From the Rector |
Dear Parishioners & Friends of the Church of the Advent,
Having written for the last two emails about issues which concern
the wider human family and our role as individual persons in promoting
justice and peace in society, I write today to fill you in on some
in-house topics.
Re-opening of churches. As of now,
the bishop’s suspension of regular public worship continues through the
end of this month. It may (or may not!) be that he will advise churches
in the diocese that they may resume public worship – with appropriate
protocols – after that date. If and when that comes to pass, I will
share with you the mechanics of such a re-opening. We have an
implementation team that is considering the guidance that has already
been given from the bishop, governor and CDC (guidance which we will
follow), but as you know, that guidance is constantly changing. I think
it entirely likely that many parishes in our diocese will elect to
continue to suspend worship for the time being. Others, with
professional cleaning staff, good traffic patterns, vast spaces may
choose to open – again with appropriate safety protocols.
These words from the Journey By Stages document from the diocese are important here:
Context matters. The local contexts
of Episcopal congregations in Massachusetts vary greatly. We live in
densely populated cities and small towns, suburban communities, seaside
and mountain resorts and rural areas. The places we worship are varied
as well: majestic buildings, small neighborhood churches, storefronts
and summer chapels. So, too, with this pandemic, communities are
affected to greatly varying degrees ... This is not a one-size-fits-all
plan for regathering. In each community and congregation we must
consider how we protect one another and our neighbors, carry out the
mission entrusted to us and offer our prayers and praises to God.
Just as context matters for the choices of churches, context also
applies to choices made by individual parishioners. I speak to priests
all over the United States, and I have spent many hours in conversation
sharing experiences and best practices. For those areas of the country
that have already opened up, a pastoral issue has developed that I need
to address.
In some places, parishioners have felt pressured by fellow members
of the congregation to attend public worship when not ready to do
so. This is unacceptable. On the other extreme, some people have felt
shamed because of their choice to attend public worship. Sometimes it is
couched in the language of “I can’t go to church and therefore you
shouldn’t go to church either.†This too is unacceptable.
I think we will all agree that responsible adults have the ability
and right to make choices for themselves. Each person’s context will be
different; each person’s decision-making process is complex, and will
involve evaluating his or her physical health, emotional health,
spiritual health, and seeking to come to a decision that best addresses
these aspects. In the face of strongly held views on this issue, when
the time comes for opening, charity demands that we respect the autonomy
of each person. You may expect that of me, I will expect that of you,
and we should expect that of each other.
For those who cannot come to church, webcasts and Zoom offerings will continue.
Clergy staffing. Fr Alistair
Macdonald-Radcliff returned to England this past week, and his arrival
at Heathrow made the newswires (article below). I am thankful for his
service to the parish during the rector transition, and his wise counsel
to me. I hope to have him back in residence for a time in the future.
You already know that Fr Jay James, Associate Rector, is due to
retire at the end of this month. We will have to postpone his farewell
party to a future date, but if you wish to contribute to a departure
purse, you may follow this link: https://abundant.co/thechurchoftheadvent, designating your gift in the memo line as “Fr James.â€Â His
calm pastoral professionalism will be missed by me, and us all, but
fortunately he will be living in Boston, and I have assured him that he
always has an altar here. Normally, I would have been looking at a
successor for Fr James, but with reduced parish activity and uncertainty
about the future, that process is on hold for the time being.
I am thankful for your prayers and support, and know that you are in my prayers as well.
Fr Douglas Anderson
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