From the Rector

Dear Friends in Christ,

What a joy it was to be able to celebrate Christmas together both in-person and online. After being only online last year, it was a gift to pray, sing, and welcome Christ’s birth in the church together.

We’ve seen both a bit of good news and some concerning news regarding COVID-19 since Christmas. In some areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending a delayed start for in-person schooling given the rapid transmission of the Omicron variant. The good news is that the rate of serious illness for those who are vaccinated, and especially for those who have received a booster, is relatively low.

Even so, the twelve days of Christmas and the New Years holiday give us a chance not only to rest a bit but also to be cautious as the year begins.

We strongly encourage church groups and ministries to find ways to meet online whenever possible in January. Staff and clergy will encourage this in meetings in which we are involved. I don’t see a need to return to closure in the way we did earlier in the pandemic but I do think a short period of some heightened attention is appropriate.

It’s a joy to be back in-person—meeting, serving, and worshiping together. We will continue to do so responsibly—neither overreacting to every new headline nor underestimating the risks that come with life together. I know we all want to return to normal and that is happening, if a bit more gradually than any of us want!

I wish you every blessing in these twelve days of Christmas and look forward to seeing you all soon whether in-person or online!

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Robert