2022 Pledge Packet

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Believe it or not, we’ve once again arrived at that time of year in which we’re encouraged to prayerfully consider our pledges for the coming year. (The year 2021 really has moved by quite quickly in some ways, hasn’t it?!) This year, much like with our worship life, we will be using a hybrid model for pledging. For those of you who are attending in-person worship, you will be receiving a packet at church this Sunday, Oct. 17 th with all your pledge information – a pledge letter, a tithing pamphlet, and a pledge card -- as we’ve always done in the past. For those of you who are not attending in-person worship right now, but are staying virtual, you will be receiving a pledge packet in the mail. Everyone, though, is receiving this email as well containing all the pledge packet information to make pledging as convenient as possible for all of you. The pledge packet is below.

What we are asking you to do is to read through the material in the pledge packet, take some time to prayerfully consider how much you feel God is leading you to give for the coming year, fill out your Pledge Card, and return that card to us, either in the Offertory basket, via snail mail, or via email at COMfola@comcast.net (the bookkeeper’s private secure email address, which only she will see). The deadline to turn in all Pledge Cards will be Sunday, November 7th, All Saints’ Sunday (observed).

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

Yours in Christ,

Kyle+

Pledge Letter

Pledge Card

Pledge Flyer

Welcome Back Sunday 9/12

Welcome Back Sunday 

This coming Sunday, September 12th, we’re kicking off the 2021-2022 program year with the  return of several ministries and activities here at Church of the Messiah.  

Starting on the 12th, we will be offering Adult Education and Children’s Sunday School at  9:45am. The adults will be engaging in a three-week lesson entitled: “The Bible: What It Is and  How to Read It”. (This will be followed up on the 3rd of October with a study of the book of  Exodus.) All the Adult Ed lessons will be recorded, and a YouTube link will be made available  for those who aren’t able to attend in person. The children will be continuing to read through  “The Jesus Storybook Bible” which they had begun last year, and at Advent, they will start a  new curriculum entitled, StoryMakers, an exciting new Sunday School program developed at  Calvary-St. George Episcopal Church in New York City. 

Also on the 12th, our Prayer Corner ministry will return during the 11am service. This is a place  where folks can go to request and receive prayer during the time of Holy Communion. We will  also begin having Coffee Hour again following the 11am service. This latter one is, of course,  subject to change based on COVID numbers in our area. 

That said, I would encourage you to please note that as we are still in the time of COVID, and  cases in our county are growing, we are taking every precaution necessary to keep everyone safe  and healthy as we gather. Masks are strongly encouraged for all activities held at the church,  hand sanitizer is available around the building, the building is being wiped down after each use,  and we will be keeping the doors to the Fellowship Hall open during Coffee Hour to allow for  proper ventilation, while also encouraging anyone who would like to take their coffee and donuts  outside to do so.  

In addition to the events taking place on Sundays, we are also starting up a Catechism class on  September 8th. This will be a 6-week course covering the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the  Lord’s Prayer, the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the Church, and the Liturgy. It  will be held on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm in the Church. Each session will be recorded and  posted to YouTube, and a link will be mailed out for those who aren’t able to attend in person. 

Additionally, on Thursday, September 9th at 9:30am, the Women’s Bible Study will return and  continue the study on the Holy Spirit that they had begun in 2019. The first week will be both a  review for those who attended before and it will also serve to get those who are attending for the  first time caught up to speed. The Men’s Bible Study will also return on Saturday, September  25th at 8am. The men will begin an insightful new video series by N.T. Wright and Michael Bird  titled, “The New Testament in it’s World”, with discussion to follow. Coffee and donuts will be  provided. 

The last thing I will say about our Fall activities is that even though we are not totally back to  “normal,” and we may not be for some time, I would encourage as many of you as are 

comfortable and able to consider coming out for worship and for these activities that we have  planned. In trying times like these being able to physically gather as the Body of Christ to hear  the Word of God, receive the Sacrament, and worship our Triune God is so vital for all of us.  Not only does your physical health matter, but your spiritual health matters as well. To that end,  even if you don’t feel comfortable gathering in person, please do consider worshiping with us  through our streamed services on Facebook and take advantage of the recorded teachings. If  there’s one thing we desperately need during these times, it’s Jesus and His grace. That’s what  we have to give here at Church of the Messiah, both in-person and virtually. Please join us. 

Yours in Christ, 

Kyle+

Masks Strongly Urged at Worship Starting August 1st

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is with some regret that I have to inform you all that we are now being strongly urged to begin wearing masks again in church starting this Sunday (8/1). This is due to the recent surge in COVID cases in our area and the new CDC requirements for indoor gatherings.

