Update on Worship this Spring
It’s beginning to feel like the finish line is in sight. This week, some of our Boston Public School kids walked into their school buildings for the first time in a full year. New COVID cases continue to decline to their lowest levels since early November; the Governor continues incrementally to loosen restrictions on different activities. And just this morning (Wednesday, as I write this) I woke up to the headline: “Biden Vows Enough Vaccine ‘for Every Adult American’ by End of May,” sooner than had been expected. I thought I’d take an opportunity, then, to give an update on the church’s plans moving forward.
Our bishops have adopted a cautious approach, and continue to urge, in the strongest possible terms, that in-person, indoor worship remain suspended in favor of virtual worship; parishes that do continue with some indoor worship have an upper limit of 25 participants. In late November, we decided to follow the bishops’ urging to suspend indoor worship, and we will continue to follow all diocesan and state requirements.
In consultation with our Reopening Advisory Committee, I have decided to gradually expand access to worship to up to 10 people per service. If you are interested in attending one of these services in-person, please contact me directly at rector@stjohns02129.org. If current trends continue, I expect us to be in a place to reopen safely for in-person worship with a congregation much closer to our usual size in late spring (i.e., May-June).
When the world turned upside down during the third week of Lent last year, I never would have imagined that we’d miss one Easter in church, let alone two. This is not the Lent or Holy Week any of us would have wanted; but with the finish line in sight, it is vital that we stand firm in our commitment to love and protect our neighbors as ourselves, remembering the promise that Jesus made to those first disciples long ago: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
Here is a preview of our plans for the rest of Lent and Holy Week:
- Sundays in Lent (March 7/14/21): worship on Zoom at 10am, with our Lenten discussion series following at 11am. Limited in-person congregation of up to 10 people.
- Palm Sunday (March 28): an outdoor palm procession led by our kids at 9:30am, with Zoom worship at 10am
- Maundy Thursday (April 1) — 6pm: Maundy Thursday Agape Meal and Service. Instead of our usual supper at church, we’ll share a simple supper and service over Zoom.
- Good Friday (April 2) — 7pm, in the church and on Zoom.
- Holy Saturday (April 3) — 7pm Easter Vigil, in the church and on Zoom.
- Easter Sunday (April 4) — 8:30am and 9:30am outdoor services at the Harvard Mall, and 11am from the church on Zoom. Our Christmas Eve outdoor services were so popular that we’re bringing them back for Easter morning; the City has a 25-person limit for each service.
(Sign-ups for Good Friday, the Vigil, and Easter Sunday outdoor services will be sent out in the coming weeks.)