Dear St. Luke’s,

Things are happening, and I am excited and nervous all at the same time! Almost exactly two years ago a distant rumor and murmur became an all-consuming reality when COVID-19 hit our community. Everything closed down, we did helpful things, like putting on masks, and sometimes we did unnecessary things, like sanitizing our groceries. We slowly got into a holding pattern, and we have been through multiple waves and variants. Now that we seem to be in a more stable and safe space, we are trying to discern when we can safely take off our masks, and how to do so without leaving our brothers and sisters behind.

Before we get into the spiritual bit of devotion, here is what is going to happen beginning on March 20th:

We will have a tiered response based on the new CDC COVID resource site, which you can find here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/community-levels.html You’ll see that there are three different risk categories, low (green), moderate (yellow), and high (orangey-red). While we are in a low category the Church will be mask-optional, with a couple of caveats. If we go back in the moderate category, some restrictions will resume, and if we get into the red again, we will have the full-blown mask mandate again.

Many have been eager to get rid of the mask mandate for a while now. I thank you for your patience and for sticking with us. There is also a considerable population that is nervous about taking our masks off. If you are part of this group, I want to hear from you, and I ask you to remain patient with us. It will always be ok for you to continue to wear a mask inside the Church if that is your desire.

To help move forward together, we are going to create a masked section for those who wish to be around only others who are also masked. Starting on the 20th we will ask that the center section be reserved for people who are wearing masks. The rest of the Church is open to everyone, including people who want to wear masks themselves but do not mind being near others who are not wearing masks. We are continuing the 5:00 pm outdoor service, which will be the safest option available to the community. I want to encourage you to attend one of our in-person services, but if you ever need to stay home, the broadcast will continue for the foreseeable future.

As long as we are in the lowest risk category, you do not have to wear a mask while inside the Church during the week. The exception to this is if you are in the office suite, where we ask that you continue to wear your mask. The most important aspect of this is that you use your common sense, be honest, and be courteous. If you are working with someone on the altar guild, and they are wearing a mask, then put yours on if it would make them feel more comfortable. If you are putting tables away in the parish hall and the day school kids are there, then you might want to put on a mask, because most of them have not been vaccinated. Not sure what to do with the person next to you? Then ask!

I ask that you remain flexible with us. If the pandemic gets worse, we will have to reinstitute mask policies, and please be aware that we are in uncharted territory, so we may have to stray from this plan if the unexpected happens, and that has been happening a lot lately.

Now for the spiritual bit. The whole mask thing, with all of the political implications, frustrations, fear, and resentments, is a perfect time to practice being a Christian community. It is easy being part of any community during fair weather, but we have been in the midst of a storm for a while. When instability arises, we get the privilege of showing love when it is hard to do so. We are about to go through yet another shift, and I promise there will be disagreements and hurt feelings. I pray that you can continue to try to show the love of Christ in our community, and to do this I need you to be honest with where you are and to be compassionate, especially with those that disagree with you.

Blessings,

Nick