Dear Friend,

I am very glad to share that the our diocese will enter Phase 3 of the Plan for Re-Entry for Great Lakes Episcopalians effective July 1, 2021. The first Sunday this affects is July 4, 2021. I share the following from the diocesan announcement:

"We enter Phase 3 for the first time as our vaccination rates are on the rise, our hospital and death rates are dropping, with new information from the CDC, and as our governor’s COVID policies are set to expire. We are due for celebration!

This Phase of “Deeper Participation” is focused on best practices with only a few hard requirements, encouraging and empowering responsible local decision-making as you determine what level of re-entry is appropriate for your community at this time. 

Because Phase 3 had not been modified since it was originally drafted in March 2020, the statewide group has instituted some changes to the original document reflective of what we’ve learned over the last sixteen months. Here is an overview of Phase 3, including areas that have been modified:

• Masks are encouraged indoors and not required outdoors. Masks are especially encouraged in the following circumstances: ministry with immunocompromised populations, children’s ministry (while children remain ineligible for vaccination), and when distributing communion.

• There are no capacity restrictions nor distancing requirements. It is advised that precautions be in place to avoid crowding. 

• The preparation and serving of food is permitted. Self-serve buffets are not allowed. 

• Communion is permitted in one kind using bread or wafers. 

• Communal spaces must be cleaned on a regular basis. However, it is no longer required that this take place before and after every gathering.

Please read “Phase 3: Deeper Participation” within the Plan for Re-Entry for Great Lakes Episcopalians for additional detail and recommendations.  

Remember that the pandemic is ongoing and while some aspects of our “normal” lives become more accessible, this may not be true for all people or all communities. Please remain generous and compassionate to folks who may not be able yet to return to in-person activities and to those that will continue to wear masks to protect themselves for whatever reason. We encourage you to continue to monitor the COVID Risk Map and consider instituting extra precautions should your county enter orange or red status."

Both of our vestries are examining the document and discerning how to best implement these changes in our parishes. Look here, the church websites, and in the Sunday announcements for more information in the coming weeks. Please remember that until July 1, we must abide by the requirements of Phase 2, including wearing masks while inside.

                                                               In Christ,

 

Update to the Church Prayer Circles


 

Sign-up for coffee hour hosting and altar flowers


 

Help Your Rector Explore Our Cities!
 

Feast Days with Bishop Skip
St. Barnabas

We are told in the Acts of the Apostles, so aptly named, that Barnabas “was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.”  I am not sure there is any greater thing that could be said of someone.  Anyone would be honored if such a description were to be found on their tombstone.

The same chapter reveals that it was Barnabas who went to Tarsus to look for Saul and upon finding him, brought him to Antioch to meet with the nascent church and to teach.  This occurred after what must have been an uneasy introduction of Saul by Barnabas to the apostles in Jerusalem who were reluctant to meet with the former persecutor of Jesus’ followers.  But Barnabas prevailed as he told of Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus and how he became one, known now as Paul, to proclaim the Good News.

We learn of him in another part of the Acts of the Apostles that he “sold a field he owned, brought the money, and turned it over to the apostles.”  Barnabas evidently also had a significant role in sending relief to people suffering from famine in the days of Claudius.  The descriptions of Barnabas’ stewardship of human relationships and finances seem to indicate that he was a bold risk-taker for the sake of the Gospel.

My life has been graced by many beautiful and deeply faithful people over the years who exhibited profound acts of stewardship in Christ’s name, not unlike that of Barnabas.  One day a member of one of my former parishes asked to see me.  He said that he was selling his home in the neighborhood down the street from the parish and moving to another several streets over.  He had bought the second home while the first was yet to be sold.  He then said that while saying Morning Prayer the week before, he was reading about the behavior of people in the book of Acts and particularly the story of Barnabas selling the field.  Praying through that piece of scripture, he came to realize that if he could afford another home without selling the first, he must not need that income.  He believed the Spirit was calling him to give to the church whatever he realized from the sale of the first home.  I was stunned.  But there is more.

This parish had three members who had fallen on hard times and were finding it very difficult to make ends meet month to month.  He wanted to help there too.  We worked out a plan where the rent would be paid for each of those families for the next year as they got back on their feet.  He would remain anonymous, but I got to be the messenger.  You can believe I was looking forward to those visits.

Like Barnabas, this gentle steward of God’s grace as I got to know him better over the years, was acting out of a deeply rooted faith that was grounded in Jesus’ death and resurrection.  He believed that the only appropriate way to respond to the gift of God’s embrace of him and the creation was with thanksgiving.  He too was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.

Watch the video message on the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan Facebook page.

• June 20, 10:15 am
  • Holy Eucharist (in-person, in the sanctuary)
  • Streamed to Facebook
• June 27, 10:15 am
  • Morning Prayer (in-person, in the sanctuary)

• June 20, 10:15 am
  • Morning Prayer (in-person, in the sanctuary)
• June 27, 10:15 am
  • Holy Eucharist (in-person in, in the sanctuary)
  • Streamed to Facebook

Click here for this week's service bulletins

Readings for the The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

June 20, 2021

St. Mary's, Cadillac
 

The Episcopal Dioceses in Michigan are currently in phase 2 of the Plan for Re-Entry for Great Lakes Episcopalians. Phase 2 was updated on May 19, 2021.

As a reminder, the following is included under Phase 2:

• Masks are required at all times at all indoor gatherings (regardless of vaccination status).
• Masks are encouraged, but not required at outdoor gatherings.
• A modified coffee hour is permitted. All households must bring their own food. Beverages may be provided for all from covered containers (such as a carafe, juice jug, two-liter bottle, etc.)
• No food may be be provided at any gathering or meeting. Food preparation is not allowed inside the building unless you have received explicit permission from the Standing Committee for your service ministry. 
• In-person gatherings are permitted with capacity at 25% of your room capacity, or the maximum number of people for your space while maintaining 6 feet of distancing between households. 
• Outdoor gatherings are permitted with capacity based on the current state restrictions. At this time, this number is capped at 300.
• In-person Holy Eucharist is permitted strictly according to the processes outlined on page 10. 
• Singing is permitted. All singers must wear masks indoors and are strongly encouraged to wear masks outdoors or to take extra precautions.
• Regular cleaning, according to the current CDC standards. 
• A contact log is required for all persons entering your building in case of contact tracing. 

Both of the vestries of St. Andrew's and St. Mary's continue to revise the individual church policies about gathering during this time. You can read the current policy for St. Andrew's here and the current policy for St. Mary's here. 

As both churches move back into in-person worship, the online offerings will change a bit, but online services will continued to be offered on Sunday mornings for all those who aren't able to attend in person. Beginning June 6, services will be livestreamed to the church Facebook pages. A Facebook account is not required to access the services.

                        St. Andrew's Episcopal Church                              St. Mary's Episcopal Church
                               323 South State Street                                           815 Lincoln Street
                                Big Rapids, MI 49307                                            Cadillac, MI 49601