Our Resuming In-Person Ministries Task Group will meet again this week to review our recommendations regarding in-person ministries. Since we first met, it has become clear that Phase 4 of the Safe Start plan, which we had originally been waiting for to resume in-person ministries, will not come for some time. As a result, I suspect we will be making plans to resume in-person ministries in Phase 3, with all the additional requirements that phase requires, both from the State, and from the Bishop’s Office. When we have those plans in place, we will inform the parish through all of our available communication channels. 

This week we also held an online forum with many of our “8 o’clockers,” getting input on their hopes for resuming in-person worship. It was incredibly helpful, and will definitely guide the work of both the task group and the staff as we develop our plans for re-opening. It was truly a joy to see so many of our folks at once, many of whom I hadn’t seen since March. I am eager to see you all again, even though at the beginning it will be through face masks.

For those who are anxious about returning to church for any reason at this time, we are making major improvements in our streaming capability for the liturgy, and we’re pleased to tell you that all of our liturgies will be available for streaming online once we resume live worship in our building. Last week, the Vestry decided on a plan for streaming our services, and we are now just waiting for the equipment to arrive at the church, so we can install and test it before in-person liturgies resume. You’ll be able to watch the services on our homepage, just as you have since the end of Lent, and the liturgy will actually be live (or, technically, on a two-minute delay, but you won’t really notice from home).

This has been a major challenge for each of us. Worshipping from home, doing fellowship remotely, figuring out how we will meet the challenges that face us in the coming months—none of it was on any of our radar in December, and now it’s all becoming second nature. So much has changed in the last months, and everyone at St. John’s | San Juan has risen to the challenge, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it, and for each of you. In the midst of an incredibly challenging time, our community has responded with grace and resiliency. I wouldn’t be prouder of our faith community, or more excited to see where the Holy Spirit is leading us, both in this season, and in the next.

Blessings,

R.C.+