March 15, 2020
Dear friends,
Today is the Third Sunday in Lent. We are deep into our Lenten journey as we face this significant challenge. We have been advised to reduce our social contact and have our children home from school. We are finding barren grocery shelves and a general fear of our reeling health and economy. It is a time of self-sacrifice and opening ourselves to God in new and different ways.
The Rt. Rev. Mark Van Koevering, Bishop of Lexington, KY wrote a letter inviting his congregations to a Lenten fast from public worship, meetings, and social gatherings. He challenged them to do this as an act of love toward those most vulnerable and a way of seeking new ways to be church for the common good. Anglicans have historically sought that in living out their common prayers. And so we, as Anglicans and as Christians, will seek to be about our common prayer.
Beginning today and going forward, we will make worship available online, as well as other opportunities for prayer and meditation. Please be gentle with yourself and with us as we try to navigate these new technical opportunities. If you need help with accessing these things, please contact us by email or phone at (513) 984-8401.
As our communal worship and gatherings have been halted, we will be living into this challenge with several changes:
- Regular emails of encouragement, meditation, or morning prayer; please check your email inbox
- Our weekly Praises and Prayers pamphlet is now available in a printer-friendly format behind the Member portal of our website: st-barnabas.org/members
- Pastor Jason will livestream morning prayers weekdays at 9:30 a.m. Join him on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/StBarnabasMontgomery. You do not need to have a Facebook account to view the video. Resources to follow along with the prayers can be found on our website at st-barnabas.org.
- A change in the staff office hours that includes more working from home
- A caring call network, led by our InReach Ministry, that will make regular connections with folks most isolated or infirm. To participate, please fill out the form found at st-barnabas.org/inreach
God’s peace to each of you as we navigate this journey together.
Pastor Nancy+
