Ministry News
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May 19: Masking Encouraged
May 19, 2022
Last week, our local health department offered the following updated guidance:
"With Contra Costa and other Bay Area counties seeing a swell in COVID cases, health officials are reiterating their strong recommendation to wear masks indoors. Omicron subvariants, which are even more contagious than the original Omicron, are driving the recent increase in cases. Outbreaks in workplaces and schools have also sharply increased in the past few weeks.
While masking remains optional for most public indoor settings, health officials say wearing face covering during periods of increased transmission is a simple best practice to protect against COVID.
'There’s a lot of COVID out there right now, so it’s time to mask up indoors in public again,' said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, health officer for Contra Costa County."
In light of increased cases and this guidance, I encourage everyone to once again mask up indoors at church. This is not a requirement, but sounds to be the wise and caring move at this point. Thank you for your continued patience and flexibility!
— Liz+
May 5: The Bishop is coming!
May 5, 2022
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April 3: Priorities for the year ahead
April 3, 2022
One goal is to improve how we “let our light shine”. This will include better signage, a revamped website which is already being researched, and potentially several other ways to communicate with our community. We believe this is a goal that can be achieved relatively soon. Our second goal is to become more intentional about letting people know that we are a safe and inclusive faith family for members of the LGBTQ+ community. This goal might take some time to achieve, but we believe we have already begun to move along this worthwhile path for quite a while. Our third goal is to research ways and take steps to expand the diversity of our congregation to better reflect the diversity in our community as a whole. While our congregation has voiced interest in this type of goal for many years from the Parish Profile completed several years ago to the number of parishioners participating in the Sacred Ground program last year, we believe there is interest in making this a more concrete goal, even if it takes a little while to do so.
The members of the Vestry hope you all will prayerfully consider these goals and share your thoughts, wishes and ideas with us. Various Vestry members who will lead these efforts will be providing more information about each of them soon. We hope and encourage you to become involved in committees and projects that will move these goals to fruition. Please contact me or Amanda Szakats, Senior Warden, if you are interested in joining one of the three committees we are forming, or if you have any questions.
Lori Vella, Junior Warden
March 31: Holy Week is almost here
March 31, 2022
Mark your calendars for this sacred week when we draw especially close to the gift of Christ's life, death and resurrection, April 10-17. Yes, it is a lot of time to spend at church! And it is a wonder to behold when we step fully into the mystery of this story of all stories together.
Palm Sunday — April 10
Holy Eucharist
8:00 am — in-person, spoken service
10:15 am — in-person and livestreamed service with music
Tuesday — April 12
7:00 pm — Liturgy of Lament: a time to name the many and varied losses we have endured, especially these last two years, and offer our grief and prayers to God. (In person)
Maundy Thursday — April 14
7:00p — Holy Eucharist with foot washing and music, in person and livestreamed
Good Friday — April 15
12 noon — Solemn Good Friday Liturgy, in person
6:30 pm — Stations of the Cross, outside, in person
7:00 pm — Solemn Good Friday Liturgy with choir, in person and livestreamed
Great Vigil of Easter Vigil — April 16
8:30 pm — All the joy and beauty of the first Eucharist of Easter, with choir, in person and livestreamed
Easter Sunday
Holy Eucharist
8:00 am — in-person, spoken service
10:15 am — in-person and livestreamed service with music, egg hunt to follow!
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March 12: Lenten Food Drive
March 12, 2022
March 5: Around the Fire
March 5, 2022
Lenten Series Around the Fire |
5:30 - 7:00 pm, outside on the patio, on March 8, 22, and 29 Signups: https://docs.google.com/ As we've been preparing for Lent, this being now our third (!) Lent in pandemic times, a few things have come clear. First, for the most part, it seems people have fasted enough these last two years, in so many different ways. Right now many of us need nourishment and comfort. And second, we need to be woven together as kin — whether for the first time or the first time in a while, we need fellowship time to be knit together as this parish family. To that end, we'll be gathering on three Tuesday evenings in Lent for dinner and storytelling around fire pits. The church will provide lasagna, and folks are invited to bring salad to go with it. After eating, we'll have time to reflect and share our stories together, looking at some of the key ways Christian community is forged. Plan to come to church for our Lasagna dinner at 5:30 and discussion around the firepits at 6pm. Bring warm coats - as we will be outside - and please sign-up so we know how much Lasagna to make. (and sign-up if you would like to bring a salad, bread, or dessert to share) |
February 13: Looking towards a Holy Lent
February 13, 2022
All you can eat outdoor pancake and blintz dinner
Bring your friends and family!
