Dear friends,
Trinity’s staff and vestry continues to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, and out of an abundance of caution, we believe it’s important to begin implementing social distancing measures as a way of protecting those in our community who are most at risk.
The more we can implement sensible measures to curtail infection, the more we can continue to resist the anxious urge to overreact. This is a fine line, and asks us to think carefully about what is “mission-critical” for us as a faith community. Rest assured that Trinity will continue to seek proactive ways to accomplish our core mission: worshipping, gathering, serving, and educating as we seek to be the body of Christ in these anxious and vulnerable times.
As yet, there have been no directives from local or state authorities to cancel worship services or church gatherings.
Beginning this Sunday,
we’ll begin to implement many social distancing measures that, I hope, will allow us to continue to gather for worship while limiting the potential of spreading infection.
The social distancing measures will include:
- Ceasing sharing of the common cup during Eucharist. In accordance with Bishop Michael's directives, we will only be receiving bread at communion. The chalice will remain on the altar as a symbolic focus of our worship, but we will not be drinking from the cup. In this, we are relying on a long theological tradition maintaining that communion “in one kind” is sufficient to receive the fullness of grace that the sacrament provides.
- Exchanging the Peace and passing the offering plate without touching. Last Sunday, we experimented with alternate ways to exchange the Peace that avoid handshakes and hugs. We’ll continue to advise you to exchange the Peace in these ways (jazz hands, anyone?). In addition, our ushers will not be passing the offering plate from person to person for the near future.
- Practicing social distancing in the Cathedral and Chapel. We encourage worshippers to spread out, maintaining a three-to-six foot distance from one another when possible.
- Continuing to practice personal precautions. For more information about how you can keep yourself and your community safe, see these helpful guidelines.
- If you’re in a high-risk category (immune-compromised, underlying medical conditions, over the age of sixty, etc.), many public health officials would encourage you to seriously consider remaining in your home for the time being. If you are sick (regardless of the severity/type of your symptoms), please do not come to church. If you are home-bound and require assistance, please let a member of the clergy know how your faith community can be of support, via email or by calling the Canon-in-Residence number, 503-478-1217.
Until Sunday,
scheduled events will be taking place as planned; after that, we'll start to make changes to our schedule, including cancellations and adjustments, on an as-needed basis. Please keep an eye on the Weekly Email Update and the
cathedral events calendar
for up-to-date information on specific events.
The season of Lent has historically served as a season of greater intentionality, a time to re-examine long-held practices and consider giving something up. This Lent, although it’s not the fast we might have chosen, churches are being asked to “fast” from many of the practices we have long taken for granted. I wish I could promise that everything would return to normal at Easter – I suspect that will not be the case! As a staff and ministry team, we’re already developing longer-term plans in the event that we are forced to take more drastic steps.
For now, however, I encourage you to practice an abundance of caution along with a non-anxious and non-reactive presence of calm. We can continue to be salt and light in an anxious world by refusing to stigmatize, blame, and resort to rumor and gossip. Indeed, our faith calls us to this deeper work.
We will continue to keep you updated as the situation develops. I ask for your continued prayers as many in our wider communities face very real threat and anxiety related to the spread of this infection.
Let’s walk gently with one another, and find ways to seek the common good.
Nathan
