Next Steps: In-Person Gatherings
Every week, I learn more and more about what it means for us to be the church. Since the start of the pandemic, we have had to give up on well-established patterns and practices and improvise repeatedly. Positions that I thought I held with uncompromising conviction have flipped and flopped. The central moment of our common life—Eucharist on Sunday—has disappeared and reappeared but in an incomplete way. In its place, new traditions have grown up—home worship, family altars, online services, daily prayer, and virtual community. In the months and, perhaps, years ahead, even after most of us have been able to return to church in person, we will still discover new ways of what it means to be connected together in prayer, worship, fellowship, outreach, and mission.
I am also learning more and more about the pandemic. With each passing week, we know more about how the virus spreads and what we can do to limit it. Large gatherings, close contact, and confined spaces are all primary contributing factors to the spread of the coronavirus, and, unfortunately, they are also hallmarks of our traditional common life. That means that it will be a long time before we are able to “do church” the way we used to do it—packing in the pews, singing at full voice, hugging each other at the peace, lingering together after the service. We need to find ways to gather together but to do so safely.
Starting in October, we plan to reintroduce some limited, outdoor, in-person gatherings at St. Paul’s. Given the spike in cases at the University, we may need to delay that further. We are also watching closely the number of community cases that are tied to our local schools. If the spread picks up in our area, we will wait to reopen. The nature of the pandemic requires at least two weeks of close monitoring, but reopening our programs also requires a few weeks of advance notice. That is why, even though much could change in the next two weeks, we are making plans to start back now.
On October 4 at 5:30pm, we plan to offer a service for the Blessing of the Animals. In order to provide adequate physical distance between worshippers, we will need to limit attendance to 25 households. If you would like to attend, you will need to reserve a spot in advance using Eventbrite—an online platform for reservations that we will make available in our weekly newsletter. That will also help us provide contact tracing if necessary. Everyone will need to wear a mask the whole time without exceptions. Those who cannot or do not feel comfortable wearing a mask will need to stay home. There will not be Communion during this service, but the clergy will come and offer a distanced blessing for you and your pets.
If everything goes well at that service, we hope to offer small outdoor worship services on Sundays and Wednesdays starting October 11. Our plan is to have services on the lawn by the playground at 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. each Sunday and at 6:15 p.m. each Wednesday. Also, on Wednesday mornings, we plan to offer a 10:00 a.m. service in the Garth. As with the Blessing of the Animals, you will need to sign up in advance, and each service will be limited in number. If bad weather occurs, we will have to cancel the services as we are unable to come inside at this time. Our plan is to offer Communion at these services, but we will need to limit each service to 30 minutes.
I know that many of you want to come back to St. Paul’s but cannot do so at this time. Do not worry—we have not forgotten you. Our principal offerings will continue online. Our Sunday-morning 8:45 a.m. service will continue to be livestreamed from inside the church. Although small groups will be invited to meet in person if they can do so outdoors, the Adult Forum, Children’s Chapel, formation classes for children and youth, Rector’s Bible Study, Fridays with Friends, and other offerings will remain online. If you are unable to come to church and receive Communion because of the pandemic but would welcome a member of the clergy to your home, please let us know. Call Suzanne Stoner and schedule a time when one of us can bring you Communion.
There is still so much we do not know about the next few months; however, we do know that God will lead us to find ways to be the Body of Christ—the physical embodiment of God’s presence among us even when we are kept apart. How we do that will change each week. This is an exciting time to be at St. Paul’s. Stay tuned to our weekly newsletter because our plans are likely to change. And join me in yearning for the day when all of us—not only the physically able, not only the limited few—can gather at God’s table. That cannot happen yet, but I hope this is a small step toward it.
Yours Faithfully,
Evan