Bishop Goff sent out a letter to all the clergy last night instructing us to check the CDC county COVID data tracker (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view) and if we were in the "Substantial" or "High" category, she strongly urged us to require all parishioners, whether vaccinated or not, to wear masks during worship. Unfortunately, as you can see if you click on the link above, we are in the "Substantial" category. While I am not going to require that you wear a mask at this time, I am urging everyone who attends the services at 8:30 and 11am to please consider wearing your masks. (Please note again that this is NOT a requirement, but an urge.)

I know that this might be a source of frustration and discouragement to a number of you. Believe me, I get it. Right when it looked like we were making some movement toward a kind of return to "normal" church life, we now find ourselves going backward a bit, and sadly some of the prognostications are saying that it's going to get worse as we move into the Fall. Please know that I share in these frustrations. This news has caused me to feel frustrated, angry, depressed, and exhausted all at the same time.

With that said, I want to ask all of you to please have some patience and understanding. I am in agreement with our Bishop that we do need to protect those who are vulnerable in our congregation, particularly our children who do remain susceptible to this virus. I say that both as the Rector of this congregation and as a father to an unvaccinated daughter. In that regard, wearing our masks is an act of Christian love for them, and that's why I'm urging you to consider doing so.

Beyond this, I'm asking all of you to please pray that this COVID pandemic is brought to a full and final end. To put it plainly, I'm over this, just as I'm sure all of you are as well.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call or email me. I appreciate your cooperation and your understanding on this.

Yours in Christ,

Kyle+

Guidelines Soon to be Lifted!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The time has arrived! As of Sunday, May 30th (PLEASE NOTE THAT THAT IS TWO SUNDAYS AWAY!), we are permitted to return to full capacity indoor worship. We are also no longer required to wear masks indoors and we are able to return to congregational singing. Communion still remains in one kind only though.

The Bishop is urging, and I do concur with her, that if you have not yet been vaccinated that you strongly consider wearing your mask for the sake of others in our congregation who may not yet be vaccinated, especially our children. Otherwise, I am going to be leaving the decision of whether or not you wear your mask in your own hands.

So, what does all of this mean? Well, it means that changes will be coming that will move us back toward our former practices. The Vestry and I will be discussing how we proceed ahead starting on May 30th.

I do want to say ahead of time though that I remain committed to ensuring that worship is safe and accessible to everyone. To that end, we WILL continue to have a virtual service streamed on Facebook at 11am. I am also considering making the 1pm service a masks-required, socially-distanced, no-congregational-singing service for those who may not yet be comfortable diving back in to full-throttled worship.

That said, please be on the lookout for another email in the days ahead outlining what things will look like.

Thank you for patience throughout this long process. God is faithful and we can give thanks to Him for this forward movement!

Yours in Christ,

Kyle+

Additional procedures for INDOOR services beginning 5/9/21

Here are some things you should all know about our indoor services at COTM ahead of this coming Sunday. A video walking you through the process will be emailed to you later this week.

• You must wear a mask for the entire service.

• Enter by the front door ONLY.

• When you arrive you will need to check in with the Usher at the door, who will check your RSVP status and then direct you to a seat cluster appropriate for your party size.

• Please no handshaking or hugging; I know we're all excited to see one another again, but resist the urge! :)

• There will be no congregational singing. Only Rochelle and Darren may sing.

• There will be no procession of the Eucharistic elements or the Offertory Baskets. Please put your offering in the basket located on the table in the Narthex as you come in.

• Communion will be in one kind only -- the Bread.

• At the end of the service, you will be dismissed out of the side door near the altar.

• Bathrooms will be open for use; we ask that you use them one at a time though, and use the provided Clorox wipes to wipe down whatever you touch after use.

• At the 8:30am and 1pm services, you are required to bring your own Prayer Book, service printout, or use your phone to follow along. At 11am, the service will be on PowerPoint Slides. There will be no service material handed out.

• And please remember to RSVP using the RSVP link provided: https://rsvp.church/r/ZyCQn7XU

I think that provides a good, short summary of what to expect. I know it's not perfect and it's certainly not "normal," but this is the best we have right now in order to keep everyone safe and make everyone feel comfortable. As things move along, it's my hope that the restrictions will start to relax so more and some of these things may be able to be changed.

As always, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. I'm happy to answer your questions.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Indoor Services beginning 5/9/21 (RSVP info included)

Good afternoon everyone,

As I announced at both our virtual and outdoor service yesterday, we have been granted permission by the Diocese to return to indoor worship. Hurrah!! I appreciate all of you who gave me feed back on your service preference last week doing so. That helped me to gauge the interest in services to better plan a way forward. Please note that what those of you who responded to me sent last week was NOT an RSVP, just a note of service preference.

Based on a large amount of interest in the 11am service, we are going to need to add a new service at 1pm. Our nave now holds only 37 people (socially distanced in all directions) and 60+ of you said you would prefer the 11am. So, our new service times for the foreseeable future will be:

• 8:30am (Rite I)

• 11am (Rite II)

• 1pm (Rite II).
  

