Dear Friends,

The Vestry has several updates to share this week.

First, concerning the work of the Re-Gathering St. Luke’s Committee, we have received a few questions about the phases and timelines for re-gathering in person. Because Governor Northam has allowed Northern Virginia to enter Phase 2 of the State’s reopening plan, it is perhaps unclear why we are not re-opening St. Luke’s on the same schedule. This is understandable, because the state phases and the phases guiding when we re-gather as a church are different. There are two main reasons why St. Luke’s is not reopening on the same schedule as other organizations in Northern Virginia

Our bishop has not moved any congregations into phase 2 of the diocesan plan for re-gathering. St. Luke’s is proceeding with its re-gathering plan under the guidance of Bishop Goff and consistent with the published plan for the Diocese of Virginia rather than the Governor’s plan for the state. While the Governor’s Phase 2 guidelines allow churches to reopen, we are still in Phase I of our diocesan plan, and are not permitted to worship in person yet. We encourage you to become familiar with the diocesan plan, available on the diocesan web site at http://www.thediocese.net/news-and-events/covid-19-resources/, where many resources are published, including the Bishop’s letter dated May 13th, which outlines the plan and the rationale for the plan. Under the current diocesan plan, we will not be able to enter Phase II until after certain health markers are met. These are the markers:

14-day consecutive decline in numbers of people testing positive for covid-19, hospitalizations, and intensive care bed use
widespread testing / contact tracing available to track the spread of the virus
sufficient supply of personal protective equipment
evidence that our health care systems have sufficient equipment and are not overwhelmed by the number of cases

We have to meet these markers to have our plan approved by the bishop. As of right now, we do not meet them in the Fairfax Health District. The diocese will post the markers they are using to determine when to approve plans on the Phased Re-gathering page of the diocesan web site.

In-person congregational worship that is permitted in Phase II will require major limitations on the size of the congregation and additional protocols for cleaning, wearing masks, training ushers and greeters and other measures we must implement in order to re-gather. The committee is not moving too quickly because we want to be thorough and make the best plan for our context. Once we have that, and we meet the markers, we are ready to have our plan reviewed. There is no date from the diocese for when our completed plan will be reviewed or approved.

Our committee has completed much of the preparatory work to write our plan, including measuring the sanctuary, thinking through a seating plan for indoor and outdoor worship (under tents), getting input from the various committees involved in worship to gauge their ability to participate and get their ideas for making worship safer. The committee is focused on the safety of all parishioners, with emphasis on those of us at higher risk of severe illness. The committee will have options for different ways to mitigate the risks of re-gathering and a plan to re-gather to present to the vestry soon. The vestry, consistent with diocesan guidance, will make the final decision about what is best for St. Luke’s in terms of re-gathering in person. In the meantime, the committee is working both on the plan and on making online worship better. If you have any suggestions for how we can help the congregation remain connected during this difficult time, please reach out to the wardens.

Another aspect of re-gathering St. Luke’s is the re-opening of St. Luke’s Day School (SLDS). The SLDS Director and Board of Trustees, with the endorsement of the vestry, created a detailed written plan for reopening, which we presented for diocesan approval. The primary concern in the diocesan approval process was whether opening SLDS would have any negative effects on the re-opening of the rest of the church building for worship. The SLDS plan provides for strict separation of the students and staff from all areas of the building except the day school areas, and separation of all others, including SLDS parents, from the day school areas. As such, the opening of SLDS should have no negative effects on our re-gathering for worship and other uses of the rest of the building. The diocese has approved the reopening, and classes are scheduled to begin on June 22nd, so you will begin to see more cars in the parking lot as the staff prepares for reopening.

The members of the Re-Gathering St. Luke’s Committee, the Discernment Committee, the St. Luke’s Day School leadership and staff, the church clergy and staff and the vestry are all working hard in unsettled and uncertain circumstances to support St. Lukes’ many ministries. We welcome and appreciate your concerns, comments and suggestions, and we ask for your patience and prayers as we move forward together.