Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As much as it breaks my heart to have to say this, during a meeting with the Bishop yesterday, we clergy were told that, because of the rapidly rising number of COVID cases in our state, and the ever-increasing death count, along with the risk that takes place in meeting together, all outdoor services are to be suspended from now on and for the foreseeable future. That means that we will not be able to have our outdoor service this coming Sunday, December 13th, and we will not be able to have any outdoor (or indoor worship) for Christmas Eve. At this time, the only services that we may have are the virtual services that we have been having on Facebook Live.
I know that this news may be very disappointing to many of you, especially the bit about Christmas. Much like you, I look forward to being together on Christmas Eve and having the opportunity to sing Christmas Hymns and receive Holy Communion together. But alas, it won't be for this year.
That said, and please hear me clearly, Christmas is NOT cancelled! Although we may not be able to meet inside or outside for some time, we will continue to meet online, and we will still hear our Lord's Word and we will still rejoice in our Lord's birth at Bethlehem. Jesus is present to us, and with us, whether we are meeting in person or virtually, and the Good News of Christmas is still going to be the Good News of Christmas. The Gospel is not going away! So, our Christmas celebrations will continue, although we will be having Evening Prayer and not Communion this year. I also have some plans on how to get us a little bit of Christmas music as well. Stay tuned for updates on that.
In light of this, then, our service time for this coming Sunday will be at 10am on Facebook Live. Children's Sunday School will be held at 9:15am and Adult Ed will be held at 11am.
Please continue to take care of yourselves and remember to follow the guidelines. Not only are you doing this for yourself, but more importantly, you are doing it for your neighbor. Wearing masks, social distancing, and washing our hands is our act of love for our neighbor.
If you have any question, please don't hesitate to be in touch. I will see you all on online at 10am on Sunday!
Yours in Christ,
Kyle+