Dear Friends,
In light of the Coronavirus crisis we will be entering into a Sabbath time at St. Paul’s, at least for the remainder of the month of March. Sabbath time, in the biblical tradition, is a time of rest, of careful attention to purity codes and of deepening relationship with those few with whom you are already in relationship.
This means three things:
1. Sunday Worship will be at 9am on Facebook Live. Worship leaders will gather to lead ordinary worship in our church. If you go to the St. Paul’s Facebook page at that time you will be able to praise God with us in real time. (Technical explanation coming soon. This means Acolytes, Altar Guild, Readers, Choir etc. are still on for Sunday.) Public worship is canceled. There will be no 8am or 10am service until this season of Sabbath is over. But the doors to the church will be open. If you are not sick and choose to come into the church at 9am on Sunday, please sanitize your hands on the way in, sit no more than 2 to a pew and have no contact with others aside from receiving the wafer at communion.
2. No Food and Drink from St. Paul’s. Essentially, the kitchen will be closed. For this season, we all need to bring our own coffee. This means no coffee hour and no hospitality at gatherings.
3. Gatherings Continue for now, but with Social Distance. For now, we will continue with the Spiritual Forum, the Bible Studies, With Gladness and Singleness of Heart, Vestry Meetings and so on. However, in those meetings, maintain at least an arm-length’s distance from everyone, preferably two. This means, for example, that the Thursday night Bible Study will be moved from the Downing Library to Duncan Hall so we can maintain appropriate distance. If this proves too difficult to maintain, we will move to virtual meetings via Zoom.
This Sabbath season is just that, a season. As Christians, we have all we need to carry us through this time with grace and with each other. We will be doing our best to stay connected with each of you. If you have concerns or want a visit, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. We don’t want you to feel lonely or isolated. We are all members of the one body.
Faithfully,
Christopher