Letters from the Senior Warden and Rector
A Message from the Senior Warden
Ginny Barnicoat
The days are getting longer, the daffodils are blooming, Eagles are nesting. And Christ has risen, Alleluia! After Easter, God willing, we will begin to take incremental steps to gather in person for worship, Sunday School, EYC, etc. We will use the protocols which were set up and implemented to great success for 22 weeks at the early stages of the Pandemic.
Obviously, with such a diverse population of church members, there will be a wide range of complex feelings. Each of us has experienced this past year in our own ways and with our own struggles. Let us be compassionate with each other. As our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry recently stated regarding the healing necessary following the loss of over 500,000 Americans and the grief that all of us have felt, “You can’t just jump to hope. There’s a process you have to go through. There are no shortcuts to it.”
Let’s be cognizant of the fact that many of us are struggling. I know that the St. Paul’s community will offer support and kindness to our fellow parishioners, as well as to our lay leaders and clergy and staff (many of whom have had very little time off in over a year) as we transition into this next phase of worship and other parish life.
I am thankful to have been on this journey with you all. I am forever grateful for the many opportunities the church has provided for faith formation and personal growth as well as support during this time of “wandering through the wilderness”.
Obviously, with such a diverse population of church members, there will be a wide range of complex feelings. Each of us has experienced this past year in our own ways and with our own struggles. Let us be compassionate with each other. As our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry recently stated regarding the healing necessary following the loss of over 500,000 Americans and the grief that all of us have felt, “You can’t just jump to hope. There’s a process you have to go through. There are no shortcuts to it.”
Let’s be cognizant of the fact that many of us are struggling. I know that the St. Paul’s community will offer support and kindness to our fellow parishioners, as well as to our lay leaders and clergy and staff (many of whom have had very little time off in over a year) as we transition into this next phase of worship and other parish life.
I am thankful to have been on this journey with you all. I am forever grateful for the many opportunities the church has provided for faith formation and personal growth as well as support during this time of “wandering through the wilderness”.
A Message from the Rector
Dear Friends:
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
It was so wonderful to see so many of you through Holy Week and Easter for children’s activities, online and in walk through communion. Throughout the last month, I am continuously reminded that we are on Body in Christ, a community knit together, even when we are not all gathering in one place.
This week we begin the next stage of our pandemic journey together, as we begin to intentionally gather together in person again. This stage of the journey will be from April 11-May 16. During this leg we resume in person worship with services in the sanctuary at 8AM (no music) and 9:15AM (a little instrumental music). As with our services in the summer and fall, these services will require pre-registration and have limited capacity. Masking and distancing protocols will all be in place. Indoor services on Sundays require pre-registration, and registration forms go live on the website each Monday at noon for the following Sunday.
We will continue our Livestreaming worship at 10:45AM with full music. We will be able to have several families a week in this service for Baptisms or Early Communion, though it will not be open to the general public.
We will also offer a “bring your own chair” service on Sundays 4:00PM at Mt. Lebanon Main Park (on Cedar Blvd.), Pavilion #2. This is a “bring your own chair” service and does not require preregistration, though you will need to sign in. There will be a “pull out” children’s sermon or Children’s Chapel and some music led by Christin Cooper, including singing. This service will be sandwiched between Children’s Sunday School activities at 3PM and Confirmation/EYC at 5PM, both in Mt. Lebanon Main Park.
You can find information about all of our worship services and register for services on the “Worship With Us” page on our website. Please click here to find it.
We also will be concluding regular drive through communion, Zoom Sunday school, communion appointments in the sanctuary and phone church. Eucharistic visits will continue, and as always, you can contact our clergy to set up a time to receive communion in the sanctuary.
I am also excited to announce that for Pentecost, on the morning of Sunday, May 23, we will have an all-parish worship service and celebration at the Outdoor Amphitheater at Peterswood Park in Peter’s Township. This fantastic space will allow plenty of room for social distancing in an outdoor event for the entire parish. Please mark your calendar for this day and look for more announcements as plans develop.
I am grateful to be on this walk with you all as we join together in person once again.
Peace,
Noah
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
It was so wonderful to see so many of you through Holy Week and Easter for children’s activities, online and in walk through communion. Throughout the last month, I am continuously reminded that we are on Body in Christ, a community knit together, even when we are not all gathering in one place.
This week we begin the next stage of our pandemic journey together, as we begin to intentionally gather together in person again. This stage of the journey will be from April 11-May 16. During this leg we resume in person worship with services in the sanctuary at 8AM (no music) and 9:15AM (a little instrumental music). As with our services in the summer and fall, these services will require pre-registration and have limited capacity. Masking and distancing protocols will all be in place. Indoor services on Sundays require pre-registration, and registration forms go live on the website each Monday at noon for the following Sunday.
We will continue our Livestreaming worship at 10:45AM with full music. We will be able to have several families a week in this service for Baptisms or Early Communion, though it will not be open to the general public.
We will also offer a “bring your own chair” service on Sundays 4:00PM at Mt. Lebanon Main Park (on Cedar Blvd.), Pavilion #2. This is a “bring your own chair” service and does not require preregistration, though you will need to sign in. There will be a “pull out” children’s sermon or Children’s Chapel and some music led by Christin Cooper, including singing. This service will be sandwiched between Children’s Sunday School activities at 3PM and Confirmation/EYC at 5PM, both in Mt. Lebanon Main Park.
You can find information about all of our worship services and register for services on the “Worship With Us” page on our website. Please click here to find it.
We also will be concluding regular drive through communion, Zoom Sunday school, communion appointments in the sanctuary and phone church. Eucharistic visits will continue, and as always, you can contact our clergy to set up a time to receive communion in the sanctuary.
I am also excited to announce that for Pentecost, on the morning of Sunday, May 23, we will have an all-parish worship service and celebration at the Outdoor Amphitheater at Peterswood Park in Peter’s Township. This fantastic space will allow plenty of room for social distancing in an outdoor event for the entire parish. Please mark your calendar for this day and look for more announcements as plans develop.
I am grateful to be on this walk with you all as we join together in person once again.
Peace,
Noah
The Reverend Noah H. Evans, Rector
English