Outdoor Worship

Sundays at 8 AM.

Pre-registration for outdoor worship is no longer required. Come! All are welcome, and there is ample space on the lawn.

In accordance with the CDC’s guidelines that the vaccinated do not need to mask outdoors, we will no longer require masks for outdoor services. Please be thoughtful when approaching others and responsive of personal needs to maintain distance or wear a mask.

Please read below for what to expect when worshipping on the lawn at St. Michael's.

Spiritual Communion:
We will continue with spiritual communion and abstain from physically receiving communion. The value in the sacrament of communion is that the body and blood of Christ are available to all, no matter what. That is not our current reality at this stage of life in the pandemic. We will return to receiving communion as a community once the sacrament is accessible to all.

For those who feel a need to physically partake of communion, pastoral home visits with the sacrament of communion are now available. Please be in touch with the rector if this would be meaningful for you.

Singing:
Congregational singing is now permitted and will be included at this service. The mechanics of singing suggests that air particles travel further when singing. Out of an abundance of caution, please wear your mask when singing, either indoors or outdoors.

Coffee Hour:
We have missed one another! You are invited to participate in a time of fellowship on the church lawn following the conclusion of the 8 AM and 10 AM services. At this time, we will not gather indoors for unmasked activities, like drinking coffee.

We encourage you to BYOB to coffee hour, as we will not be sharing in a common carafe.

Unfavorable Weather:
In the event of unfavorable weather, we will gather in the sanctuary at 8 AM.

Cancellation of the outdoor service will be announced on the home page of our website at least 90 minutes prior to the 8 AM start time.

What to Expect

Please bring a blanket or folding chair to use during the service as we will be on the lawn. (We will have a limited number of chairs available for those who need them.)

In the event of cancellation due to unfavorable weather, or a plague of seasonal critters, we will announce the change on the homepage of our website. Please call the parish office with any questions.

What Parishioners Can Do

Know When To Stay Home: We encourage you to stay home if you are not comfortable with in-person gatherings for whatever reason. We especially want to encourage you to stay home if you fall into the “at risk” category. We realize that this is a personal decision and we will respect each other as we each make our own individual choice. We ask that you stay home if you have the following symptoms: cough, fever, shortness of breath, sore throat, muscle aches, loss of sense of smell or taste, flu symptoms. Please self-quarantine for 14-days if you have traveled to a high risk area as defined by CDC or if you have been exposed to COVID-19.

• Face mask
• Blanket or folding chair to use during the service
• Bug spray
• Download the service bulletin on a mobile device prior to arriving, as desired. (Paper bulletins will be available.)
• We suggest wearing comfortable (and light) clothing and sturdy shoes for your own comfort during outdoor worship.