As Palm Sunday and Holy Week fast approach, it feels as if we are entering a new pandemic-related phase in our nation and here in our community. Vaccinations are on the rise, economic stimulus checks are arriving, schools and restaurants are reopening. What does this mean for Saint Gabriel?
A year ago, I was trying to figure out how best to keep us all connected and focused on Jesus, the cornerstone of our community. I was learning as much as I could about new technologies and, aided by competent staff members and outside consultants, we were making it work. Amid the uncertainty of how long the pandemic would last, we did our best to provide accurate and timely information to the church community. A senior leadership cohort came together with weekly Saturday Zoom meetings. As March stretched into April and April into May with no end in sight to the pandemic, we began to talk about resuming in person worship while developing our online presence.
Fast forward to March 2021 and the new phase we’re entering. Simply put, last year I was figuring out how best to record the Easter Fire in my backyard. God-willing, this year we will light the Easter Fire outside in the Greeting Garden at Saint Gabriel. Last year five of us – 3 staff and 2 clergy - huddled together on Easter Day using my iPhone for our first Facebook Live service. I was so nervous, my iPhone camera should have been in landscape position, but I had begun the service with the camera shooting portrait – so, on your computers the image was sideways! This year we have a typical Holy Week planned - with some obvious minor adjustments.
Enough looking back. What about the gaze ahead?
With inoculations and vaccines ramping up, many in our community are receiving their shots. We know the pandemic is far from over, but many local jurisdictions are moving to a less restricted level. In Arapahoe County, we are moving this week to level “Blue” on the Covid Dial.
Mindful of all this, I wish to pose a question -
What are the conditions under which you envision returning to in-person worship and other activities to Saint Gabriel?
There is no right or wrong answer, but I hope you will take the time to clarify your own thinking around this question.
My hunch is that we will be in different places. Some folks are already venturing out to restaurants, going to movies, getting on airplanes, and eating meals in each other’s homes. Some folks aren’t quite so ready to do that. Each person and household is deciding what to do, as it should be.
Here’s what I am working toward for us at Saint Gabriel. Let’s call it “Building the Bridge.”
In-person Children and Family Ministry resumes this Sunday, March 21 at 9:30 in the parish hall with a Zoom option.
Next, at the 8 am service on Easter Day we will offer a “parking lot” service, just as we did on Christmas Eve. If you wish to be on the grounds on Easter Day to receive Eucharist, you can come to the service held in our parking. This will be followed by an age-segmented and thoughtfully orchestrated Egg Hunt outside (weather permitting).
Sometime in early May, we plan on resuming the Gathering, our 5 pm Sunday afternoon service. This will take the place of the Zoom Evening Prayer that we’ve hosted since autumn.
Weather permitting, we would like to resume some kind of outdoor Coffee Hour – maybe starting just with coffee!
Other groups in the church, Bible studies and fellowship groups can resume meeting in the parish hall.
Again, we will proceed cautiously and keep in place our safety protocols of mask wearing, hand sanitizer/washing, keeping physical distancing, and open-air flow in both the parish hall and the nave/sanctuary.
All of this is intended to help us “build the bridge” back to resuming normal church living. It won’t happen all at once and we may have to retreat if the pandemic rages again with a 3rd wave, but it is something we can look forward to. And of course, we will continue livestreaming our Sunday liturgies.
Why “building the bridge”? This of the shutdown – it was harsh and abrupt. We all had reason to be cautious, but some of our caution turned to fearfulness. We can’t assume everyone can just start as quickly as we shut down. It will take time for us to be comfortable resuming our previous activities.
So, just as a bridge links two separated pieces of land, so building the bridge will link our present life with our desired life. As we cross the bridge of caution, we hope to gain confidence that the desired life is not only possible, but that with each step it is in reach. God-willing, eventually we will be on the desired life side and over time this will indeed become our present life.
Again, I ask you to consider for yourself the question, What are the conditions under which you envision returning in-person to Saint Gabriel for worship and other activities?
We are blessed at Saint Gabriel to have come so far in 12 months. I thank you for your perseverance and faithfulness during this time. It may take longer for some people to return to the church building. For those who elect not to return in the next few months, and for those who decide to return we hold one another in high regard. We choose not to judge others based on our own choices. We hold one another up in prayer, mutual consideration, and love.
Under the mercy,
Fr. Chris