If you wish to attend this coming Sunday, May 9th, here's what you need to do:

• Click this link to go to the RSVP page: https://rsvp.church/r/ZyCQn7XU

• Pick the service that you wish to attend (note that the number of seats available is shown)

• Fill out your name and email address

• Put in how many are attending in your party

• Hit submit and then you will receive a confirmation email in your box

If the service you desire is booked up, you'll need to chose another service that's open or do virtual worship from home, which will be held at 11am.

You will need to RSVP every week. This is only a one time RSVP. And no walks-in will be accepted due to the limited seating capacity.

If you have difficulty RSVPing, please contact Madeline and she can put your information in to get you an RSVP. We have tried to make this as easy for everyone as possible. Remember, once you get the hang of it, it will go more smoothly each week.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Yours in Christ,

Kyle+

Indoor Worship is coming soon!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I have some exciting news: We will be returning to indoor worship very soon!! The Diocese has loosened up its restrictions as cases of COVID in our area have declined and more and more people are getting vaccinated. Likewise, the Vestry and I put together a plan for the Diocese which indicates how we will conduct indoor worship to best ensure everyone's safety. I have submitted that plan to the Diocese yesterday and have a few more steps to follow which will be taken care of in the next couple of days.

That said, it is my hope that, pending Diocesan approval, we will be able to return to indoor worship sometime around late April-early May. (I can't give a firm date yet, as I need to wait for our plan to be approved and they are trying to work through quite a few plans right now.)

Please note that this will not be a return back to the way things were on March 1, 2020, though. Given that COVID is still a reality, we will have a number of changes, at least for a little while. The changes will include the following:

1. There are only going to be 40 seats available (socially-distanced 6ft apart in all directions), which will be both single seats and groups of 2-8. All the other chairs have been removed from the Sanctuary.

2. There being limited seating, there will be a mandatory RSVP system in place. In other words, you'll need to sign up to attend, so that seats can be assigned to you. The Usher on duty that day will direct you to your seats when you arrive on Sunday.

3. You will have to wear a mask throughout the entire service.

4. The service will be Holy Communion, but it will be served in one kind only (the Bread).

5. There will be no congregational singing. Rochelle and Darren will sing at various points during the service for us.

6. The service will be on the projection screen. No Books of Common Prayer, printouts, or bulletins will be handed out or made available.

7. You will need to enter through the front door and you will be dismissed by family groups through the side door near the altar. This is part of the requirements of the Diocese -- to have a separate entrance and exit, if possible.

8. At present time, the plan is to have 2 services at 8:30am and 11am. When you sign up, you'll need to indicate the one you wish to attend. If there is enough demand, we will consider adding another service at another time.

9. And yes, the streamed service on Facebook will continue. The 11am service will be streamed.

I am very excited about this news and I hope that all of you are as well. I'm glad that things are moving in a good direction. I do ask that you please be patient as we make our way through this. This is new ground for all of us.

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope to see you soon!

Yours in Christ,

Kyle+

Returning to In Person Worship

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+

Observing a Holy Lent 2021

Observing a Holy Lent 2021

By The Very Rev. Kyle Tomlin

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday with the following Invitation to the Observance of a Holy Lent found in the Ash Wednesday Liturgy:

“Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer” (BCP 264-265).

As the above invitation sets forth, Lent is a season of self-examination and repentance that is marked by times of prayer, fasting, and self-denial, and time spent reading and hearing God’s holy Word. All of this is done to prepare us to hear and rejoice in the proclamation of our Lord Jesus Christ’s saving work for us during Holy Week and on Easter Day. To enable you to enter the season in this way, I have included some suggestions below on how you might observe a holy Lent.

• Spend time reading the Bible – If you are not already committed to reading the Bible each day, now is a good time to begin. There are a couple of ways that you could go about this. First, you could pick one book, perhaps one of the four Gospels, and commit to reading a chapter or two each day. After reading, you could take some time to reflect on passage and use what you’ve just read to direct your prayers. Second, you could use the Lectionary readings prescribed for each day of Lent – an Old Testament lesson, Psalm(s), Epistle, and Gospel. These can be found starting on page 952 in the Book of Common Prayer 1979. They are organized by week and day. When you have finished the readings on one page, you then move to the next even numbered page, i.e., 954, 956. Reading the Bible using the Lectionary is a great way to read through almost the whole Bible over the course of two years. If you have difficulty navigating the Lectionary and would like some help, Fr. Kyle would be more than happy to assist you.

• Spend time each day in prayer – A great way to spend time praying during Lent is to use the Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer 1979. Both offer the opportunity to “pray” the Bible, as almost everything in each service is merely Scripture recast in prayer form. You might also want to consider joining us for Morning Prayer on Monday through Thursday on Facebook Live. These services begin at 9am.

