May 18, 2020
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer, page 100
Dear sisters and brothers,
As you may have read, Governor Baker has announced the first phase for the lifting of the stay-at-home order, which includes the opening of businesses and houses of worship following strict guidelines. How this is implemented, if at all, depends on additional guidelines set by the many different denominations and congregations within the state.
As of today, houses of worship are able to open with strict protocols in place, such as 40% occupancy, 6 feet social distancing, and rigorous cleaning and sanitizing. This is a hopeful sign!
This does not change, however, our diocesan timeline which extended the current restrictions on in-person public worship and gatherings in our churches until July 1, 2020. You can find that information here. We will remain closed for the time being.
I do want to take a moment to share my personal gratitude for the gracious and understanding way that the whole of Grace Church, to a person, has accepted the closure of our church to in-person worship. I’ve been realizing that this has not been the case for ministers in some congregations. I have not received encouragement (read, push back) from a single person here. Thank you! You, as a congregation, are moving through this with so much grace, pun intended.
Just today, moments ago, the bishops of both Massachusetts Episcopal dioceses issued a document entitled “A Journey By Stages: Gathering, Serving and Growing as The Episcopal Church in Massachusetts During and Beyond a Time of Pandemic” [posted online here]. This is “a compilation of directives, guidelines and resources... to assist Episcopal congregations and related organizations in Massachusetts traveling the path beyond restrictions toward a ‘new normal’ for common life.”
I have scheduled a parish meeting for Sunday, May 31st at 11:30am. This will be a time to be together for some Q& A, kind of like a town hall. I realize that, though I am saturated in information about the diocesan and parish response to the pandemic and closure, many others of us are not. I welcome an opportunity to “meet” together, receive your feedback, hear your concerns, and answer any questions that you have.
The link to join this is here. Or, by dialing 929-205-6099, and then putting in the Meeting ID at the prompt: 851 0901 6842. The password is 133.
In other news, last week the bishops strongly urged clergy to take one, continuous, 24-hour day off every week and to take vacation. They noted that clergy cannot help care for the parish if they do not also take care of themselves. I have been finding that this appeal from the bishops is difficult to honor, though I will continue to try to do so as much as possible. As a reminder, my day off is Friday. I also will be largely out of the office much of next week, beginning May 25th, except for a few zoom calls that were already on the calendar weeks if not months ago.
If you haven’t done so already, please look at this latest edition of Grace Notes, here. Among other information, there is a wonderful letter from our new curate, Melissa Howell.
I have an update to the newsletter. Melissa graduated, virtually, on May 8th. Along with the diploma, she received the School of Theology Prizes in Biblical Studies and Community Service. Also, prior to graduation, she received the Freeman Award for Merit and the Woods Award for Leadership. Congratulations, Melissa!
Melissa has successfully moved up to New Bedford from Sewanee, Tennessee, just last week. She will officially start her ministry with us on Sunday, June 7th, and is our preacher on June 14th. June 7th, aptly enough, is our Sundae Sunday (or is it Sunday Sundae?) and Children’s Sunday with recognition of our Church School teachers and children.
We’ll have a special Godly Play lesson for the sermon that Sunday, Melissa will celebrate with us in the service, and then we’ll leave church to have a parade, visiting and giving gifts to all those current and future church school children who have signed up (there is still time to let us know, if you haven’t already, that you would like to be visited on the parade route, but please do so now).
We also are invited to a two-part virtual ordination service for Melissa. “By the grace of God and the people consenting”, Melissa will be ordained in the Diocese of Massachusetts to the transitional deaconate on June 6th. Thanks be to God!
I will send a link to the virtual service closer to the time of the event, but you can mark your calendars now. Friday, June 5th will be a virtual Liturgy of the Word (the first part of the ordination service) at 7pm. Then, Melissa will be ordained on Saturday, June 6th, at 1:30pm. (They are spacing the ordinations throughout the day so that the candidates can be physically present for the ordination while all the safety guidelines are followed.)
As the collect at the beginning of this letter prays, I pray that, even in the smallest of ways during this time, we would feel ourselves guided by God’s Spirit and remember that we are walking in God’s sight. That we would know it to be true - we indeed are held fully and unconditionally in God’s arms of abiding lovingkindness, embracing each one of us and all that God has made.
Faithfully,
Chris +
The Peace of Wild Things
By Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
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