March 16, 2020
Dear St. Peter’s Parishioners,
As most of you know by now all church services and in-person gatherings have been suspended at the Bishop’s directive until further notice. With this decision we join with so many other organizations that have cancelled meetings and businesses who have closed or limited hours. We are part of a nationwide, even world-wide, response to reduce contacts with each other to inhibit the spread of CORVID 19. The experts tell us that this will limit the number of people exposed to the virus, reduce the number of people who contract the disease, as well as the number of deaths. At the least we are hoping that it slows transmission so our health facilities can adjust to the possibility of large numbers of people in need of care.
We don’t know how long the suspension will last. My guess is that it will be at least a month. I hope we can catch up with our movie nights and other meetings after we return. It will certainly be a joyous time when we get back together.
Obviously it is very painful to suspend worship service at a time when we are most in need of support and reassurance from our church community. Indeed these steps are unprecedented. It emphasizes the seriousness of this pandemic. Even though our area has not yet seen any cases, it is quite likely that we will. These steps are also an opportunity to share in the suffering in solidarity with those who are affected.
So, the question becomes how shall we at St. Peter’s carry on? Here are several suggestions.
-- In order to maintain our sense of community and care for each other, please check in on your neighbors and other parishioners. Give someone a call so they don’t feel quite so isolated. See if they need anything.
-- Maintain personal hygiene by washing your hands frequently and thoroughly. Keep physical contact with others to a minimum. Disinfect solid surfaces.
-- Pray for those who are affected, pray for each other, pray that this will quickly pass. You might want to share your prayers with someone over the phone.
-- See this as an opportunity for Sabbath. There will be more time for rest, for reading, for reflection, and other hobbies. It could be a good time to explore your Book of Common Prayer which has many devotional services. Consider praying Morning or Evening Prayer. Compline is an especially beautiful service. It helps to remember that we are always walking in God’s love.
-- Continue to support the church financially by mailing in your contribution. Unfortunately the church’s expenses are not suspended.
-- If you have access to the internet you can “attend” a worship service on-line. I will send resources for this very soon.
Some of the things I will be doing include:
-- Phone calls to those who are at increased risk.
-- I will offer private home communion on request.
-- I plan to video Morning Prayer with sermon on Sunday. I will either live-stream or place it on Facebook. I am on a learning curve for this, so please be patient!
-- I will continue to pray for all of you, for the church, and for the world.
-- Participate in the weekly diocesan clergy video conference.
It is crucial that we maintain our sense of community during this health care crisis. While we may have to isolate ourselves physically, we can still feel connected to each other.
Please call me if you have any questions, or even if you are just feeling a little anxious. We cannot allow this virus and our response to it create fear and panic. Remember that are we always held in the loving and healing arms of Jesus Christ.
Blessings
Pastor Becky+