A message from the rector
Dear Transfiguration Family,
Last night our bishop wrote to the parishes of the Diocese asking us to take further action to limit the spread of COVID-19. We are going to comply with his request, and I have copied the text of his letter below for your information. For the remainder of March, there will be no in-person services or meetings at the church.
It is hard to contemplate not gathering for Eucharist, but Transfiguration is a resilient community. We want to keep each other healthy, and limit the spread of COVID-19 which is the responsible thing to do right now. It will help to make sure that the health care system in California is not overwhelmed, and that members of our community stay safe. We are a resilient community because of our love for one another, but also because we have access to technology in the parish that can help us create new ways of supporting each other and connecting. We may even be able to carry some of these new ways of connecting into the future beyond the COVID-19 outbreak to strengthen our community permanently.
During this time, we will be offering the following ways to pray or meet together:
We are a loving parish family, and I believe we will be able to support each other through this difficult time. I ask for your patience and prayers. I also ask that you begin to read my blog on the web site, I will be writing more reflective articles there, and invite you to comment on them so that we continue to be in conversation together as a community.
Love,
Matthew+
Last night our bishop wrote to the parishes of the Diocese asking us to take further action to limit the spread of COVID-19. We are going to comply with his request, and I have copied the text of his letter below for your information. For the remainder of March, there will be no in-person services or meetings at the church.
It is hard to contemplate not gathering for Eucharist, but Transfiguration is a resilient community. We want to keep each other healthy, and limit the spread of COVID-19 which is the responsible thing to do right now. It will help to make sure that the health care system in California is not overwhelmed, and that members of our community stay safe. We are a resilient community because of our love for one another, but also because we have access to technology in the parish that can help us create new ways of supporting each other and connecting. We may even be able to carry some of these new ways of connecting into the future beyond the COVID-19 outbreak to strengthen our community permanently.
During this time, we will be offering the following ways to pray or meet together:
- Meetings will move to a Zoom format. I am going to ask members of the Vestry who are technically able to write instructions on using Zoom for everyone, and to be available to help you get online.
- The Eucharist will not happen as a public gathering at Transfig, but we will have a small group of people (only those who are involved in the liturgy) gather at Transfig, and we will live stream the service at 10:30am. We invite everyone to watch that live stream. Initially we will be live streaming a Eucharist, as that is the service we have planned for this Sunday. Over the next few weeks we will try to be creative in our liturgical offerings in a way that makes sense within the live stream context. To find the live stream please go to the parish web site, it will be available on the front page. http://www.transfig-sm.org
- Although we will not offer a 9:15am service at this time, we will create family ministry resources and send them to you to share with your children.
- We will create a 'Virtual Coffee Hour' on Zoom that will commence as soon as the liturgy ends. Please make a cup of coffee at home and join the Zoom conference to enjoy fellowship.
- Staff will be working remotely as much as possible.
- Parish communication will happen by email, but for those who do not use email, a paper bulletin and announcement sheet will be mailed to you.
- I also encourage you to call each other frequently, and spend time chatting on the phone and supporting each other. Our Parish Care Committee is going to work on ways for us to stay connected, more information on this is to follow.
- The Women's Retreat will not be held as planned, and I will write to participants of the Women's retreat separately to talk about what that means.
- I do want to keep as many of our other activities going as we can:
- Meditation practice on Wednesdays at 8:30am via Zoom conference
- Morning Prayer on Wednesdays at 9am, via zoom.
- Gospel Preview, Wednesdays at 10:30am, via zoom.
- We will have Episcopal 101, Wednesday, March 18, time tbd, via zoom.
- We will be canceling the use of our space by outside groups during this time.
We are a loving parish family, and I believe we will be able to support each other through this difficult time. I ask for your patience and prayers. I also ask that you begin to read my blog on the web site, I will be writing more reflective articles there, and invite you to comment on them so that we continue to be in conversation together as a community.
Love,
Matthew+
The text of the Bishop's letter in full:
March 11, 2020
Dear friends in Christ,
"And who is my neighbor," the lawyer asked Jesus. Jesus answers by telling one of the most powerful, memorable stories of sacred scripture - The Good Samaritan. After he finishes the story, Jesus looks back at the lawyer and asks him, "Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"
I call the Parable of the Good Samaritan a story of the Beloved Community. The Beloved Community is as broad and deep as God's all-encompassing reach, it is God's love extended to all of life. As people who follow Jesus, whose constant message was that the Beloved Community (the Kingdom of Heaven) is near, and among us, we are called to be active in helping manifest God's love, God's Beloved Community. Living as neighbor to all - across lines of, perhaps, striking difference - is the challenge, and the promise, of life in the Beloved Community.
