The Diocese of North Carolina has sent out its plan for how we enter into the next stages of our life together as a Christian body. The diocesan task force, which produced the plan, includes our very own the Rev. Dr. Vince Kopp and others with experience in medicine, public health, and other pertinent areas.
It is the plan we must go by and while rigorous, it is deeply thought out. To be sure, the choices and decisions the diocese has made differ in various points from governmental directives. In a nutshell, the diocesan plan is going to be more cautious than what we will see in the secular realm, and perhaps from other religious groups.
The key values of the diocese are the commands to love God and to love one another, and with a particular eye toward keeping safe the most vulnerable. As such, it will be some time before we are all just ‘going back to church.’
The plan is 21 pages long and highly detailed, but I will try and share the framework quickly. The diocese discusses four stages. Each stage is principally determined by Public Health Indicators (PHI), such as rates of Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Stage 1 — where we are now — is when the PHI numbers are rising. Stage 2 is when they are declining. We pray that the decline will be around July 1. Stage 3 is when PHI are near zero. Stage 4 is when vaccines and perhaps treatment are available.
When we reach Stage 2 — tentatively July 1 — a limited amount of ‘reopening’ will be permitted. However, let me emphasize the word ‘limited.’ The guidelines talk about indoor worship not to exceed 25 people, including leaders. All will need to wear masks. There will be no singing. No shaking hands. Household groups will sit six feet apart. Outdoor worship of up to 35 may take place. Conceivably, one group of 25 could be in the main church and another in the Parish Hall at the same time. Extensive cleaning must take place after each gathering. It’s very hard to imagine how we decide who attends and how often, when so few out of 2,100+ members could attend on any given Sunday.
Given these limitations defined by Stage 2, we intend to continue with our Sunday worship video as we have been, along with our other virtual offerings. Thanks be to God and our video crew, these have been a blessing. Many are watching them — we have hundreds of views and participants each week.
As the secular guidelines of social gatherings unfold, I would like to encourage you all to think about getting together with others, in permissible numbers as defined by the Governor, to have “house church.” Think of this as a holy tailgate party. Watch the video and pray together, and enjoy fellowship, while following social distancing standards.
In the coming days, we will be sending out a survey to gather feedback from you, as part of our planning for the next stages of our life together.
Thank you for your ongoing support of St. Michael’s. I miss you all so much!
In Christ,
Greg
