Despite COVID-19 we can still Be The Church!
5/3/2020
In order to ensure and care for the most vulnerable among us during this COVID-19 environment the Various Dioceses of Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia have suspended all in person or streaming worship from Church facilities and prohibit any social gatherings of greater than ten persons. These are challenging times, more like "Pioneer Days" or Colonial Days perhaps.
This creates a particular challenge for St. Thomas in Orange County where so many of our own members also have no access to any broadband or any "streaming" capability. It also creates a challenging inequity of access to our members. To those ends, we have been mailing "Weekly Meditations" and Weekly Letter Updates. We are also posting these same resources on our Church Website along with weekly prayers and low data rate Audio-Podcasts, as well as weekly emails.
The Mid-Atlantic Bishops are working in concert and with their Governors and the Health Departments to develop a future "Phased" Approach to re-establishing worship. However, NOTHING prevents individual members or families from creating ZOOM, Facetime, YouTube connnections for Prayer Groups, Bible Study groups, etc. with other parishioners as they are able to participate. In fact, I encourage you to do so!
"Being The Church" is NOT tied to a building or a Sunday! It is ANYTIME two or three are 'gathered' together in Christ's Name.....via ANY form of media, electronic or otherwise.
Please consider starting your own Bible Study, Prayer Circle, Discussion Group, etc. and avail yourself of this alternative, yet powerful way to Be Church with others at this time!
Faithfully yours in Christ, Pastor Lin +
