Updates from Grace Church

March 13, 2020
 
My Friends –
 
The coronavirus covid-19 virus situation continues to change rapidly and remain an extremely fluid situation.  This is normal for any kind of unfolding major event, and our strategy at Grace is to plan for one or two steps beyond the present, be flexible, and incorporate and adapt to reliable information as it is known.
 
At this time we are continuing to hold services and our Friday Community suppers with appropriate precautions.  (See below).
 
You will have seen the latest email from Bishop Gates (March 13), which follows on from the Bishops’ March 11 letter in response to the covid-19 virus.
 
At Grace Church, in order to continue our preparedness and to provide as many options to our congregation and our neighbors as possible, we have implemented the following initiatives:
 
Community:
 
To reduce the sense of isolation, a daily call-in telephone call will be held at noon, beginning tomorrow, Saturday March 14, for anyone who is self-isolating, feels isolated, or lonely.  
 
The telephone number and dial-in information for tomorrow is as follows:
 

• Time: Mar 14, 2020 12:00 PM 

 

• Dial +1 929 205 6099 OR
• Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acFbrwsW3g

 

• Meeting ID: 657 425 081
• Password: 281442

 
If you need someone to shop or run errands for you, please contact the Parish Office between 9am and 2pm Monday through Friday, and we will be glad to organize that for you.
 
If you are feeling sick and your symptoms are not severe, call your medical provider instead of going to the hospital.
 
If your symptoms are severe, call your medical provider and go to the Emergency Room.
 
If you are in the high risk category for covid-19 as defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the strong advice is to stay home and avoid public gatherings.  If you do, please call the Parish Office at 508 693-0332 to let us know and so that we can make arrangements for a pastoral visit.

• Older adults
• People who have serious chronic medical conditions like:
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Lung disease
• Persons with compromised immune systems are also in this category.

 
Community Suppers:
 
Tonight’s Community supper will be held at the usual time with the following guidelines:

• All guests will be asked to wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap and water or hand sanitizer upon arrival;
• Servers will be at the coffee station to offer coffee, tea, milk and sugar to our guests;
• Plastic utensils will be used;
• Servers will fill cups with water on request;
• Kitchen staff will prepare individual portions of the meal for our guests and hand each guest their plate as they reach the end of the line.

 
We will make a decision next week whether next Friday’s Community Supper (3/20/20) will be held.
 
Religious Services: 
 
We are attempting to video the 10am service, using Zoom and broadcast it on our website or some other media in order to make corporate worship available to as many people as possible during this time.
 

• Hand sanitizer will be provided at the back and the front of the Church
• All ministers of the altar will use hand sanitizer before the Eucharistic Prayer
• Communion will be administered in one kind – the wafer – only.  
• There is to be no physical contact during the exchange of the Peace:  smiling, waving, bowing – even the peace sign from the ‘60s are all fine.
• The Offering Plates will not be passed through the Congregation.  Instead, one will be at the back of the Church and one will be on the piano in the front.  This may be an excellent time to make your pledge or gift by using our ‘Donate Here’ button on the home page of our website!

 

• Coffee Hour will be set up as a buffet and we ask that you let the Hospitality Committee fill your plate and hand it to you.

 
Check our website for updates - https://www.graceepiscopalmv.org/, and remember that our goal is to provide a safe space to be with God, maintain a sense of community in a time of isolation, and to serve one another. 
 
These are troubling times but not insurmountable.   Let us remember that we are stronger together and face the future with confidence of God’s love for us and for the world.
 
God bless you,
 
Stephen+