Episcopal Church in Snellville, GA
Earlier this month, the Church Preschool Board and the Vestry reviewed the documents Juanita Little had prepared for reopening the preschool. Juanita spent an inordinate amount of time going through CDC and other recommendations that applied to the safe opening of preschools. We so appreciate her time and effort spent in this; she was able to take a large volume of information and distill it into policies and procedures for reopening the preschool following CDC guidelines. After reviewing those documents, the Executive Board and the vestry approved reopening the preschool, provided that COVID 19 counts in the surrounding area served by the preschool do not dramatically go up. The current plan is to open the preschool on September 14.
The first question many of us might ask is, “Why the preschool and not the church building?” There are two key reasons for this. First, the diocese allows the Episcopal Schools and Preschools to go by the recommendations of the CDC, whereas the churches go by the decision of the bishop, based on input from his advisors. Second, the demographic for the preschool (predominantly young children and their teachers) is very different from the demographic for the church. Additionally, the preschool is designed to keep each class separate from the other classes – in teaching, and in exercise and bathroom breaks. This is not something we are able to do in the church.
Please know that we have teams working on preparing the church for a time when the buildings can be opened – we want to be ready to offer safe on-site worship as soon as we get clearance to do it. In the meantime, please join us if you can for online services: Monday and Friday Compline at 6 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday Morning Prayer at 8:00 a.m., Wednesday Healing Service at 10:00 a.m., and Sunday Worship at 10:00 a.m. All these services may be accessed using the link to Facebook on our website, or by going directly to the St. Matthews page on Facebook. And all the services are recorded, so you can watch them anytime!
As we move from June to July and head to an Independence Day weekend, my prayers continue to be for your good health and your safety. Last week I provided information from the Diocese of Atlanta about the decision to allow churches to reopen after July 1, provided the churches follow a list of safe practices. First and foremost, we would LOVE to have worship available on campus, but we want to be sure we can offer a space where everyone feels confident they are safe. We have a number of teams working on ideas for worship, gathering materials needed to disinfect the buildings after use, signage to remind us of what each of us can do to best keep the areas safe for ourselves and for others, and logistics around how to gather no more than 35-50 people on a given Sunday. Even as we do this work, we are mindful that the increasing number of cases in Gwinnett County may delay our opening beyond July. So, I was excited to see a wonderful offer from the Diocese!
Working through a consulting group called “Holy Cow Consulting” (you gotta love the name!), the diocese has underwritten the cost for any parish to survey its members on how they are engaging in worship and other online options; it also asks questions about your needs or what concerns you or your family has, and what measures we need to take to help you feel safe to regather when the time comes. The survey is only 17 questions and it takes no more than ten minutes to complete. The consulting group will collect the data, analyze the data for our parish, compare our responses to other churches in the diocese and then meet with us to discuss the results. You will be able to take the survey any time between July 8 and July 15. If everyone participates in the survey, we will obtain some very good information and guidance on how to use the data, all at no charge to the parish.
For me, it is wonderful to be talking and planning about the possibility of on-campus worship. However, when that happens, please know that Father Tommy and I are committed to continuing on-line services so that we reach as many members of St. Matthew’s as possible. Stay tuned for more information on all of this.
Have a safe and happy Fourth!!!! Mother Liz+
As found in my article last week, Bishop Wright is allowing worship on campus beginning with the first Sunday in July, but with policies and procedures in place to create a safe worship service for those who attend. Putting a system in place to meet these requirements means that we will not have in-sanctuary worship until sometime in August or September. However, we WILL be continuing services online and that will be true even after we open.
When we do open the sanctuary for worship, the service will look very different from what it was in January and February. Let me share some of the significant details:
1. We can only have a maximum of 50 people in the sanctuary at one time, including those leading worship, the ushers, greeters, lectors, etc.
2. To comply with the limited attendance, you will need to sign up to attend a service, either on-line or by calling the office (for those who are uncomfortable trying to make reservations on-line), and will either be assigned seating or allowed a selection of seats. We are required to keep every other row empty and to seat singles, couples or family groups at least six feet apart. And we are required to wear masks during the service.
3. It will be very important that you sit in your assigned seat for contact-tracing purposes, should that become necessary.
