Dear Sisters and Brothers,
As the coronavirus pandemic evolves, it seems we are in uncharted territory in many ways. There have been global pandemics before, of course, but the particularly pernicious nature of this pathogen, combined with our political and social climate right now, makes for quite a cocktail of confusion and anxiety.
As a community, we want to continue to act faith AND wisdom (not fear or foolishness), loving God and neighbor as best we know how. So it seems that will mean not gathering in large groups for the time being (and washing our hands a lot!).
Fr. Matt and I are working with our leaders to find ways to stay connected in this time when we need to distance ourselves from one another physically, so expect to hear from us a bit more often over the next few weeks as we make adjustments as we go.
Here are a couple things we’re planning right now:
Table Chat
Table Chat is the name we somewhat hastily gave to the idea of sending out a regular (daily?) audio reflection, interview, prayer meditation, etc. to help us feel connected in this time.
It’s super low-tech, and the first episode is online now. To get them as they come out, you’ll need to subscribe to our podcast feed. Click here to subscribe in Apple Podcasts, or just search for “The Table Indy” in your podcast app and it should come up.
Phone/text network
We’d also like to make sure that on one at The Table falls through the cracks for regular human connection, so we’d like to organize a phone/text network where we can be confident that everyone who calls The Table home is getting at least a weekly phone call or text to check in.
If you’re in a DNA Group, your group leader will be the point person on this. If you’re NOT in a DNA Group, and would like to make sure you’re included in this network, please let us know by filling out the contact form.
(I have fond memories as a child of my mother taking messages and passing them along in the “prayer chain” at our church growing up. It’s such a lovely, down-to-earth way to care for people.)
Sunday at 11:15am
We will definitely not meet in-person at our church building for the rest of March, so Sunday we will gather online via Zoom like we did last Sunday. Here’s what Morning Prayer looked like last Sunday:
What we know is that we WILL gather again on Sunday at 11:15am (show up as early as 11am to chit chat before we get started). We are still working out if we will do morning prayer again, or if we will try to celebrate Eucharist together.
(Stay tuned on that… there are quite a few theological, pastoral, and practical considerations we need to make before deciding.)
Other possibilities
There are other possibilities we may pursue as they seem good to us and the Holy Spirit. Here are a few of the ideas I’ve heard bandied about:
- Regular/daily morning and/or evening prayer on Zoom for anyone to join.
- Resources for families. With activities cancelled, it might be a wonderful time to start a new rhythm as a family: praying together, playing together, etc.
Finally, let me encourage you not to stay in “vigilant/breaking news” mode as this crisis extends from days into weeks and months. Several times a day I have to pull myself out of the STRESSED OUT / ESCAPE cycle I feel tempted to indulge.
I was reminded yesterday that in times like this it’s especially important to make time for silence and prayer, physical exercise, nature, hobbies, and regular routines and rhythms. (I need to do my chores after I finish this letter to you.)
Make use of the daily prayer liturgies we developed for Lent, and let’s pay attention to God and each other during this season. Expect to hear from us again soon. God is with us, and God is love, so with Julian of Norwich we can affirm that “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
Grace and peace to you, beloved,
Fr. Ben
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