Dear St. James’ family,
With the news last week that we will be unable to gather for public worship through at least May 15, we raised up staying connected, staying church, and taking care of each other as our guiding vision for how we respond to this pandemic. To this end Vestry members have reached out to every member in our directory to check in, see if you have any needs or prayer requests, and to pull together a Helpers Team of folks who can assist others.
As we settle in for this extended period of social distancing – or what our Bishop has suggested we call compassionate distancing – we want to make sure everyone is connected and we continue to take care of each other. Here is another way we are responding to these isolating times: a small group of leaders will take a list of our active members and create Grace Groups made up of 5-7 households each. The hope is that each group will be in regular (at least weekly) contact with each other, that they will pray for each other daily, and that they will pass on each other’s needs to the Grace Groups Leadership Team who will be overseeing this effort and coordinating assistance when needed.
We’re calling them Grace Groups because in this unsteady and uncertain time we as a community have the opportunity to be a saving grace for one another. It is through our compassion, kindness, and care that God’s grace will be made known in our midst.
We will assign every household in the directory to a group. If you receive our newsletter and would to be in a group, or if you are uncertain if you are in the directory, please contact me and let me know. If you want to verify we have your best contact information please email our Parish Administrator Laura at office@stjamesmtairy.org. If you would prefer to opt out of being in a group, let me know. We anticipate creating groups and sending out instructions by the end of next week.
I continue to be deeply grateful to be your Rector during this extraordinary time. St. James’ is an amazing community and we are so very blessed to have each other and God’s love to anchor us in these days.
Yours in God’s peace,
Kristin+
