Return to In-Person Worship - October 18

Dear Saint Stephen’s Community and Friends, 

I am excited to share with you the next phase in our church’s plan to resume in-person worship. This past week the Covid-19 Task Force submitted a plan and the Vestry reviewed and approved it.   

Beginning on October 18, we will return to four Sunday services, three of those being in-person worship opportunities, with reservations required. The schedule will be as follows: 

  • 7:30 a.m. – In-person worship in the Parish Hall: Morning Prayer, Rite II with Holy Eucharist following. (maximum 50 people) 

  • 10:15 a.m. – In-person worship in the Parish Hall: Morning Prayer, Rite II with instrumental music and Holy Eucharist following. (maximum 50 people) 

  • 10:15 a.m. – Livestreamed (only) worship in the Nave: Morning Prayer, Rite II with festive music and choir (our primary service provided online) 

  • 5:00 p.m. – In-person worship in the Nave: Evening Prayer, Rite II with Holy Eucharist following. (maximum 50 people)   

At this time, all in-person worship services will require a registration. The registration will be released in the weekly e-news, which is sent at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays. The first registration link will be sent on Tuesday, October 13, at 2 p.m.  Masks and social distancing will be required. Childcare is not offered for in-person services at this time; we are still working on this part of our plan.  

Please note that the in-person morning services will be in the Parish Hall and not the Nave. This is to allow for the livestreamed service to take place in the Nave (and for the singers to warm up and prepare for worship). It is especially important that we treat the livestreamed service at 10:15 a.m. as the principal service of worship that unites and binds us together as Christian community.  

I encourage you to read the Saint Stephen’s updated plan here. It outlines how Communion will be distributed, and other guidelines around meetings, worship, and other parish gatherings. I am incredibly grateful for the work of Task Force and Vestry, especially Marianne Howell who has taken everyone’s comments and questions and turned our ideas into a document we can work with as we return to church in person. Thank you for your patience as we continue to figure this out. We still have a long way to go, and I am confident we are responding with a reasonable plan for gathering, while still protecting those who are most at risk.  

Faithfully, 

The Rev. John B. Burruss 

Rector

John Burruss