Church,
As vaccine eligibility opens up this week to everyone 16 and older, it seems we are entering a new phase of “Covid-tide.” Having lived very differently for the past year, we are hoping and praying that we are now in the home stretch. Even though there is evidence of a fourth “surge” in the pandemic happening in various parts of the US, we can drastically reduce its impact by getting vaccinated as soon as possible. If you haven’t done so yet, we encourage you to schedule your vaccine today.
This transition, like much of the past year, is completely undefined and open-ended. We’ve never lived through this phase of a pandemic before, so we are continuing to do our best to discern what faithfulness looks like at The Table in real time. While worshiping online this past winter was challenging, we are thankful that as a church we were all doing one thing together. Now that we’ve started in-person worship again, we’ve gone from doing one thing together every Sunday morning to doing two things, and this presents a new set of challenges.
Our aim is to create an opportunity for people to participate and engage at the level that aligns with their convictions, their timeline for vaccinations, and any quarantine-related needs. Maintaining two environments that are welcoming and safe on Sundays can create a bit of a logistical strain, so I wanted to ask you to assist us in a couple of practical ways, so that as a congregation we can continue to encounter, embody, and extend the presence of Christ with those who join us for Sunday worship.
1) Regarding Online Hosting
Those of you who are joining us for worship online can help us by signing up to be online hosts. This involves welcoming online worshipers and answering any questions they have, introducing yourself to any visitors, and connecting them to the appropriate people.
2) Regarding Kids and Childcare
We are actively discerning what appropriate and effective safety protocols for resuming Kids Ministry might look like, but we don’t currently have the bandwidth to safely provide childcare or Kids Ministry. If you would like to volunteer for assisting with this, we would love your help! Contact Andrea Reinhardt or Ryan Donoho for more info.
For parents who are attending in-person worship: please keep your family unit together and socially distanced from other parties. We want to do our best to keep movement in the sanctuary to the bare minimum and make it safe for people to attend. I realize that this is a lot to ask of our children (and our parents!). My 3- and 5-year-old are not used to sitting still and quiet for an hour. If kids need to get their wiggles out (which is totally reasonable and expected), please make use of the speaker that is set up in the narthex.
This is a unique, new stage in a unique and strange year. As we continue to wander forward further into the unknown it will truly take all of us. I desperately miss worshiping with you all in-person, but I am so thankful that you are here and that we get to be the church together! May the God of peace grant us rest and refreshment as we continue forward together!
Fr. Spencer
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