This Sunday, August 1st, our slow opening begins. There are three parts to this opening, 10am Worship, 6pm Contemplative Hour and Setting an Intention to Grow.
10am Worship. For the first time in almost a year and a half, our doors will be open for worship. Everyone must wear a mask and, as you will see, every other pew has been handsomely roped off to ensure social distance. Communion will be received up at the altar through communion wafers and a tray with plastic shot glasses. Distance worship will continue. (Jacob and I are forming a “St. Paul’s AV Club” now that he and Mike G. have set up the new system with two cameras mounted on the walls and a third camera in the aisle. Email me at c.h.mrtn@gmail.com if you’re interested!)
6pm Contemplative Hour. At 6pm Tanner, Cathy and Richard F. will be leading a twenty minute meditation sit in Duncan Hall. Come at 5:45pm if you’d like a few intro pointers. At 6:30pm they will lead a short worship service in the church, to include bread and wine. It will be over before 7pm. We intend to offer this hour every Sunday. It is a cornerstone of our new effort of Reclaiming Sabbath, or a Day of Rest. I will be there, grateful to be led in prayer and worship.
Setting an Intention. My watchwords have been Love, Money and Growth. We have done terrific work together in reaching out within our St. Paul’s family in love and in re-establishing financial stability after the loss of the Bright Horizons preschool. Now, and for the next six months, we shift our primary attention to setting an intention to grow in the belief that “churches that intend to grow, tend to grow.” This Sunday, we begin the creative work together of setting our own shared intention to grow.
Chloe and I had a wonderful two week vacation and return refreshed, if still a little jet lagged. I am excited to be back among you and look forward to this next chapter of our life together following our lord Jesus.