The Reign of God and Pool Noodles

 As we look ahead to in person worship beginning October 4, below are some of the practices that we will follow in order to gather safely as a community that cares deeply for one another. Please remember: We will continue to offer livestreamed worship on Saturday evenings and post the recording of that worship on our website by Sunday morning. If you are at all concerned about your health, exposure to others, or the risk of exposing others; if you are at all unwell; and if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days, please feel free to continue worshiping virtually. And, if Orange County experiences another wave of infections, we will respond accordingly. 

 

There will be a day when each of us has an “all clear” to gather safely without extraordinary precautions. Until then, here are the covenantal agreements that we will practice when we gather at 9:30 or 11:00. 

 

-       By attending, we will attest that we are not feeling sick and have not been exposed to someone with COVID-19 over the last fourteen days. 

-       We all wear masks. 

-       We will register ahead of time to ensure a safe number of attendees. 

-       We will honor social distancing before, during, and after worship.

-       We will practice non-touching ways of greeting one another. 

-       We will expect Ushers to offer reminders or corrections and respond kindly. 

-       We will be patient with each other as we all figure out how to do this well. 

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In addition, there are some modifications to worship and gathering that we will need to accept. 

-       We are unable to sing, serve communion, pass the peace, or pass offering plates. 

-       Restrooms are for emergencies and one person at a time, if possible. 

-       We will not offer child care, nursery, or Sunday School. 

-       There are no pew Bibles, so you should bring one if you like to read along. 

-       We will not have printed bulletins. 

-       We will not have our beloved “Patio Time” following worship. 

-       We are limiting the number of worship leaders using microphones. 

 

Our Ushers are meeting and focusing diligently on how to enable us to turn our ‘on paper planning’ into ‘in person practice.’ You are free to seek their direction or help at any time.

 

We will use six-foot pool noodles to ensure safe, social distancing during worship. We have staggered noodles on the pews, so that some folks can sit by themselves, while other families can sit together. Our pews are spaced so that every other row is six-feet apart. What that means is that if the space on the pew immediately behind or in front of you is empty, you are safely distant in those directions. Then, if you honor the pool noodle on either side of you, you are safe in those directions. Unlike ribbon or taped signs, the noodles will allow us to make small adjustments to accommodate larger families or to ensure your comfort. And, when the pandemic is a distant memory, we will have a pool party and pretend they are swords.

 

As I was spacing out the noodles this week, it did occur to me that sitting six feet away from others in every direction can feel a bit lonely. Then, a friend shared a story of her friend who felt isolated during worship because he was unable to sit closer to others. It is a reminder that even when we gather in person for the first time since March, it will not be the same experience that we have had for many years. So, we will give it some time, we will practice patience, and we will make adjustments along the way as we learn better. 

 

Registration for October 4 worship begins on Monday morning at 10:00am. You can click here to register. And please feel free to contact the church office if you need assistance (info@stmarkpresbyterian.org; or 949-644-1341). 

 

Thanks for being the church,

Mark of St. Mark

Hopeful Realism and In Person Worship

 There’s a really wonderful announcement at the end of today’s message. Don’t miss it! 

 

But first, I want to begin with a moment of what the theologian Douglas Ottati calls, “Hopeful realism.” That’s how I invite you to think about our forthcoming in person worship services. We will approach them with joy, but also with a clear-eyed understanding that we continue to live in the midst of a pandemic, so we glorify God and love one another best by practicing self-denying precaution. I want to be very clear that we are not gathering as a kind of brazen defiance of science. We’re not “sticking to the man” or baptizing arrogance by calling it faith. And we’re certainly not lending any credence whatsoever to divisive nonsense being perpetuated by QAnon and those who glibly perpetuate their lies. I hope that is clear. There are plenty of things in this world that are protest-worthy and plenty of causes worth living or dying for, but impatience with public health precautions is not one of them. 

 

Here’s what we are doing: We’re listening to science. We have an epidemiologist on our Faithful Phasing Team, who has helped us to understand Orange County’s recent movement from ‘purple’ to ‘red,’ in the State’s tracking system. We can safely gather, under very deliberate circumstances. Here’s what we are doing: We’re continuing to offer online worship. We know that some folks are more susceptible to this virus than others, some are more cautious about the possibility of exposure than others, some folks don’t agree with the fact that we are offering in person worship. If you are one of those folks, you matter, your opinion matters, and your health matters. So, the right thing for you is to stay home, stay safe, and participate in our worship online. And here’s what we are doing: We are demonstrating that a community of faith can gather and, at the same time, practice caring responsibility for one another. But, we can only do that if each of us subjects ourselves to the health and wellbeing of others. And this is key: If the county’s numbers change for the worse, we will change course. We mean it when we say that we are listening to science and practicing responsibility. 

