Dear Friends, As you might know, the vision group of St. Augustines (our vestry) met on Sunday afternoon this week.  At top of mind was our best way forward in terms of our COVID response.
·         As of March 1st, most health measures have been removed in Alberta
·         As of March 8th, our city mask mandate was lifted.

By the end of March, following our bishop’s directives, parishes, as they determine locally, may move towards optional masks, common cup, and coffee hour. So, we find ourselves in a situation where we have full permissions to decide which way we feel we need to go.  There is no pressure beyond our own determination of what is needed. After substantial discussion on all fronts, your vision group grew consensus on the following direction.  I begin with the considerations that guided our decisions:

Considerations:

·         That, in contrast to businesses, the Church should be slower to end regulations, and quicker to take them up again in response to medical risk and care of our community.
·         That we have a full spectrum of people at St. A’s who, for good reasons all around, will choose different levels of COVID risk.
·         That we currently have a variety of ways for our community to join in worship: in-person and online communities, 8am & 10am, that already accommodate a variety of risk levels.
·         That an outdoor coffee hour will provide a temporary way to bridge back into this practice
·         That we need a chance to enter this new phase of COVID management with some event to mark where we have been, what has been lost, but also to celebrate, pray, and be in strength together.
·         Not having in-person children’s programming is a specific barrier to some families returning to in-person worship.
·         No decision we make will be a perfect fit, so we are leaning towards following conservatively the provincial and city guidelines.

With these things in mind, St. Augustine’s Parish will:
·         Continue to encourage each person to take up the safe practices they require and to respect absolutely differing approaches.  If someone is wearing a mask, you must respect social distancing and not initiate hugging or other contact. **If you become sick, whether or not you have COVID, we ask you to please stay home for the duration of your sickness and partake in church online.  This is simply how we care for each other.
·         Be mask optional through all activities beginning this Sunday, April 3rd, 2022.
·         Host a Major Parish Event outside on Sunday May 1st in place of Sunday Worship, with food, prayer, activities, and celebration.  If you have ideas please contact Rev Crane.  We note that May 1st has been a date of major celebration in the world for generations.  We note that this will also be Rev. Crane’s last Sunday before he leaves on Sabbatical.
·         By May 1st have procedures to include wine during communion: both common cup for those who wish, and use of a ‘pouring chalice’ that allows use of individual communion cups.  A return of our previous baked communion bread is also desirable.
·         By May 1st have a roster of folks to host coffee hour outside after Sunday church.  Would someone be willing to coordinate this roster and procedure?
·         This month explore our options for hosting an in-person children’s program in May and June.

All in all, we can be so thankful at St. Augustine’s for how we have weathered this storm and have found our way as well as we have.  COVID remains with us, but we are moving into a new phase of our life together.  We acknowledge that we have so many feelings about these things.

Please plan especially to be present at the church on May 1st if you are at all able and think how you might contribute to that event through helping with food, music, activities, prayer and so on.

May God bless in our lives of service and our embodiment of God’s love.

Rev. Jonathan Crane. 
Rector

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