Dear Friend,
On Sunday the vestry of St. Mary's reviewed our Covid-19 policy. The vestry voted to maintain the current threshold for when to hold indoor in-person gatherings. The daily number of new cases per 100,000 people must be at 9 or below for St. Mary's to gather indoors in-person. This is the same number that St. Andrew's is using. The vestry voted to change the threshold for holding outdoor in-person gatherings at St. Mary's to 25 daily new cases per 100,000 people or lower. As a reminder, St. Andrew's is waiting until that number is 20 or below before gathering outside because of the smaller outdoor space. We are tracking the numbers using the website Covid Act Now.
While the number of new Covid cases in both of our county's are dropping, they are still above the threshold we need to reach in order to return to in-person worship. I pray that the numbers continue to drop and that we are able to be together soon!
The diocese is approaching the one-year mark of Bishop Hougland's suspension. The diocese is asking that all members of the diocese complete a short survey to offer feeback on how we move forward as a diocese and in our partnership with the Diocese of Eastern Michigan. While the survey does not explictly ask for your opinion on Bishop Hougland's suspension or whether or not you believe he should return as our bishop, we have been told that you can give your thoughts on those questions in the survey. More information and the link to the survey is in the "News from the Diocese" section of this newsletter. I hope that you will take a few minutes to offer your feedback.
In Christ,
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A Prayer for Earth Day
O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;
For the wide sky and the blessed sun,
For the salt sea and the running water,
For the everlasting hills
And the never-resting winds,
For trees and the common grass underfoot.
We thank you for our senses
By which we hear the songs of birds,
And see the splendor of the summer fields,
And taste of the autumn fruits,
And rejoice in the feel of the snow,
And smell the breath of the spring.
Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;
And save our souls from being so blind
That we pass unseeing
When even the common thorn bush
Is aflame with your glory,
O God our creator,
Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
- Walter Rauschenbusch
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Memorial Service for Jackie Burks
A memorial service for Jackie Burks will take place at St. Mary's on Friday, April 23 at 2:00 pm. Due to Covid restrictions, attendance at this service will be limited to family only. The service will not be online. Please keep Jackie's family in your prayers on Friday as they gather to remember her.
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Services for Norma Heglin
and NormaLea McKown
Norma Heglin's funeral service will take place at St. Mary's on May 8 at 2:00 pm.
NormaLea McKown's funeral service will take place at St. Mary's on May 29 at 10:30 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary's Episcopal Church.
Due to Covid restrictions, in-person attendance at both of these services will be limited. More information will come soon. Please continue to keep Norma and Lea's families in your prayers.
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New St. Andrew's Vestry Secretary
Chris Lizzuso accepted the position of secretary of the St. Andrew's vestry during the vestry meeting on April 21, 2021. Thank you, Chris!
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St. Andrew's Foundation Board
Margaret Gingrich has accepted an appointment to serve on the board of the St. Andrew's Foundation. Thank you, Margaret!
The St. Andrew's vestry is looking for one more Foundation board member. You do not need to have a background in finance. You just need a desire to help St. Andrew's be a good steward of our financial resources. Board meetings are held a few times a year.
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Moving Forward and Invitation to Survey
On behalf of our two Standing Committees, we thank you for your continued prayerful support over the last several months. We appreciate all of you and are in awe of the vibrant ministry, powerful prayer, and open hearts which are present throughout our two dioceses. And while our bishop is under suspension and much of our time has been spent in pandemic-related limitations, the Church has been neither suspended nor incapacitated during these challenging days. This is because of Christ’s unrelenting love for us and because of you, the faithful people of our two dioceses. You are amazing, and we have been blessed, as your Standing Committees, to serve you as ecclesiastical leaders.
It is with that sense of the vibrancy of our common life and shared ministry that your Joint Standing Committees recently held three initial meetings with Bishop Hougland. We entered these conversations with an awareness that because Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, we do not simply cut off a branch out of anger, frustration, or fear. We expected awkwardness and discomfort as a sign of authentic sharing and listening whereby we could make explicit our implicit hurts and expectations. In those meetings, we were able to hear from Whayne, share with Whayne, and identify some of what “next” might look like for our dioceses to continue sharing in ministry together, be that with Whayne or another bishop.
Those meetings were indeed a time of authentic sharing and support in which we were able to narrate the changes and growth in our engagement as diocesan leaders over the past year. We explored and imagined a more intentional relationship between bishop and Standing Committees.
We also know that many people of our dioceses have been praying for Whayne and Dana. We know that you have had conversations with trusted family members, friends, and colleagues. Many of you also participated in Affinity Group conversations as part of your processing of this past year. Know that the facilitators have shared brief summaries of your conversations with the Standing Committees as promised and that we are holding that material in confidence as we reflect upon it. Thank you for your participation.
Further, our Joint Standing Committees appointed a Building Bridges Steering Committee to intentionally and holistically consider our shared potential for resources and ministry. They have already begun meeting and are beginning to populate additional working groups to collect data, histories, and perspectives to aid the ongoing development of our shared ministry.
The question of moving forward is a big one -- it's about our commitment to our common life together, our shared ministries, and continued relationship. A part of that larger understanding is connected to our bishop's suspension.
So, we need to hear from you as we consider moving forward as dioceses in collaboration.
- Where do you think we are right now as two dioceses sharing together in ministry?
- What would you like to see us have or do as the sharing continues?