 

I know this sounds awfully finger-waggy and I hope you know that I try not to use this tone very often. This tone is dedicated, not to the 99% who are well-intended, but to the 1% who might confuse liberty for license. And, as your pastor, I feel an enormous weight of responsibility regarding this decision and the process by which we will gather. So, let me be clear regarding my own role: If, when we gather, there is anyone not wearing a mask, not observing social distance, not abiding by the covenantal practices that enable us to gather safely, we will not worship. Back when the prophet Amos demanded that the people cease “the noise” of their worship, it was because they tried to offer worship while denying justice to others. I would rather risk my reputation, risk our friendship, and even risk my job, than to risk your life. Next week we will review some of these “best practices” that we will follow, enabling us to gather safely, while practicing justice and compassion toward one another. Thanks be to God. 

 

And now, for something completely joyous: We have hired DeJohn Brown, Jr. as our Director of Virtual Music Ministry here at St. Mark! DeJohn is a high school music teacher, who has been part of our choir for many years. We are delighted that DeJohn has agreed to take on this role, particularly during a time when we have to reimagine all of the traditional and familiar ways of being a choir and engaging in music during worship. Thank you, DeJohn, for leading us and thanks to all of you who supported this effort. It is so nice to have good news to share, and this is as good as it gets. 

 

Mark of St. Mark

Big News

 A Deliberate Step 

Friends, I have some very exciting and sober news to share. St. Mark will begin in person worship on Sunday, October 4, at 9:30 and 11:00am. Since the State of California has moved Orange County from ‘purple’ to ‘red’ in the color-themed tracking of COVID-19 data, we will be gathering in the sanctuary. So, for now, this is the news: In person worship resumes at St. Mark on Sunday mornings beginning in October. There are details below. Please review them so you will not be surprised and so that we can all work together to make this as smooth as possible. 

1. First and foremost, we will continue to offer our Saturday worship service via Facebook Live and post it on our website by Sunday morning. If you are unwell, if you are concerned, or if you need to sing in order to have a fulfilling worship service, the online service will continue to offer you a chance to worship with joy, gladness, and safety. 

2. If the County’s color code changes we will move worship outside. The staff and Worship Commission are preparing for either indoor or outdoor worship and the Faithful Phasing Team is monitoring the situation. Local epidemiologists have cautioned us that following the Labor Day weekend, with some schools opening, and with the usual flu season at hand, we may see a spike in our numbers, so we are prepared if that happens. 

3. We will be limited to 25% of our sanctuary capacity, which means 75 persons can attend a worship service. Therefore, we will have a registration process that you will need to use in order to attend. We can also use that information to contact you if we discover that another person in attendance subsequently has been diagnosed with the virus. We will make the registration process as easy to use as possible and you will always have a chance to call the church office if the online process is not feasible for you. The registration page will be up by September 21. 

4. Some things that you may be accustomed to in worship are not safe and will not be part of our services. They include: Passing the peace, communion, receiving the offering pew by pew, singing together, Sunday School, nursery services, and the doughnut hole-laden patio fellowship time. Bulletins will be virtual or on a self-serve table and we will need to be deliberate regarding how we enter and exit in order not to bottleneck around the doors. We are also exploring ways that one can sit outside and still hear the service. 

5. Families who shelter together will be able to sit side-by-side, but seating space will be staggered with proper distance beside, in front, and behind each other. 

6. Masks will be required. 

As you can see, we are trying to be attentive to the changing situation in Orange County while, at the same time, ensuring that we take every precaution possible. And, to repeat one last time, if the county’s situation changes for the worse, we will respond appropriately. 

Amid all of the precautions and adjustments, this is a very joyous occasion for us! There is something delightful about seeing one another’s faces, even if part of them are covered with masks. And I am especially happy to note that we will continue to make online worship available so that nobody is excluded. The amount of care, work, and consideration that your leadership have put into this decision is enormous. And while I’m sure that we all have some helpful ideas about how we navigate this change, please know that many of us have attended numerous webinars, read every article we could find, taken surveys, collected ‘best practices,’ and have spoken with others who have taken steps forward and backward to come to this moment. 

Thank you all for the patience that you have shown and for the ongoing support as we have taken a cautious approach to this pandemic. Your kindness and generosity have been key to bringing us to this moment. 

Blessings, 

Mark of St. Mark