Worship during COVID-19
Most Sundays we celebrate Holy Eucharist, our great feast of Thanksgiving. Some Sundays we celebrate Morning Prayer, an ancient Christian prayer form that connects us to Christians across time and space to ensure that we, the Church, pray always. Our liturgy comes from the Book of Common Prayer with occasional prayers from Enriching our Worship and the New Zealand Prayer Book.
In March of 2020 our worship quickly moved online to Zoom. In March of 2021 we began to explore hybrid worship; that is gathering as one worshipping community that is both online and in-person. Now, you will be able to choose the path of worship that best fulfills your spiritual needs and matches your comfort level for personal Covid risks. From the start of this viral pandemic, we have acted with love of neighbor guided by science. We know that we are not all vaccinated and therefore continue to act with concern for those who need the most protection. Our safety procedures will continue to develop. We have already made adjustments to our hybrid worship; from our parking lot, to a split congregation, to our beloved Courtyard.
Returning to in-person worship will not be a return to the way things were before Covid. We know we are all changed by the struggles of 2020 and 2021, and we will see that when we return to the building. While some of these changes my feel like losses, yet we gather together in full hope that our joys in gathering will outweigh the losses.
Covid-19 Protocols
August 1, 2021
The Vestry continues to monitor the pandemic and will adjust worship protocols as needed. When weather permits, we worship in our courtyard this summer.
Courtyard Worship Covid-19 Protocol
• Those who are not vaccinated or are immuno-compromised are encouraged to wear a mask. Masks are available for any who wish to wear one.• Hand sanitizer is available, please use it as you arrive.
• Please sign in as you arrive.
• Some community members are not vaccinated, some are immunocompromised, there are any number of reasons that some members may wish to maintain “social distance” even when worshiping outside. Please respect this distance.
• Following worship, those in person are invited to remain in the courtyard for social time. Those on zoom are also invited to remain for social time.
• You may print out a bulletin (we will have some available), follow along on a smart device, bring along your own Book of Common Prayer and Hymnal.
• We will receive Communion in one-kind only. We receive the entirety of the gift of Jesus’ Body & Blood.
• You may bring your own lawn chair or use one of our folding chairs.
• You may park in your normal spot in the parking lot or in the “U.” There are two handicapped spaces alongside the church. Those with limited mobility are also encouraged to park in the upper part of the “U” shaped driveway.
• Bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated.
• Feel free to wear a hat and sunglasses, you may also want to wear sunblock and bug spray.
• In case of rain we will move indoors. You are invited to join us inside or online. Those who join in the Nave will not be singing.
Finally, please practice extreme caution. If you or a member of your household are sick, even if you have received a vaccine, please worship via Zoom only.
RAIN DAY Covid-19 Protocols for In-Church worship
• Doors and windows will be open.• Those who are unvaccinated or immunocompromised must wear masks. Masks are available for any who wish to wear one.
• Please use hand sanitizer upon entering.
• Those who are unvaccinated or immunocompromised are encouraged to sit six with six feet of separation between households. In our Nave, the center aisle is six feet wide, and each pew box is 3 feet wide by six feet long. In general, you want to sit with two empty pews in front of you and two empty pews behind you. You can ask Rev. Aileen or a vestry member for assistance.
• Print worship bulletin at home (we will have some available), bring your own Book of Common Prayer (BCP) or follow along on a smart device, if you are able.
• There is no communal singing inside.
• We will receive Communion in one-kind only. We still receive the entirety of the gift of Jesus’ Body & Blood.
• Those who are joining worship via Zoom will be able to stay after the postlude to join in time for fellowship.
Finally, please practice extreme caution. If you or a member of your household are sick, even if you have received a vaccine, please worship via Zoom only.
Worship always available online
Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic we have learned how to be one community gathered in many physical locations. Each Sunday at 9 am we gather together on Zoom and livestream our worship via YouTube and Facebook (or post recordings later). If you would like to join our Zoom gatherings, please fill out the Contact Us form explaining that you would like to be included in our email list.
Worshiping In-Church during Covidtide is sure to be different from the ways we have done it before. In many ways we will all be newcomers to the church.
Previous worship services can be found on our YouTube channel:
