From the Rector

Dear Friends in Christ,

I’m thankful to Carol Jones, Mary Trainor, Liz Wood, and Barbara Cone for their work this past week or so on behalf of the Vestry and congregation. They have been reviewing our current diocesan-approved COVID protocols with an eye toward loosening them as the number of vaccinated folks increases in the wider community.

There’s always a kind of dizzying array of news, guidelines, articles, and more coming out. I think the basic thrust is that we are ready to move toward more normalcy though some degree of caution is still warranted. 

A few considerations are going into our planning. We have a multi-generational campus and there is no vaccine yet approved for children. There are seemingly virulent variants emerging in different places and at least one of those variants has been found locally. There are a wide, wide range in different people’s tolerance for risk and perceived risk to themselves and the larger community. There are things like HEPA filters and other infrastructure improvements that may help with promoting a healthier environment. We have a good sense of how our own members are handling being vaccinated but don’t have as clear a sense as to how the wider community who might come to a wide variety of events is handling being vaccinated.

So, the committee has been reviewing best practices from various places, consulting the diocesan guidelines and the CDC, and seeing how churches, choirs, and other groups have been handling these same questions.

I expect that we will see a general relaxation of masking requirements for those who are vaccinated while also taking children’s safety into account. We expect parish ministries to be able to start reserving rooms for on-campus meetings soon with wider community reservation resuming later in the year. We are working to make accommodation for our recovery ministries to be able to resume meeting indoors soon.

Once the plan is approved by the Vestry and approved by the diocese we will be able to announce all changes with our target being to enact the revised policy as of early July. No one is more eager to see these restrictions relaxed than I--it’s no joy at all to officiate a liturgy with a mask on! Even as I look forward to this next phase though, I appreciate the thought and care that has gone, and continues to go, into each step along the way back to normal life.

Thanks for your patience as we near the next phase of this very strange time. It’s been a gift serving this congregation in this time, quite honestly, because you’ve shown thoughtfulness, grace, and understanding all along the way. For that I remain deeply grateful.

Yours in Christ,

Fr Robert