Dear Parishioners,

As you know from our previous email correspondence this week, we are regathering for in-person worship this Sunday, June 28! Thank you for your responses to our church attendance survey this week, as your answer helps our regathering plan.

We are planning two outdoor services at 8 and 10AM in our church yard. All the new protocols for safe worship, including masks, hand sanitizers and social distancing were sent to you in Tuesday’s email. We ask that you review these new procedures prior to Sunday.

As I previously mentioned, church will look and feel different for a bit until this virus is contained. All the protocols are designed for your safety while you worship. But be assured, our familiar liturgy remains the same, the beauty of our surroundings in our traditional, historic church yard continues to comfort, and our glorious worship music lifts our hearts and prayers.

Remember for 313 years, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has been preached at our church. Through wars, depressions and pandemics, St. Mary Anne’s survived because we continue to believe in the power of corporate worship and prayer, and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are steadfast, as is our Lord. Therefore, we proceed with faith and courage.

Blessings,

Fr. John

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

Even though we plan to restart in-person worship, we will continue with online worship for the near future. Each week, we plan to record a Sunday morning service and post it to our YouTube channel on Sunday afternoons. Sometimes, though, technical difficulties may interfere with this plan.

We encourage all–whether you choose to worship in-person or worship from home–to partake in church online opportunities too. Growing your faith, and building relationships, are vital practices to maintain your health and that of the Church.

Please sing in our Virtual Choir, pray with our Prayer Chain, or sign-up or start a Bible study or faith-based book club using Zoom or another online conference platform. We can help you get started. For details, reach out to Fr. John.

Dear Parishioners,

I am pleased to notify you that we now have permission from the Bishop to “regather” for in-person worship this Sunday, June 28, 2020. The Bishop and the Diocesan Chancellor reviewed our protocols, following the recommended guidelines from the Diocesan Covid-19 Task Force, and gave their approval.

We are planning two outdoor services, weather permitting, at 8 and 10AM. If it rains, the 8:00AM service will move inside the church. The 10AM service will move to the Parish Hall.

All social distancing rules and masks are required for both outdoor and indoor worship. We hired a cleaner to sanitize areas before and after services. We did extensive work to follow recommended protocols so you will feel comfortable and safe with worship at St. Mary Anne’s.

We’ve attached a letter from the Vestry and other pertinent links to the information and protocols you need to review. I realize this is a lot of information, but please give this your attention.

Tomorrow, we will send out a short survey, as we need a good estimate of attendance numbers to help us with seating and volunteers.

Church will look different and feel different for a time, but its important for us to take a cautious step forward. We’ve done our homework, put strategies in place, and are fortified by our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are prepared and equipped, so now let’s worship both in faith and thanksgiving for our many blessings.

Peace,

Fr. John+