A message to the Trinity community
Dear Friends,
As you know, life in America continues to change rapidly as we all work to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Thus, what follows is an outline of Trinity’s response to the situation. We will have specific and up-to-date information on our website. We will also communicate with you three times a week. We will continue to publish “This Week at Trinity” on Fridays; we will send a Saturday evening email reminder about Sunday worship, and I will send a video of a brief weekly meditation that will go out each Tuesday or Wednesday.
First, on March 19th, our Bishop, Mark Van Koevering, requested that congregations not to gather for any reason “for the foreseeable future.” He cited the Center for Disease Control guidelines that recommend that gatherings be postponed for the next eight weeks, but this timeframe is subject to the Bishop’s discretion. We will continue to worship at 10 a.m. on Sunday via livestream—you can find the link on our website.
Because we will be apart for several weeks, Trinity’s staff will schedule online activities and meetings so that regular church life can continue as smoothly as possible.
We are also planning for pastoral care to largely occur remotely through phone calls, video chats, texts, email, and postal mail. As far as in-person visiting in hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities, we will follow each institution’s guidelines, and rely largely on their in-house pastoral care teams. Please know that I will provide in-person care to anyone who is dying; most facilities allow this.
Above all, what I know is that we are created in the image and likeness of God, who continues to be our shepherd and our guide. God fashioned the human spirit to be creative and hopeful. Humans are ingenious and when challenged, as we are now, people can come up with new and inspired responses. In online chats with other Episcopal clergy nationwide, I have already heard many great ideas to keep congregations connected even as we are separated.
Even as we apart, we are still joined together as the body of Christ.
In Christ,
Peter
