Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25
I have been in ordained ministry for close to thirteen years and in lay ministry for roughly ten to fifteen years prior to that. And for all that time I have been working to help people know Christ and to serve Him by coming to Church. So, when the COVID crisis hit and caused us to have to close, it broke my heart that I had to tell people, “we cannot come to Church”. This was particularly hard at Holy Week and Easter.
Since the Church shut down back in March we have offered a variety of ways in which people could still worship in community and receive the Holy Eucharist but the alternatives were just not the same as being physically present. To be honest, I have learned more about how to work Facebook Live and recording on YouTube than I ever wanted to know! However, we adjusted and we did it.
So, the question now is, why gather? Why bother? Why is it so important that we gather as a worshiping community? One of our parishioners answered this hypothetical question this way on a Facebook post, “[It felt great] to see part of my church family and to actively participate in the service. How wonderful. Facebook service is okay when it is all that you have. But the power of being in church was so up lifting for our spirits”. When we gather to worship, we gather with people of the same faith sharing the joy of community while participating in joyful worship of our God. When we gather we are supporting one another, encouraging one another… even if we disagree on somethings (can that happen in Church?) we still are of one mind and heart in serving our Lord Jesus Christ.
I know many of us our “out of the habit” of coming to church. I also know that Coronavirus is still a real danger and for many that means staying home. I understand that and I want to encourage everyone to be as safe as possible and do as they feel they must. We have taken the necessary steps to maintain a safe space for us to gather (mandatory masks, cleaning between services, max of fifty people, etc.). I also know that summer can be a tough time for the Church to gather because of families being away and the like.
With all of that… I still want to encourage all that can to come and be a part of the family as we gather to worship. If it is just not possible for you to do please join us on Facebook live and/or YouTube. [By the way, here is a link to Trinity Sunday’s service: https://youtu.be/GfRxWLbpUBU] Together we are getting through this tough time. Thank you to everyone for all your love and support for Holy Cross during this crisis… please continue to call one another and above all… pray hard and pray lots!
– Father Deke