4th Sunday in Lent: OnLine Worship 10a.m. Sunday, Meetings on Zoom, Staying Safe & Serving One Another

March 21, 2020
Dear Hearts
 
How many times have we all said, "I'll be with you in spirit."  For some reason, we're not able to be physically present, but we want friends and family to know that we care about them and whatever is happening in their lives.  We're all finding ourselves in that place today.  As a parish, a town, a state, a nation, and a community of nations, we can't physically be with one another as we would like, all because of the serious risk of Covid-19.

Fortunately, we live in a time when we have options to gather via other means:  Whether by such traditional means as written notes and personal telephone calls, or via email, and a whole bunch of online resources, we can remain present with one another.  And so, we plan to gather as a worshiping community at 10a.m. on Sunday morning via Facebook Live.  And in the days to come, we will gather to do the work of the parish, and, perhaps for study and discussion, via Zoom.

For today, it's enough to finish getting ready for OnLine Worship.  From our experience on Friday with the Devotions At Noon, we learned several things.  Thanks to those of you who participated and offered your feedback.  The organ sounded great!  (Thanks Mark!  "A Mighty Fortress" just about had me tears!).  I learned that my sotto voce asides did not work; and I need to consistently use my outdoor voice.  The camera will be moved  closer to the chancel, and its volume adjusted.  The feedback we received also indicated that the sound quality was improved by listening over external speakers or with headphones.

About the volume:  As I discovered with my laptop and tablet, some of you may need to adjust the volume at  TWO places on your device.  Yes, there are two places that determine the total sound volume:  

1. There is the device's volume control, usually accessed via the speaker icon on the lower right corner of your screen;  Be sure that the volume is turned up here.
2. There is another volume control on the Facebook Live image, as well. It's in the control panel at the bottom of the Live image.  The default setting on that control is often mute, indicated by an "x" over the speaker icon.  Be sure to click on the speaker icon to "unmute" the sound, and to turn up the volume here as well. 

Can you come to the church building for Sunday's service?  I don't recommend it; instead I encourage you worship with us from home:  Bishop Laura suggests creating an intentional worship space and lighting a candle.  A special bulletin for Sunday's service has been prepared so you can participate from home; perhaps you'll want it print it out ahead of the service.  Find a link to it on our website homepage:  www.christchurchguilford.org.

In case you miss our service, it will be available on the Christ Church Facebook page following the livestream.  The service will also be available on the Christ Church YouTube channel on Monday.  You will be able to access them  via our parish website: www.christchurchguilford.org.

As you can tell from the calendar panel, our 8a.m. service has been suspended until further notice.   I have been in touch with everyone who participated last Sunday.
 
As you can also  tell from the calendar panel, all of our in-person gatherings remain suspended or postponed.  However, we will start to move our parish life online on Monday.  The Finance Committee will have an online meeting on Monday at 6p.m. via Zoom.  We also hope to have a Vestry Meeting online this week. 

Tyler Jarvis, our Director for Children & Youth Ministries, has sent another terrific message to our Sunday School and youth families including the popular "Sunday Paper."  It's too good to keep it to the children alone.  I'll be forwarding it to the whole parish on Sunday.

Thanks for the 41 bags of  personal care items, plus underwear, for the vulnerable folks served by Chapel-on-the-Green in New Haven!  These bags are still being received in the Rectory Keeping Room whenever the driveway door light is on.

You can find the Friday letter from our Bishops, +Ian Douglas and +Laura Ahrens, by clicking here, and the Episcopal Church in Connecticut's Covid-19 Resource Page here.  In their letter, our Bishops encourage us to take the gravity of our situation seriously.  One of the first people to die in Connecticut from a Covid-19 infection was an Episcopalian, a longtime and beloved pillar of St. Mark's Church in New Canaan.  They also encourage us to practice maintaining physical distance  and developing social and spiritual closeness while remaining apart at least through May 10.  So, yes, we will begin thinking about how we're going to follow Jesus to Jerusalem for Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter in new ways.

Among the things we can do in the meantime are to be in touch with one another via the technologies available to us.  If you're wondering how someone is doing, call them on the phone, or send them an email message, or write them a note to mail via USPS.  The Parish Office can help with numbers and addresses as needed.

Also, if you are sheltering-in-place and need assistance with picking up groceries or prescriptions, please be in touch with the Parish Office.  Fellow parishioners are willing to do the go-fer-ing for you.
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Be well, say your prayers, and wash your hands,
Harrison+
YFNR
p.s. To get ready for Sunday's online worship, please be sure that you have also done the following:

• 'follow' Christ Church, Guilford, CT on Facebook.
• If you're not currently on Facebook, create your own page at Facebook.com for this purpose alone.  You don't have to provide any detailed personal information; you don't have to use it for any other purpose. Then search for "Christ Church, Guilford, CT" and 'follow' it.  As an immediate reward, you will find that Donna LaFata is sharing the posts from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.  I commend those to you.
• When offered, choose the option to put our Christ Church page at the top of your "newsfeed."  Facebook will  suggest other pages to you.  You're under no obligation to follow those suggestions.