• Spend time reading Christian writings – There are any number of good, solid Christian books on the market these days. Some recommendations of good, recently published books are:

  1. “Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers” by Dane Ortlund

  2. “Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today” by John Kleinig

  3. “Law and Gospel: A Theology for Sinners (and Saints)” by Will McDavid, Ethan Richardson, and David Zahl

  4. “The Unfolding Word: The Story of the Bible from Creation to New Creation” by Zach Keele

  5. “Your God is Too Glorious” by Chad L. Bird.

• Participate in the Lenten Teaching Series – On each of the Sundays during Lent, we will be reading and discussing the book, “Christ and Calamity: Grace & Gratitude in the Darkest Valley” by Harold L. Senkbeil. This is a great opportunity to reflect on the way in which Christ is present to us and with us through times of trial and tribulation. We will be hosting this teaching series on Sunday nights at 6pm on Zoom. There will also be a conference call number available for those who would prefer to join by phone.

• Unplug – Perhaps one of the best ways to observe a holy Lent is to disconnect from some, or all, of the electronic distractions that we have going on all around us. Instead of spending time on the Internet, consider turning off your devices for a while during the day, and spending time reading, praying, or loving and serving your neighbors in some capacity.

• Take up a fast – I know how it goes. Everyone wants to give up chocolate, sweets, or alcohol for Lent. These seem to be the immediate go-tos. But if we’re honest, for many this is done with a slightly selfish bent; that is, to lose a little weight or get healthier for the Spring/Summer. Instead of that though, how about this: try fasting as a discipline of the body and a reminder that “man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” and use the fasting time to feast on God’s Word.

• Use a Lenten Devotional – Typically, each year the parish provides a Lenten Devotional for your use. This year, with the restrictions we face based on the pandemic, we cannot purchase and distribute Devotionals. But here are a couple of recommendations. First, if you’d like to continue using the Devotional from Trinity School for Ministry, it is available online here: http://www.tsm.edu/lentendevotional/ Second, a very good Lenten Devotional that my family and I are using is the The Sinner/Saint Lenten Devotional, which can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Sinner-Saint-Lenten-Devotional/dp/1948969130/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=sinner+saint+lenten+devotional&qid=1613404339&sr=8-1

Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and Lent 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

With the restrictions that we are currently facing due to the pandemic, we will be celebrating Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday in a different manner this year. For Shrove Tuesday, we will be having a Zoom event titled, "Pancakes and Praise." It will be held at 5:30pm on February 16th. A link will be sent out the day before the event. The basic idea of "Pancakes and Praise" is that you can make your own pancake dinner at home (or whatever you choose to have that night) and, after an opening prayer by me, we will all enjoy dinner together over Zoom. At the end of our time together, Rochelle will lead us in about 20-25 minutes of singing some praise songs, something akin to what we did on Christmas Eve. Since we haven't been able to sing together for some time, it will be nice to share in this together.

For Ash Wednesday, we will be having our live streamed service at 12pm on Facebook Live. (The recording will remain on our Facebook page if you can't attend at that time, so that you can participate in it at a time convenient for you.) Ashes will be available for delivery, if you wish to have them during the service. In order to get ashes, though, you must contact either me or Madeline and let us know that you would like to have ashes delivered to your home. You may certainly participate in the Ash Wednesday service without ashes if you so choose. In fact, for several hundred years, there were no ashes distributed at all in Anglican/Episcopal churches on Ash Wednesday, and the current Prayer Book does not make them mandatory for celebrating the liturgy.

Lastly, we will be having a Lenten Teaching Series this year. For this, we will be reading through a wonderful book by Harold Senkbeil titled, "Christ and Calamity: Grace & Gratitude in the Darkest Valley". It addresses the question of how we make sense of times of suffering and trouble, and where God is in the midst of it. You may purchase the book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Calamity-Senkbeil/dp/1683594436/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=christ+and+calamity&qid=1612290333&sr=8-1

or here:

https://www.christianbook.com/christ-and-calamity-harold-senkbell/9781683594437/pd/594437?product_redirect=1&search_term=christ%20and%20calamity&Ntt=594437&item_code=&ps_exit=PRODUCT&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

The study will be held at 6pm on Sunday evenings on Zoom starting February 21st and running through March 21st. Each week we will cover two chapters, except on the last week we will cover three. We will conclude each session by praying the service for Evening Prayer found in the back of the book, which is taken from the Book of Common Prayer 1979.

If you do not use Zoom and would like to participate in the Lenten Study, there will be a conference call option available as well.

I'm looking forward to the start of a blessed and penitential season of Lent with all of you!

Yours in Christ,

Kyle+