Dear Members and Friends of St. Luke’s Church,
In honoring the work of the Bishop’s Committee in implementing safety protocols and acknowledging the effectiveness of the vaccines, our Bishop has rescinded his general requirements for safety protocols and is leaving local leadership to continue to decide safest routes forward. The Bishop’s Committee of St. Luke’s Church has moved to adopt the following revisions to our safety guidelines:
- Wearing a face mask is optional while on church property
- We will not enforce distancing but encourage it, especially for those most vulnerable (especially children, who cannot yet get vaccinated)
- Holy Water fonts and stoups will be filled before the liturgy and drained afterward
- Recording names of attendees for contact tracing will no longer occur
- For those comfortable participating, coffee hour may resume
- Hymnals and Prayer Books will be stored in pewbacks
The following safety guidelines will remain as-is:
- Hand sanitizer and face masks will remain available near the entrance to the church
- Congregants are encouraged to pass the peace from within their rows instead of moving about
- Consecrated bread will be distributed with tongs
- Consecrated wine will be distributed in individual cups
- Collection plates will remain on the chancel steps to avoid multiple sets of hands touching any object
- The gifts of bread and wine will remain on the credence table prior to the Eucharist
In additional news, thanks to Larry Hopkins and the assistance of Phil Kelman, wireless internet has been installed and the audio-visual equipment for livestreaming is nearly ready to launch! Be looking for livestreaming information soon.
We will next meet in person on June 6, which will be my first Sunday celebrating the Holy Eucharist in Excelsior Springs after being ordained a priest this Saturday. Please pray for me as I pray for you.
The Rev. Isaac Petty
Deacon, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church