Regathering Plans Are Underway
By The Rev. Cameron Randle, Rector

We are moving toward a resumption of indoor in-person worship at Eastern Shore Chapel after the year-long disruption brought about by last year’s onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday, Bishop Susan Haynes lifted the restriction on indoor in-person worship and other church-related gatherings throughout the Diocese of Southern Virginia. Today, we rejoice and continue to discern the best and safest way forward for our specific faith community.

Clergy and vestry leaders, including members of our Parish Health Equity Group, are formulating plans to return to indoor in-person worship in time for Holy Week and Easter Sunday. We will NOT resume indoor in-person worship before Palm Sunday on March 28. Our prerecorded virtual worship services, posted on the YouTube Channel, will continue for the foreseeable future, even if/when we meet in person during Holy Week and Easter Sunday.

Please remain attentive to parish announcements in the Chimes and other sources, including our parish website at easternshorechapel.org. Details about Regathering plans and protocol will be conveyed in coming days. Many restrictions and limitations will be necessary in order to safely conduct indoor in-person worship services.  

Meanwhile, the sentiment expressed in one of our Lenten Bible study passages is more relevant to us than ever before: “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.” (III John 1:2)
The youth Confirmation Class held a Food Pantry Parade on Sunday afternoon. The parade allowed folks to drive-through and donate non-perishable food items for our Chapel Pantry. The Chapel Pantry has continued to operate throughout the pandemic, shifting its food distribution to a once-a-week drive-through for the safety of volunteers and guests. The pantry served 485 families this past Saturday alone.
Easter Flower Honorariums

Honor a special person by contributing to the purchase of the Easter lilies for our Easter service this year. Suggested donation is $25. Please send your check payable to ESC with "Easter flowers" in the memo section along with a note indicating "in honor of" / "in thanksgiving for" / "in memory of" for those you wish to remember by March 24. The honorariums will be printed in the Chapel Chimes. Thank you.
Parish Book Store Book Club meets Sunday via Zoom; lots of new books for children

The Parish Book Store Book Club will meet via ZOOM on Sunday, March 14 at 1 p.m. to discuss Hallelujah, Anyhow!: A Memoir. If you would like to be part of the discussion, please contact Susan Buchanan (msbuchanan@verizon.net) so that she can send you the ZOOM link.

Our shelves are brimming with new titles for children—from the very young to teens. Call 425-0114 or email books@easternshorechapel.org to make an appointment to come in or order from bookshop.org/shop/parishbookstore to have books shipped directly to your home! 
Parish Day School: Happy National Reading Month!

We had so much fun participating in Read Across America Day on Friday. This month our favorite books to read have been The One Day House by Julia Durango, There is a Bird on your Head by Mo Willems, The Up and Down book by Mary Blair and First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro.

We are also excited to announce that we are hosting four incubators full off eggs from our partnership with 4-H. Our classrooms are thrilled to be participating our Egg to Chicken curriculum. We will be posting updates on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ParishDaySchool
Ongoing at ESC
Daily Prayer Opportunities
Each morning (except Sunday) a group gathers on ZOOM to practice Daily Morning Prayer. It is lay led, each day with a different leader. Since March 25 we have had 221 services with over 800 attendees. Average attendance is 3.6 souls. Attendance has improved in December, average is 4.5 souls! Join us for a Holy Spirit filled thirty minutes – a glorious way to start your day. The service starts promptly at 7:30 am and is completed by 8:00. Click here or go to ZOOM.US and enter meeting number 562 715 368; passcode John1513. If you are more inclined, Evening Prayer is available also. ZOOM meeting number 869 9363 5805 password Ex1414. The service starts at 7:00 pm.
Zoom with your Sunday School class!
Join friends and teachers, by Zoom, as they meet and discuss lessons from this year’s curriculum – Feasting on the Word. Confirmation classes for students in the Senior High Class meet on the first and third Sundays of the month during the regular Sunday School hour at 9:10 a.m. Classes on the second and fourth Sundays include Lectionary based topics. To discuss formation needs or other questions, please contact Patti Glowatsky (pglowatsky@easternshorechapel.org), Director of Family Formation:
Prayer Cards for Deployed Service Members
If you would like a prayer card sent to your deployed service member please contact Bill Hunter at whunter9@cox.net or 757-402-6384. Please let Bill know if deployed military members have returned so that he can welcome them back and remove them from the deployed military prayer list. Sponsors should contact Bill with contact info for formerly deployed members.
The Chapel Chimes is distributed every Wednesday.
If you would like to submit an article to the Chapel Chimes email
please send an email to Ann Turner, caturner62@icloud.com,
with "CHIMES SUBMISSION" in the subject line.
Deadline is every Tuesday at 5 pm.