Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
During my last clergy call with the Bishop, we were told that we may begin moving toward a return to in person worship in the following manner. First, in order for there to be any movement, our numbers on the Brown School of Public Health statistical tracker that the Diocese is asking us to follow, which tracks the rolling average of new cases per 100K people in our county over a 7 day period, must be as follows. In order to meet outdoors, we must be under an average of 25 new cases per 7 day period and in order for us to meet indoors, we must have 10 new cases or under over a 7 day period. Right now, as of Monday morning, March 1st, we are at 18.5.
What that means is that we are eligible to return to in person worship outside only right now. So long as this number remains under 25, the Vestry and I will look at restarting outdoor worship on Sunday, March 14th at 11am. (We will, of course, still offer the virtual service as well.) The same guidelines that applied back in the Fall will also apply now. In order to attend you'll need to bring your own chair and Prayer Book (or print out the booklet at home), sit socially distanced from others not in your immediate household, agree to avoid the impulse to have physical contact via hugs or handshakes, and wear a mask for the duration of the service. (Yes. Even if you've had both your shots, you must still wear your mask!)
As for indoor worship, the Vestry and I will look to finalize our plan for restarting indoor worship soon; we'll then have to submit that plan to the Diocese for approval before we can do anything. I will let you know that indoor worship will be limited to about 40 seats, socially-distanced, and you will need to wear your masks for the duration of the service, even if you have had your shots. Because of the limited seating that will be available, we will need to have a reservation system in place. I'll let you know more about though that as we approach that time.
For now, I'm hoping and expecting that we will have all of our Holy Week and Easter services outside. I very much doubt that we will be prepared for indoor worship by then, both in terms of the numbers and having our plan approved. So, barring any major changes in numbers and weather permitting, I look forward to the opportunity to gather in worship in person with all of you soon!
Yours in Christ,
Kyle+