Worship Update

Brendan Murphy on August 18, 2020

First, a tremendous thanks to everyone who took the time to complete the survey about returning to worship. The Vestry joins me in giving thanks for an opportunity to have insight on your various concerns and desires, which have guided us moving forward. We do have the next phase of our plan for worship as the pandemic continues to be an ongoing presence in our life.

Beginning next Sunday, August 23, our Sunday worship schedule will shift:

  • 9 AM service of Spiritual Communion outdoors at St. Michael’s
    • We are able to accommodate up to 15 households. Pre-registration will be required and available online or by calling the parish office, from noon on Tuesdays through noon on Fridays on a weekly basis. (Sign ups for the August 23 service will become available on the outdoor worship page of our website or by calling the parish office beginning August 18.)
  • Virtual coffee hour on Zoom immediately following the 11 AM worship service (open to all from both services)
Both offerings represent a shift in focus to the shared communal experience. While still a far cry from that to which we were accustomed, distancing and masking on the lawn, seeing one another’s faces on Zoom, are attempts to reground us in the shared communal experience of worshipping with one another. We profess our belief in the incarnate ministry of Jesus and build our life around worshipping God together on the day of resurrection. That has been challenged as we have moved everything online. This next phase is our faithful attempt to make real the incarnation of community in safely distanced outdoor and virtual spaces.

In addition to the strategic guidance provided by the Vestry, the Committee on Regathering has worked meticulously and thoughtfully to create a meaningful and safe experience, to the very best of their ability. Please be sure to thank Tom Halverson, Wil Harkins, Caroline Haynes, Cindy Matlack, Tim Matlack, and Adrienne Pilot. Please take the time to read through important information and watch the instructional video (see below) about the outdoor worship experience. We will add details for the 11 AM Virtual service to the website Monday, August 17.

As with all of our experiments throughout the pandemic, we will learn together what works and what needs adjusting. Your participation and feedback will be of utmost importance moving forward. Several of you have already expressed reticence at attending outdoors for fear of taking “someone else’s spot.” Please, please, please know that we cannot know of the desire if you do not sign up! We are committed to making accommodations so that we can begin to see one another on the lawn and online.