When will we regather in person for worship?

Dear Friends,

I know this question is on many people’s minds.  The short answer is:  We don’t know.  Our bishop has called together a team of experts (clergy, parish musicians, doctors (including an epidemiologist), and mental health professionals) to come up with a list of guidelines for parishes in our diocese to follow.  Once I have received those guidelines, Marc and the vestry and the staff and I will ensure that we meet all of them before we reconvene for worship.  We will keep you posted.

I miss being together, and I know that you do, too.  But my primary concern is your health and safety.  It would be terrible if any of you were to become ill because of a poor decision we made about when and how to regather for public worship. 

While I don’t know when we will be able to come together again in person, I do know that worship and parish gatherings will be very different in coming days than they were before the pandemic.  Safety is paramount, which means that some of the practices that are so familiar to us will have to be changed so that we do not risk passing germs to one another.  While I am not looking forward to those changes, I know they are crucial.  And we will work together to figure them out, trusting in God’s presence and guidance and love.

As is always the case, God is at work bringing good out of the hard things that happen to us.  One example of that in our current situation is the online worship ministry that we have begun during this pandemic.  Marc and I have discovered that people have found it a very helpful way to connect to St. Andrew’s—not just because of the current social distancing but also for those who for other reasons have not been able to come to church for some time.  We are committed to continuing to provide online worship even once we can regather in person. 

I am well aware that even when we are able to gather again in person, not everyone will want to return.  Many of you are in high risk categories for coronavirus and should continue to shelter in place.  As we move forward, we will continue to seek and implement new ways to help you stay in touch and be connected. If nothing else, this pandemic has certainly helped us to remember that the Church is not the building!

As you probably know, our phone ministry continues.  By the time you receive this, we will probably be in our fifth round of calls.  I am so very grateful to the generous parishioners who are reaching out to make this ministry possible.  There are 270 families in our phone directory, and we care about each of you!  If for some reason you haven’t been receiving calls and would like to be called, please let me know. 

I am praying for you, and for this whole suffering world—the world for whom Jesus was willing to die. 

Blessings to you and to your loved ones. 

Anne