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Bishops' and Rector's MESSAGES |
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New Best Practices for In-Person Gatherings & Change to Sunday Morning Services
The Vestry met with Fr Mike in a special meeting after church last week. They reviewed the Bishop's letter and best practices for us here at Christ Church. The Vestry was in agreement that the overall feeling here at Christ Church was that as the Bishop suggested, each church should look at their individual circumstances and institute the procedures which best suit their individual needs. After discussion of each facet of the Bishop's letter (see link below to read the letter), the following procedures were decided upon: Christ Church will return to one 10:00 AM Sunday service starting on June 27. Masks will no longer be required. Mask wearing will be a "matter of conscience" for the individual. Trusting that those who do not wear masks have been fully vaccinated. Blocked pews will be opened and social distancing will be by self regulation. Full communion will be reinstated. Fr Mike will distribute the wafers and there will be two chalice bearers, one for intinction and one for sipping. Coffee hour will be reinstituted directly after worship, offering prepackaged food in the church basement. All of the above will start as of June 27th in order to give time to organize all procedures. Also discussed were the following points: ~ Restarting of the Adult Forum at 9 am which will begin as soon as it can be organized. ~ Choir will sing at the outdoor 4th of July service but will not sing during the summer. Regular choir will resume in the fall. ~ The hot water heater will be checked and fixed in time to clean for Coffee Hour. ~ A full opening celebration will be planned for and held in the fall. Fr. Mike stressed that we should be thinking of reinvigorating the church rather than “returning to what went before.” We should draw from our traditions but continue to move forward as we had been doing before the pandemic.  Presiding Bishop Michael Curry issues statement on Fulton v. Philadelphia
June 17, 2021 My heart is with my LGBTQ siblings in light of today's ruling by the Supreme Court in Fulton v. Philadelphia. For us, the affirmation of equal rights for all people is a moral and religious conviction; it is grounded in the Bible, which declares that all people have been created equally in the image of God. LGBTQ siblings, we stand with you in this moment, and we continue to affirm that you are — and have always been — a blessing to our church. But above all, you are children of God with the entire human family. The struggle does not end here; the work goes on, and we are committed to the fullness of human equality and to building a just future that is free from discrimination against LGBTQ people. We are also concerned for the impact of this ruling on the foster care system, in which so many Episcopalians offer shelter and care to vulnerable children, many of whom are LGBTQ themselves. It is important to remember that the New Testament teaches that “religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress. . .” (James 1:27). The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry Presiding Bishop and Primate The Episcopal Church |
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June 2021
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