4. So once we get here, what will the service look like?
a. Entering the church will look a lot like entering many retail stores during this time, with one-way markings to come in and go out. Ushers will help us maintain social distance in the courtyard and narthex until we are able to enter and be seated.
b. To avoid cross-contamination we will not be able to use prayer books, hymnals or service bulletins, so we are exploring the temporary use of video screens, or perhaps providing instructions on downloading the service bulletin to your phone or tablet.
c. At this time, the bishop is not allowing Holy Communion, so worship will either be Morning Prayer or Ante-Communion, such as we are doing on-line right now.
d. Due to the risks of spreading the virus by singing, we will not be able to sing the hymns for a while. We will still have Kyle at the organ, and beautiful music WILL occur on Sunday.
e. Passing of the Peace will be from where you are seated.
I would imagine by this time you might be wondering, “what’s left?”
1. We will be able to see and greet each other.
2. We will be able to see the sunlight coming through the St. Matthew’s window and the colors reflected on the altar.
3. We will have time to sit quietly and breathe in the Spirit that we feel when we are in the sanctuary.
4. We will have beautiful music to lift our spirits and our hearts.
5. We will be able to see our beautiful gardens, blooming in all of God’s glory.
Thank you for your continued prayers for St. Matthew’s as we strive to move forward during this pandemic. Please continue to pray for those working to “open” the church building and plan services that are both meaningful and safe for the those attending.
Beloved, I know that the times we are in are challenging. There will be a time when this has passed and we will be able to come together in full community again. Until then, we will use the technology available to keep us connected, remembering that the church has not closed because the church is US. And we WILL continue to be church!
God’s Peace,
Mother Liz+
On Wednesday, Bishop Wright announced to the clergy that churches in the Diocese of Atlanta may begin holding services in the church after July 1, with the first services being held on or after July 5. While this is good news, it also comes with a series of very specific requirements designed to ensure that when we meet together in the sanctuary for worship, we offer the safest space possible for all concerned.
The Advisory Committee met last night to discuss how we might move forward, now that we have the diocesan requirements and guidelines. There is a lot of planning and preparation required before we come together again as community, balancing our desire to worship together with creating the safest space possible for all our members.
While we have been given the permission to begin worship in the sanctuary, it will be awhile until we will be ready, and there is much to be done.
While we have been given the permission to begin worship in the sanctuary, it will be awhile until we will be ready, and there is much to be done. Consideration must be given to such stipulations as limited attendance and safety spacing, contact tracing, disinfection of the space, the challenge of worshiping without bulletins, hymnals or prayer books, and for a time, no Communion. As we review the diocesan requirements with various groups that help plan worship, we will get a better idea of the timeline. When we know more, we will share that information with you, with regular updates both in the Messenger, on our website and on our Facebook page. We can also use the Zoom coffee hour to give you the latest information.
While we long to worship together again in the sanctuary, it’s good to remember that the Church is not “closed”. WE are the Church, and we continue to do God’s work in God’s Kingdom. I ask your prayers for those who are engaged in the project to get us ready for on-campus worship. I know how anxious I am to see everyone again, and I’m sure that you feel the same way. However, the times in which we live means we must always err on the side of safety.
Blessings, Mother Liz+
On March 14, 2020, the vestry of St. Matthew’s voted to close the campus to all worship and campus activities, effective that day. March 15 was our first recorded worship service, led by Father Tommy in the Coil Chapel.
Although it seems long ago, and Governor Kemp has opened the state, with recommended infection control guidelines, the corona virus remains present, is still highly infectious, and the number of cases in the top three counties continues to increase.
As of June 10, the top three counties in Georgia with corona virus cases are (1) Fulton at 4989, Gwinnett with 4688 and Dekalb with 4186. These three counties represent 26% of all cases in Georgia.
Of more concern is the growth in positive cases. In this past week, from June 3 to June 10, cases in Fulton increased 6%, Dekalb 8% and Gwinnett 18%. At this rate, Gwinnett is on track to become the #1 county in Georgia with the most number of cases. The three zip codes reporting the highest numbers of cases are 30044, which is part of the Lawrenceville area at 1,608, 30093 in Norcross with 983, and 30047 in Lilburn with 949 cases.
