Re-Opening at St. Anne’s

(well, sort of… we were never really closed)

Friends,

We are just about ready to begin our summer outdoor worship! Hours and hours of planning, sorting, and processing have gone into this initial reopening of in-person worship. I am exceedingly grateful to both Carol Carmody and Tom Shively for their dedication to both the integrity of this process and care for our community. They have attended more Diocesan Zoom calls, distilled lots of details, and facilitated numerous community conversations all while helping the Rector find his wits when he has misplaced them. Thank you both.

Before diving into logistics, let me say:

While we will begin offering an 8am outdoor service, our principal worship offering continues to be online at 10am through Facebook and our website. The 10am online service – as well as our other online programming – will continue to be offered throughout the summer and into the fall; whether you are at your summer home, battling a cold, or just being cautious about public safety, please feel encouraged to continue to join us online at 10am.

Now to the Outdoor Service:

When: 8am

This Friday’s Weekly Email will include a sign-up for the service; we are initially capping the number of attendees at 30.
In case of inclement weather, you will be emailed a cancellation notice by Saturday evening; please check your email before coming on Sunday.

Where: Upper Parking Lot facing the Memorial Garden

Greg or I will lead the service from the walkway which leads to the Memorial Garden.
General parking will be in the lower lot toward the Rectory; the church end of the lot will be blocked off to parking in order to avoid contact with the movie screen. Handicapped spaces will be available in the south end of the upper lot. Signs will direct you.

What to do before you arrive

Print a copy of the service bulletin: the bulletin will be posted on the Worship page of our website, so please either print a copy to bring with you or access the .pdf during the service on your phone or tablet.
Use the restroom: access to the church’s bathrooms will be very limited. If you do need to use the facilities during the service, please see an usher before entering the building. Please use hand sanitizer before entering the building, refrain from touching things, and heed the signs in the stalls and by the sinks.
Put on your mask: the Diocese requires participants to wear a mask at all times.
There is no need to bring a chair: we will set up the space in an appropriate configuration with 8 ft. of physical distance between families. Our chairs will be sanitized before and after the service, as required by the Diocese.
Extra masks, vinyl gloves, and plenty of hand sanitizer will be available at the entrance to the worship space.

What to expect when entering, worshiping, and leaving the space:

Use caution: heed social distancing guidelines, do not embrace others, wear a mask, use hand sanitizer.
Please use the stairs from the lower lot to the upper lot in order to control entrance to the worship space. Ushers will direct you to your assigned seating. Please maintain social distancing while you await the ushers’ help.
There will be no singing – human singing at least. I’m sure the birds will be melodious and worshipful!
An Offering Box will take the place of the traditional passing of the plate and will be located at the entrance. If you’d like to make an offering, you may do so when entering or exiting the worship space.
After the service: please exit the worship space, maintain physical distance, and make your way back to your car directly. The ushers and Salma will attend to the chairs.

To sign up for Sunday's service, click here for the link and FAQs.

Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your care. Whether you join us in-person or online, your presence is a gift to our community.

In Christ,
Garrett