of spiritual embracing.  No matter how physically distant we are from other human beings, God is always closer to us even than our own breath.  There is never a moment in which we are not held in God’s loving embrace.  And through our prayers and other practices, we can offer a much-needed spiritual embrace to others in this trying time:  not only through prayers, but also through practices as simple as calling a friend, running an errand, writing a letter.

A Prayer:

Gracious God, you assure us that your word is very near us; and your beloved Son, our Savior, has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age. In this time of necessary social distancing, help us to practice the discipline of spiritual embracing, wrapping those around us in our love and prayer and trusting in your mercy and compassion.  Within the safe embrace of your loving arms, we pray.  Amen.

You are not alone. In the midst of this scary time, as always, God is holding you and us all in his loving hands. Every blessing to you, this day and always.  

-       Anne