For this reason, the St. Matthew’s campus will remain closed. The only exceptions are those on campus to record services in the sanctuary on Tuesday, the preschool director, and the senior warden, who collects the mail and makes the bank deposits.
Our Advisory Committee is working on recommendations to the vestry for a limited (essential staff only) opening possibly after July 1, however, at this time, no other access is allowed without the express and documented approval of the senior warden. Documented approval includes a check of temperature and answering a series of questions.
If you have questions or comments about this, please contact either me or Becky Olbon.
With prayers for your continued safety,
Mother Liz+
The May Food Drive for the Southeast Gwinnett Co-Op wrapped up last Saturday and the numbers are in! With 5 Saturday drop off days and cash donations through the co-op and the Outreach Committee, the food drive provided more than 5,300 items for neighbors in need during this difficult time, smashing our goal of 5,000 items!
The Outreach Committee would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who was able to participate, including dropping off items, volunteering to collect on Saturday mornings, and donating so that we could purchase the most urgent items the co-op requested. It was so wonderful to come together, to see familiar faces, and to see all the love and support the St. Matthew’s parish has for our community.
Stay tuned for news on more ways to help this summer!
If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. – Isaiah 58:10
For photos from the Saturday collections and deliveries to the co-op, please check them out on out our Facebook page.
Dear St. Matthew’s Family,
I have been reflecting recently on the last two and a half years and the work I was blessed enough to be able to experience while in this parish. Back in January of 2018 I arrived in the middle of the school year, which is an odd time to try and start a ministry as a seminarian. You did not blink, but instead you accepted me readily and happily, incorporating me into the life of the parish.
I think the best part of any seminary education is the field work placement. For me, my time at St. Matthew’s has kept me grounded in reality. The headiness of theology can run away with me sometimes, but being able to come back week after week to discuss the reality of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and how to make that matter in our everyday lives – that is what kept me focused for three years through this degree.
The relationships I have formed through my time at St. Matthew’s have been invaluable, and that is what I will carry forward into my next placement. This parish values each other deeply and individually, and you choose to invest your time, whether it is in person at breakfast, a mid-week event, or online through our prayer services.
This may not be the goodbye any of us envisioned, but please know that as I go, I leave with the full knowledge of your love and care for me. I leave behind my own love and care. I was taught a tradition in New Zealand, that everywhere you go, and everyone you love becomes a part of yourself. And you carry it for the rest of your life. I will carry St. Matthews with me for the rest of my life because of the love we have shared.
I always sign my letters with one of two phrases: “arohanui” which means “big love”. Or ngā mihi mahana”. Ngā mihi is an acknowledgement, and mahana means warm. It’s a way of giving your highest respect or of greeting someone with respect. So that is how I will close this farewell:
Ngā mihi mahana St. Matthew’s. I will miss you greatly.
Arohanui,
Karen
Saying Good-Bye to Karen
As all of you know, the corona virus pandemic has caused a major upheaval in calendars, at a time of the year usually filled with celebrations. This is the time of school proms, of graduation celebrations, and a time when a lot of weddings take place. Our collective moments of celebration and joy have been cancelled in the need for safety, leaving very little closure for those individuals who will be moving on to the next phase of their journey.
One of these people is our seminarian, Karen Anderson. Karen came to us in February of 2017, in the middle of her first year in seminary. It did not take her long to fit in to the rhythm of life at St. Matthew’s. In her two and a half years with us, Karen has contributed much, and she has said she has received much in her time with the community.
Karen completed her time at St. Matthew’s and received her Master of Divinity degree from Emory. Like all of our graduates, we were not able to celebrate Karen’s success, but the good news is that she will remain local for the next year, so we will schedule a celebration sometime in the future. I would ask that you keep her in your prayers, as she begins her first course in hospital chaplaincy and continues her discernment with the diocese on her call to Holy Orders.
Karen, we were blessed to have you with us! We wish you God-speed and best of luck as you begin your summer of Clinical Pastoral Education, and we look forward to a time when you can return so that we can celebrate your time with us in our warm, St. Matthew’s style.
