CHURCH CLOSURE UPDATE
Adapted excerpts from the Diocese of Olympia's COVID-19 Web Page

COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across Western Washington, particularly King County and the greater Seattle area. The above-referenced page contains requirements, recommendations, and resources for churches in the Diocese of Olympia put together by the Office of the Bishop as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak. We take these actions for the common good, to care for the most vulnerable members of our community.

As of Thursday, March 19, all churches in the Diocese of Olympia are to remain closed through April 11. The Office of the Bishop will remain closed to the public and staff will continue to work remotely through March 31. When buildings reopen, requirements and recommendations posted on the web page will remain in place until further notice.

Since we will be unable to worship together,
you may wish to tune in to the online streaming from...
 
https://www.facebook.com/christchurchblaine/ 10am Sunday
St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle: https://saintmarks.org/worship/live-stream/
The National Cathedral: https://cathedral.org  
St. John the Baptist, West Seattle: https://sjbwestseattle.org 
Christ Church Seattle: https://christchurchseattle.org 
Diocese of Olympia: https://ecww.org/live-streaming-services-in-the-diocese-of-olympia/

Bishop Rickel has issued a pastoral letter. You can read it here.
https://ecww.org/co-operation-and-the-wilderness-a-pastoral-letter-from-bishop-rickel/

"In the midst of our current “wilderness,” we too have to think, live, and act relationally, while physically being apart. This is our Lenten journey now, a real one, where we are going to have to give up some of our precious routines, things we love, like the common cup, like coming together closely for worship, and now even gathering at all. We are being called to “co-operate” with God." - The Right Rev. Greg Rickel

Our already-scheduled supply clergy will be offering options via email, Facebook, etc. as the time passes. We may have online or DIY-at home options for Holy Week. More updates may follow next week. Please watch your email for further news.

-Bishop's Committee

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FIVE WAYS TO BE THE CHURCH WHEN CHURCH IS CANCELED

by Erin Wathen via patheos.com (thanks to April Thomson for sharing with us).

Seems like the notion of “cancel culture” just took on a whole new dimension.

School — canceled. Vacation– canceled. Basketball tournaments and horse races– both the lifeblood of my people– canceled. Conferences, retreats, events of all kinds– canceled, eliminated, done-zo. In a matter of a few days, this thing has gone from “wash your hands and cover your cough” to a significant lifestyle change that most of us have not experienced in our lifetime.

Of all the cancellations, perhaps the most unnerving of all is the call, in many areas, to cancel church worship services. This seems counterintuitive in a time when people are anxious and need community; when people are facing economic uncertainty and need support; and when people are fearful and need the comfort of prayer and connection. And yet– we have to acknowledge that “large gatherings” are a hotspot for the spread of disease, and that church services can be pretty cozy experiences as far as personal space goes. For all of our best efforts to eliminate hand shaking and peace passing, and to modify communion practices, the best way to protect folks right now is to keep them apart.

It’s sad. It’s painful. It goes against every impulse of church leaders who proclaim faith in a God who is bigger than human fear. And it rubs up against the ego of those who think of themselves as hardy enough to weather any storm and get to church early to get the coffee going.

I get it. I really do. But sometimes, painful as it is, cancelling is the responsible, compassionate thing to do, and anything else is just hubris. Think of this illness as the black ice of liability. If there is a blizzard, you might be able to get to church. But if you can’t clear the sidewalks and the parking lots, do you really want to invite people into a hazard situation–the invisible threat that is just under the surface? This is like that. Sure, folks who are not sick are going to feel like they should still come to church. But they could be carrying something they don’t know they have yet, and pass it right on to their elderly or immunocompromised neighbor.

There are many unknowns here. There is unprecedented territory ahead, and nobody can say how long it might last. So if it does come down to canceling services at your place, here are some things to remember, and some ways to keep “being the Church,” even when you can’t be in the church building.

1. Support your pastors. And elders, and trustees and board members– whoever has to make the really hard decisions about whether and how to gather in times of uncertainty. There is no road map for this, and there is no one right answer. Trust that the folks who ultimately make the call spent some time in prayer, discernment, and very difficult conversations. Know that they heavily weighed consequences, including your disappointment, and ultimately did what they thought was the best thing for the wellbeing of the community. Thank them for having your best interests at heart, and then
2. Send in your pledge. This may seem like a small thing in the grand scheme right now, but trust me. It matters that you continue to get your offering in, as long as you are fiscally able. This is a great time to reexamine online giving options, or encourage folks to sign up for automatic withdrawal. Even the healthiest congregations can find themselves in the hole, and quick, after just a few Sundays of missed offerings. If you can’t give online, mail in a check, send a carrier pigeon, do what you have to do. Even if the building is empty, bills and salaries need to be paid; what’s more, you’re helping your church maintain mission commitments to the community in a time when that commitment is more important than ever.
3. Check on your neighbors. You older neighbors, your neighbor on chemo, your neighbor whose kid relies on free school lunch, your neighbor who still has to go to work and could use help with childcare… Any time you help someone in your proximity, you are living out the values of your faith community. You are embodying what the whole gospel thing is about, which takes church out of the building and brings it to life for others. This is what we go to church to learn how to do– it is ‘for such a time as this’ that you have spent all those other Sundays in worship.
4. Pray for your church family. And send notes. Make phone calls. All the things that we do for shut-ins, do for each other now that we are all shut-ins, so to speak. We are one body, even when that body is not together in the flesh. There are plenty of ways to stay connected in spirit, and care for each others’ spiritual needs.
5. Practice Sabbath. For some, this shutdown of life as we know it is going to cause significant economic hardship. In the spirit of #3, care for your neighbor as best as you can. In the meantime, recognize if your own discomfort is just inconvenience, and keep that perspective. Recognize that downtime can be a gift– an imposed sabbath of time to sit still and be with your family, without the usual rush of places to be and things to accomplish. Read together; prepare meals together (can you share with a neighbor? #3 and repeat); maybe even binge watch some Netflix together. When’s the last time everybody was home for this long? Talk about what you can learn from this season. Talk about your blessings. Play a game. Make something. Listen to music. It really doesn’t matter. Any of these things can be worshipful in their own way, if by ‘worship’ we mean rest and renewal by way of connecting with God and others.

“Cancel culture” might have a whole new meaning; but “let the Church be the Church” still stands.

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LOCKDOWN
a poem by Friar Richard Hendick, a Capuchin Franciscan brother from Ireland

Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
across the empty squares,
keeping their windows open
so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of family around them.
They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland
Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.
Today a young woman I know
is busy spreading fliers with her number
through the neighbourhood
So that the elders may have someone to call on.
Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples
are preparing to welcome
and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary
All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality
To how big we really are.
To how little control we really have.
To what really matters.
To Love.
So we pray and we remember that
Yes there is fear.
But there does not have to be hate.
Yes there is isolation.
But there does not have to be loneliness.
Yes there is panic buying.
But there does not have to be meanness.
Yes there is sickness.
But there does not have to be disease of the soul
Yes there is even death.
But there can always be a rebirth of love.
Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic
The birds are singing again
The sky is clearing,
Spring is coming,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul
And though you may not be able
to touch across the empty square,
Sing.

March 13th 2020