Up To You
FROM THE RECTOR
A trip to the store. A workout at the gym. A meal in a restaurant. A dinner with friends. A Eucharist at church. In the age of Covid, finding the balance between staying safe and staying connected is hard. Widespread vaccination among our social contacts has helped, but the lack of universal vaccination, in part because children under twelve are ineligible but also because many adults still choose not to be vaccinated, is a lingering challenge. Some of us feel comfortable returning to normal, and others are far from it. Some parents are eager to send their children back to school, but others are terrified at the thought. We are learning not to judge other people who are trying their best to care for themselves and their families, but sometimes those divisions arise within our own families.
How can St. Paul’s do the work of the church by worshipping God and carrying out our ministries when so many of us have different needs—when what it means to be safe and responsible is different for everybody? Since March 2020, we have tried to do as much as we can as safely as we can. We have changed our Covid protocols multiple times. We have stopped programs and started them again. We have worn masks and then put them away, and now we put them back on again. Despite all of those improvisations, our values have not changed. We care about everyone. We want everyone to be welcome. We want to reflect God’s sacrificial love for the world in everything that we do. Now that the fall semester is upon us and we are dealing with another rise in Covid cases in our community, we must figure out how to carry those values into this next chapter of being the church in a time of pandemic.
Because of the availability and effectiveness of vaccines for most of our congregation, we plan to offer most of our usual programs this fall. Each offering will be carefully considered and appropriate social distancing measures will be included, and, as is always the case, it will be up to you to decide how you want to be a part of the life of our church. Sunday school classes will be available for all ages. Weekday Bible studies and small groups will be invited to meet. Children and youth programs like EYC and choir club will take place. We will resume Sunday-morning breakfast starting this week, and we will begin serving Wednesday-night dinner on August 18.
Because of the pandemic, each of those offerings will look different. Masks will be worn at all times except when eating at a table in the parish hall, and households are asked to sit at separate tables. Children and youth classes will meet outside whenever possible and practical, and, when they meet inside, extra distance between individuals will be maintained. During worship, we will continue passing the Peace from a distance. Still, some of us, because of particular vulnerabilities or anxieties, will need to stay home, and we will continue to livestream our worship services and look for other ways to stay connected. Hopefully soon all of us will be able to come to church in person and take part fully in the life of St. Paul’s.
As we have learned with the Delta variant, there is a risk of transmission even when people are vaccinated and practicing social distancing measures. Coming to church is a risk. For some, that risk is absolutely and understandably too great. For others, there is greater risk in being isolated from the church. If you decide to come, we are counting on you to monitor any potential symptoms and possible exposures before showing up. If you have cold-like symptoms, any fever or other Covid symptoms, or have been exposed to someone with Covid, please follow CDC guidelines and stay home until it is safe to join us in person. If you come to church and later discover that you were positive with Covid, please call us and let us know. We will keep your name confidential but will let other people around you know that they may have been exposed. If there is a spike in cases within our congregation, we will suspend in-person programs and take other necessary steps.
The pandemic has rightly caused us to pay careful attention to public health issues, individual vulnerabilities, and communal practices, but we must not allow those important concerns to diminish our commitment to the spiritual practices of prayer, worship, and study. We must pray for each other and offer to God our praise and thanksgiving whether we are at home or in church. We must immerse ourselves in scripture and other faithful writings whether we do so alone or with a group. We must hone our life of faithfulness especially in a time when we are surrounded by illness, isolation, and death.
As Thomas Merton wrote in No Man is an Island, “It is of the very essence of Christianity to face suffering and death not because they are good, not because they have meaning, but because the resurrection of Jesus has robbed them of their meaning.” Our faith is one of our most important resources during the pandemic, and we must pursue it whether we are together or apart.
Yours Faithfully,
Evan