Re: Area Parish Reopening in Amber Stage
Dear members of St. Lawrence Parish,
In compliance with our diocesan reopening plan, In This Together*, our parish will enter the Amber phase on September 1st. To give our new Incumbent, The Ven. Peter Crosby, an opportunity to greet the Area Parish as a whole, we will continue as usual with our online service on Sunday September 6th.
Beginning Sunday September 13, our Area Parish will offer some limited opportunities for in-person worship. On Sunday September 13th, 20th, and 27th, our Parish Reopening Team will oversee a 10am service of worship at Trinity Church (Cornwall). All members of the parish who wish to participate must register (see reverse side for details).
I want to emphasize that these three services in September are parish services, similar in nature to our seasonal Area Parish Combined Worship services. Trinity Church was chosen because it is geographically central, has generous amounts of space for physical distancing, and is easily accessible. Our Parish Reopening Team will benefit from repeat practice of our health and safety protocols in one space before taking that experiential wisdom into our other two church buildings (Christ Church Seaway and St. John the Evangelist).
The initial move from Red to Amber phase is a parish effort. In time we will discover how to safely resume our in-person gatherings in all three church locations, hopefully beginning in October.
Online services will continue in the Amber phase. Please do not feel any obligation to return to in-person worship if a) you do not feel ready to do so, or b) if you are in a high-risk group (because of age, underlying health conditions, or as a caregiver of someone at high risk).
I have never been more grateful for the combined wisdom, energy, and skill of our parish wardens, members of the Parish Reopening Team, church staff, and all volunteers. God has called us together to share in the ministry of Jesus Christ – our collaboration is bearing the fruit of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5.22-23) and witnesses to the unity we share as sisters and brothers in Christ in this area.
On behalf of the Parish Reopening Team and St. Lawrence Parish Wardens,
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Colin McFarland
Associate Incumbent
The Area Parish of the St. Lawrence
* Read a complete copy of “In This Together” at www.ottawa.anglican.ca/index.php/covid-19
See Reverse Side for Registration Instructions → → →
Registration Instructions
1. Please read the enclosed brochure titled “Getting Ready to Open in Amber” to familiarize yourself with the four (4) mandatory practices for in-person gatherings (face masks, hand hygiene, physical distance, contact information). You can also view the brochure on our website (www.saintlawrenceparish.org).
2. Registration for each in-person service will begin weekly on Tuesdays at 9:00am:
Sunday September 13 (10am Service) → Registration begins Tuesday September 8 @ 9am
Sunday September 20 (10am Service) → Registration begins Tuesday September 15 @ 9am
Sunday September 27 (10am Service) → Registration begins Tuesday September 22 @ 9am
3. To register for a service, please contact Stephen Barkway (Trinity Office Administrator) at
Telephone: 613 933 3991 x 25
Email: trinityanglicancornwall@outlook.com
Note:
Services of worship at Trinity Church in Amber Stage are restricted to a total of 50 persons (this includes volunteers, staff, and clergy).
Controlling admission to services of public worship is an unfamiliar practice to all of us and requires an adjustment of expectations on everyone’s part.
Please remember to be patient with one another as we all learn to adjust to new habits in this unprecedented time.