I am asking you now to stretch further, or better, to ask God to help us see and live beyond our normal bounds. Let us actively consider how we would answer Jesus in our own lives, our own congregations; how would we say we are being neighbor, not only to those with whom we share a common faith life, but to those who live in our neighborhoods? The Diocese of California has been asking that question in the Bay Area, and living into the answers, for 171 years. We must ask and answer this question anew, with God's help.
Holding that question in our hearts as the new coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread in our region, I prayerfully ask all churches in the Diocese of California to cancel ALL public worship services for the month of March, with the possible exception of weddings and funerals. This decision will be revisited by March 31, at which time I will communicate our next steps.
In the meantime, I ask all congregations to consider how they might livestream worship services with a small gathering of clergy, altar party, and possibly choir members, making sure none in the gathering is among those most vulnerable to coronavirus. We will be sharing resources in the next few days to assist with this.
As we all know, trying times are highly stressful, not only for our congregations but also our neighborhoods. Regardless of their beliefs, people are going to come to us, looking for pastoral and spiritual care. Some additional questions to ponder:
In practical terms, I will continue to provide advice to our diocesan community, giving updates as needed in a timely manner. As we continue to move forward facing the shifting reality of COVID-19 in the Diocese of California, I commend you for responding with so much love and creativity to what is already quite challenging. We may very well have much more to face with respect to COVID-19, and I do not take this pandemic at all lightly. At the same time, I know that not only will God help us, but we will be transformed by our love and courage in responding.
+Marc
March 11, 2020
Dear friends in Christ,
"And who is my neighbor," the lawyer asked Jesus. Jesus answers by telling one of the most powerful, memorable stories of sacred scripture - The Good Samaritan. After he finishes the story, Jesus looks back at the lawyer and asks him, "Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"
I call the Parable of the Good Samaritan a story of the Beloved Community. The Beloved Community is as broad and deep as God's all-encompassing reach, it is God's love extended to all of life. As people who follow Jesus, whose constant message was that the Beloved Community (the Kingdom of Heaven) is near, and among us, we are called to be active in helping manifest God's love, God's Beloved Community. Living as neighbor to all - across lines of, perhaps, striking difference - is the challenge, and the promise, of life in the Beloved Community.
I am asking you now to stretch further, or better, to ask God to help us see and live beyond our normal bounds. Let us actively consider how we would answer Jesus in our own lives, our own congregations; how would we say we are being neighbor, not only to those with whom we share a common faith life, but to those who live in our neighborhoods? The Diocese of California has been asking that question in the Bay Area, and living into the answers, for 171 years. We must ask and answer this question anew, with God's help.
Holding that question in our hearts as the new coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread in our region, I prayerfully ask all churches in the Diocese of California to cancel ALL public worship services for the month of March, with the possible exception of weddings and funerals. This decision will be revisited by March 31, at which time I will communicate our next steps.
In the meantime, I ask all congregations to consider how they might livestream worship services with a small gathering of clergy, altar party, and possibly choir members, making sure none in the gathering is among those most vulnerable to coronavirus. We will be sharing resources in the next few days to assist with this.
As we all know, trying times are highly stressful, not only for our congregations but also our neighborhoods. Regardless of their beliefs, people are going to come to us, looking for pastoral and spiritual care. Some additional questions to ponder:
- How might we respond to this opportunity, within the guidelines of our city and diocesan recommendations?
- Perhaps the church doors are open for a blessing or conversation?
- Maybe those of us with labyrinths could be more intentional with invitations to our neighbors? Share your creative ideas with us, so they may be included in our upcoming communications with the diocese (look for the next update email from the diocese, which will contain a number of downloadable worship resources, no later than this Friday).
In practical terms, I will continue to provide advice to our diocesan community, giving updates as needed in a timely manner. As we continue to move forward facing the shifting reality of COVID-19 in the Diocese of California, I commend you for responding with so much love and creativity to what is already quite challenging. We may very well have much more to face with respect to COVID-19, and I do not take this pandemic at all lightly. At the same time, I know that not only will God help us, but we will be transformed by our love and courage in responding.
+Marc