Dear Saint Gabriel Family,
I sigh deeply when I see the news. Sometimes, it is too much to digest, and I must look away for a time. And yet, there are things that I know I can’t ignore because it would be irresponsible for me to do so.
While scripture assures us that “your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossian 3:3) and this is an amazing promise, we also cannot wall ourselves off from the world’s cries and needs. In fact, we all bring the world with us when we come to worship on Sundays. Fr EJ or I sometimes invite you to leave your burdens at the foot of the cross. In the fellowship of the Body of Christ, we receive encouragement and strength to face the world around us.
One burden that we are currently facing in our area is a steep rise in Covid-19. With a county positivity rate approaching 10%, hospitals are filling up, surgeries deemed “non-essential” are being postponed, and booster shot eligibility is now expanded to people 18 years of age and older. Thankfully, we are likely all aware that while breakthrough cases do occur among those who are vaccinated, the impact is far less severe than having Covid and being unvaccinated.
However, these burdens hit close to home. For example, we have two households who frequently attend Sunday worship who have tested positive for Covid within the past two weeks. They have notified the church and are taking precautions by isolating at home. In one instance, those near the person with Covid received an alert on their mobile phones.
In this season, the Vestry, Wardens, and I urge that masks be worn while inside, and we expect that if people are feeling unwell, they will stay home. If you choose not to wear a mask, we ask that you practice physical distancing while inside. We provide disposable masks at the entrance to the parish hall as well at the west entrance doors. Worship leaders, including paid staff and volunteers who serve as ushers, choir members, lectors, altar guild, and teachers in our children and youth classrooms will be required to wear masks while serving in their roles on Sundays, with limited exceptions such as while reading at the lectern, preaching, or teaching in an adult forum.
While most parishioners have received their vaccines and many have received booster shots, there are others who have not; we have many elderly parishioners who are at higher risk, we have immuno-compromised persons, and younger children. We would likewise like to see everyone wearing masks for this season that we are in. We hope and pray that this is a temporary feature, and we will watch the numbers carefully as we have always done.
Every blessing, in the love of Christ Jesus our Lord!
On behalf of the Wardens and Vestry,
Fr. Chris