Your responses will help in making a variety of decisions, both large and small as we consider our next steps over the next few months.
Click here to access our survey to share your thoughts. Your responses will remain anonymous, though we will ask for some demographic information, including order of ministry.
TAKE THE SURVEY
We ask that you submit your prayerful reflection by May 7, 2021. We hope you will respond with that sense of the vibrancy of our common life and shared ministry which is so indicative of the richness and depth of our faith.
Yours Faithfully in Christ,
The Standing Committees of Eastern and Western Michigan
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Episcopal Youth Camp
The diocese is pleased to announce that Episcopal Youth Camp plans to take place this summer! Pending pandemic restrictions, camp will gather the weeks of August 8th (Senior Camp) and August 15th (Junior Camp and CIT) at Camp Newaygo. All youth, grades 3-12, are invited to join for a great camp experience. Visit the website, www.episcopalyouthcamp.org to learn more about the sessions, pricing, and more. Registration is open now and early bird rates are available.
Click here to learn about our COVID protocols before and during the sessions, our cancellation policy, and other details. Adults interested in volunteering or donating can learn more on our website. If you have any questions, please email camp@edwm.org.
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Upcoming Services
- April 25, 10:15 am - Holy Eucharist on Zoom with communion in the St. Andrew's parking lot
- We will pray the Prayer for Spiritual Communion with all those who are unable to join us in the parking lot.
- At the end of the Zoom service you will be invited to travel to the St. Andrew's parking lot to receive communion. Please remain in your car when you arrive. We will give everyone 45 minutes to gather in the parking lot.
- If you would like to join us for only the parking lot portion of the service, plan to arrive at St. Andrew's at about noon.
- May 2, 10:15 am - Morning Prayer on Zoom
You can join all of our Zoom services by video on your computer, tablet, or smartphone by clicking the link below, or by any phone by calling the number below. When you join the Zoom call you will be placed in a waiting room. You will be admitted from the waiting room as you join us.
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Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 25, 2021
First Lesson: Acts 4:5-12
Psalm: Psalm 23
Second Lesson: 1 John 3:16-24
Gospel: John 10:11-18
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Worship Serving Schedule
April 25: Holy Eucharist at St. Andrew's
Reader: Betty Stolarek
Intercessor: Coleen Dice
May 2: Morning Prayer at St. Mary's
Reader: Jim Pals
Intercessor: Jerry Hoekwater
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Durable Medical Equipment Lending Pantry Schedule
April 26: Dale, 1 person needed
April 29: Peters
May 3: Diane, Jerry
May 6: 2 people needed
May 10: 2 people needed
May 13: George, 1 person needed
To sign up to volunteer in the DME Lending Pantry, contact Diane Wilson at dewilson8980@gmail.com.
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The diocese has announced the shift back to Phase 2 of the Plan for Re-Entry.
They write, "Last month, we communicated a metric that would trigger the process of reopening and just last Monday, announced the provision of outdoor gatherings. In light of last week's new information produced by the CDC and the news that all Michigan adults will be eligible to receive the vaccine by April 5, the state-wide group has reconsidered this metric. We’ve said this all along - these decisions are made based on the available science and current realities. With this new information from the CDC and the rapidly increasing rate of vaccinations, we feel comfortable moving forward into Phase 2 sooner than expected with the knowledge that our Phase 2 precautions are effective and that we trust you, our congregational leadership, to make appropriate decisions for your population within the Phase 2 guidelines. Acknowledging the frustration of changed plans, we are hopeful that this will be welcome news.
As a reminder, the following is included under Phase 2:
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Masks are required at all times, for both indoor and outdoor gatherings, (regardless of vaccination status).
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Regular cleaning, according to the current CDC standards.
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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.
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Outdoor gatherings are permitted with capacity based on the current state restrictions. At this time, this number is capped at 300.
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In-person Holy Eucharist is permitted strictly according to the processes outlined on page 10.
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A contact log is required for all persons entering your building in case of contact tracing.
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Food or beverages are not allowed as part of any gathering.
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Food preparation is not allowed inside the building unless you have received explicit permission from the Standing Committee for your service ministry.
Please review the detailed Plan for Re-Entry for Great Lakes Episcopalians for much more detail as well as other requirements and recommendations not mentioned here. Phase 2 begins on page 7."
So what does this mean for us? Both of our parishes must continue to follow our church policies that our vestries created in the Fall. You can read the current policy for St. Andrew's here and the current policy for St. Mary's here. The St. Andrew's vestry eased the restrictions for outdoor gatherings at their vestry meeting this week. St. Andrew's can now meet outdoors as long as the daily number of new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people is below 20. The St. Mary's vestry will also be reviewing their policy for re-opening.
This means that are move back to in person worship will happen in stages at both parishes. I will be closely watching the rates of Covid cases in both of our counties. My goal, and the goal of your vestries, is to keep every single member of our churches and our visitors as safe as possible. Our church buildings will begin reopening to visitors and Mtr. Radha will resume regular in person office hours in the next few weeks.
As we move back into in-person worship, our online offerings will change a bit, but we will continue to offer online services in some format on Sunday mornings for all those who aren't able to join us in person. We will communicate all changes before they go into effect.
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Contributions are welcome!
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If you would like to submit something for the e-newsletter, please email it to Mtr. Radha (rector.cmec@gmail.com) by Tuesday of that week.
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