Suggested donation : $8/person $20/family
Ash Wednesday – March 2nd
Eucharist with imposition of ashes at 12 noon and 7:00 pm
The Catechumenate: Adult Formation in Lent |
Beginning March 6, the first Sunday of Lent, we will start a new Adult Formation class on Sunday mornings focused on the Catechism. What is a catechesism, you might wonder? Very simply put, the catechism is an outline of faith. Listed in our Book of Common Prayer (p. 845), it outlines the beliefs and teachings of the Episcopal Church. Each week we are going to take a dive into a specific part of our life as Episcopalians: Liturgy, Book of Common Prayer, Scripture, Theology, Polity, Congregational life, and Discernment. The Catechumenate, then, is the time and process when seekers dig into these questions, and, since the time of the early church, when they have prepared to be welcomed into the church. If you are potentially interested in baptism, confirmation, reaffirmation or reception into the Episcopal Church, this course is especially for you, and will guide you through preparation for those rites. And, all are welcome to attend – whether you come for one Sunday or all of them. Join us at 9:00 am in the Parish Hall! If you have questions, please contact Whitney. |
Lenten Series: Around the Fire |
5:30 — 7:00 pm, outside on the patio, on March 8, 22, and 29 As we've been preparing for Lent, this being now our third (!) Lent in pandemic times, a few things have come clear. First, for the most part, it seems people have fasted enough these last two years, in so many different ways. Right now many of us need nourishment and comfort. And second, we need to be woven together as kin — whether for the first time or the first time in a while, we need time to be knit together as a parish family. To that end, we'll be gathering on three Tuesday evenings in Lent for dinner and storytelling around fire pits. The church will provide lasagna, and folks are invited to bring salad to go with it. After eating, we'll have fellowship time to reflect and share our stories together, looking at some of the key ways Christian community is forged. |
February 1: Adult formation — Care of Creation
February 1, 2022
Adult Formation Series Beginning in February |
Do you ever wonder what the bible says about recycling? What do early Church theologians think about fighting climate change? We know how to care for the earth, but we don’t always know why, as Christians, it is essential. Join our Adult Formation class, Creation Care as Christian Mission, each Sunday in February at 9am in the Parish Hall to talk about the theological reasons we care for the earth. Each week we’ll discuss a new topic about Creation Care, so come to one or join them all! |
January 8: Walking Alongside Omicron
January 8, 2022
Well, friends, here we are again. In some ways it is becoming unfortunately familiar to live through these surges, and yet I'm also thankful for the ways in which this one feels a little different. Vaccines have been readily available to everyone but our youngest beloveds. I hope that most of us have been boosted if we're eligible. We have easier access to good masks and Covid tests than in the past. It is still stressful and scary, but we have more tools and information than we have had at other points in the pandemic, and for that I am grateful.
To that end, after much discernment, prayer, and conversation, we will continue to offer both in-person and live-streamed worship, at least for now. And, please know that the fact we are offering worship in-person does not mean you should feel any obligation to attend in person! Please consider carefully what makes the most sense for you and those you see regularly. Here at church, everyone will continue to wear masks inside, with the exception of worship leaders when we are speaking, and we are fully vaccinated. The choir and wind instrumentalists will be taking a short break, but we will continue to have music at the 10:15 service. We have left the extra chairs from Christmas Eve in the sanctuary to make it easier for people to spread out, and encourage people to pass the peace just with their neighbors nearby. Coffee hour will only be held outside. We will be propping open some of our doors in the sanctuary, so please wear something warm! And finally, if you have any symptoms at all, even if they are mild, please stay home and join the live-stream! Even if it's just a cold, it will help everyone feel more at ease if we can stay generally healthy.
I know we all long for a time when we can relax and breathe easily together (without masks!), and I hope and pray that that time is indeed coming. For now, I give thanks that this is a wonderfully flexible, gracious, and good-humored congregation. Please check in on each other, offer your love freely, and let your beloveds in Christ carry you for a bit when you are weary. We'll get there together.
Peace,
Liz+
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