Update about Worship and Moving Forward: May 22, 2020
May 22, 2020
Dear Saint Stephen’s,
I was running yesterday morning, and on one of my routes there is a home with a big dry erase board in the yard. Each morning there is a new joke. Thursday, the board read, “How many high school graduating seniors does it take to screw in a light bulb?... I don’t know, ask them. They know everything.” All joking aside, the graduating class probably knows a whole lot more than the world gives them credit for, but the joke reminds me of the wisdom of learning our limits and how important it can be to claim how much we don’t know. I am sure you all figured this out some time ago, and maybe I am late to the party, but your rector and clergy don’t have all the answers, and we wish we could figure out how to fix all of this and how to gather for in-person worship as soon as possible.
We do however have some plans we are working on, and I want to share where we are today. I am grateful for Georganne Perrine, Jane Pounds, Paul Goepfert, Michael Moore, Tim Puthoff, Deb Hinton, Lisa Beatty, Whitney Page, Leslie Dunlap, Katherine Harper, Jeff Parmer, and Marianne Howell, who have agreed to work on a plan for us to move into safely being together when the time is right. This exceptionally talented group will work with the vestry to establish guidelines and chart a path forward.
With not knowing everything, it seems wise to take our time and not rush into this even though all of us deeply miss each other and grieve our ability to gather in person. After approving this group and the process the group will follow, our vestry also agreed to move forward with a few capital projects in the nave. The plan is to refinish the floors (which have not been refinished since the church opened), expand the sound booth for video monitors and streaming equipment, and paint the ceiling. That work will likely begin the week of June 15 and will take a few weeks to finish.
We are also working on a plan to responsibly empower Eucharistic Visitors (EVs) to be able to bring communion to everyone in the parish who would like to receive. I anticipate training EVs in June and rolling out home Eucharist deliveries the first week of July. An individual would pick up a consecrated communion kit and then take communion to one household and then serve their own family. I see this as an absolutely beautiful and touching way of connecting with one another and recognizing that we are united as the Body of Christ, unfolding in our midst. With the right precautions and measures, I am confident we can offer this ministry in a responsible way. This ministry can empower all of us! It is also a movement towards personal connection and gathering, and I hope you will consider serving as you are able.
I also know that while we have been able to pull off live streaming of our worship, as well or better than almost any other church, it is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, there are some surprises that we have found that we wouldn’t have otherwise. We can blend services and music styles. Jimmy Gauld has written some settings to the canticles, which I look forward to sharing with the congregation in June. The Rev. Doug Carpenter is going to preach on June 7, because we can film him from home. We have all gotten to meet and see the faces of people who attend different services, and we have connected and joined loved ones who live geographically far away. There are some beautiful aspects of worshiping in this way. Don’t worry, we are working, dreaming, and discovering how we can be together once again.
I am so grateful for the notes of encouragement, the way that you continue to minister to each other and those in need, and how we are all living out our faith in this uncertain time. Thank you for your understanding and willingness to be flexible.
Faithfully,
The Reverend John B. Burruss
Rector