Dear Epiphany,
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus out Lord” (Rom 8:38-39)… not even COVID-19, and the necessary restrictions our common battle to vanquish it imposes upon us.
The Governor has issued new guidelines for churches. Whereas the March 9 order allowed us to have small choirs for online worship, where no congregation was present, that no longer stands.
Here is what that means for us:
Sunday morning 9:00 am and 11:15 am in-person worship will continue.
- Pre-registration is still required, as are masks.
- There will be a limited number of people allowed for each service.
- There will be a soloist and organist, but now, instead of leading the congregation in song, they will stand in for the congregation in song.
- The congregation is not allowed to sing under the Governor’s new orders.
Sunday morning 8:45 am broadcast worship will continue.
- There will now only be one musician and/or vocalist at a time, with an accompanist when necessary.
- Other than that, this service will continue as usual.
Evensong – holding the space.
Sunday 5:00 pm / Celebration of Sacred Evensong
- Thanks be to God for the wonderful repertoire of Anglican Evensong music penned these past 500 years. As a result, Sunday Evensong will continue on, now featuring a single vocalist and accompanist, as well as a presider.
Tuesday 5:30 pm / Music from Our Community
- Music from our community will be featured every Tuesday. Dr. Wyatt Smith, the Director of the Epiphany Music Academy, will curate this evening, highlighting the most extraordinary talent swirling through the Epiphany galaxy. This will be a fun, eclectic offering each week that you won’t want to miss.
Thursday 5:30 pm / Worship: How it Works & Why Space Matters.
- Every Thursday evening there will be short talk from the church about how worship works. There will be short, yet detailed explication of the liturgy and how it works, specifically in the spaces of Epiphany.
- The goal is that when you return, finally, to worshiping full bore in the church, you will have a new understanding of how worship works, what it does to the human soul, and how the space in which we worship facilitates the slow, steady, incremental unveiling of our goodness.
This pandemic is certainly keeping the Epiphany staff on our feet. It seems a bit tricky to develop a rhythm around worship, and yet we persevere, we work very hard, and, in our hearts, believe each new challenge is an opportunity to touch your soul in a new way.
Please accept my invitation to step into these Evensong placeholders. I believe you will find them to be a balm during these anxious and isolating days.
Peace upon your soul.
Doyt+