| Shout it from the rooftops! Worship at Grace at 8am and 10am this Sunday, and all summer long! Here’s the basic summary: At 8 am, we’ll worship in the sanctuary for a contemplative service of Holy Communion, with instrumental music. That service will also be livestreamed. At 10 am, we’ll worship in the courtyard for a service of Holy Communion, with congregational singing. That service will not be livestreamed. Livestreamers (any time!): Our service will be available on Youtube and Facebook right after it finishes (probably around 9:15 am). It will be available on our website shortly thereafter at grace-episcopal.org/worshiplive, or join us on Facebook or Youtube. We continue to ask you to wear masks and to respect others’ need for space as we get used to being together! (Basically, ask permission before you hug someone or sit close to them.) Those are the basics: Just show up, and there will be ushers there to guide you back into the experience of worshipping together! Would you like some more information about how we arrived at this arrangement, or more details about the services? Read on! Thanks to the 75 people who took our worship survey, we affirmed that we have many different needs as a community during this complicated season. Some people are tired of wearing masks; others feel unsafe being around groups without masks. Some of us miss singing together the most; others are anxious to kneel at the altar rail. Most adults have had the opportunity to be vaccinated; children under 12 have not. Some of us wanted to go back to our previous service times; others have gotten used to church in their pajamas (and still others have joined our church from so far away that they cannot drive here)! These different needs are valid and okay, and we think this service arrangement is the best one to meet most of the needs that we collectively expressed as most important. We are also following the guidelines set out by our bishop. A few details not mentioned above:Communion at the Altar Rail: We are still waiting for our new light and camera system to arrive and be installed; this is an expensive and time-consuming process, and so we still have cords and equipment in the sanctuary that make it dangerous to go up to the altar rail. We hope this work will be done in July. Communion will continue to be bread only, at the direction of our bishop, until the risk of sharing a common cup is lower. Intercessors will be available this Sunday to pray with people at communion at both services! Please “self-distance” at both services: avoid sitting within 6 feet of others unless you ask permission first. This schedule will continue until the fall, when we’ll re-evaluate our times and locations together. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to be in touch. We look forward to worshipping with you as the Holy Spirit guides us into new ways of being church together. – Rev. Amy and Rev. Anne |
 Junior Warden Bob Cantrall captures our re-revealed sign, proclaiming our 8 am and 10 am worship once more! |
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