Dear friends,
Blessings to each of you as 2022 begins! I pray that you feel God’s presence with you in this and every moment, and I continue to pray for God’s help and guidance as we navigate the pandemic.
As you probably know, Covid infection rates are expected to rise through most of January. At the moment, it appears that the omicron variant is more contagious than the delta variant but less likely to lead to serious illness. Meanwhile, both variants are still spreading. Marc, the wardens, Joel Duregger (our Health and Safety Officer), and I meet weekly to monitor the situation. We pay close attention to CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/) and diocesan guidelines (http://www.diosova.org/congregation_res/article467662.htm).
For all of us—as individuals, as family members, as church leaders—decisions about Covid are very difficult, and we are mindful that our parishioners, like everyone else in the world, have a wide variety of opinions about how best to deal with the pandemic. We are grateful for your patience and understanding. As long as CDC and diocesan guidance doesn’t dictate otherwise, we plan to continue to offer in-person worship. Meanwhile, we will continue to provide online worship, and we encourage everyone to choose the kind of service that best suits their needs and situation. We also recommend that everyone eligible get both the vaccine and the booster.
Given the current situation, we have made some changes to our protocols at St. Andrew’s. As of January 1, 2022:
Friends, as much as we might have hoped otherwise, we know that Covid will be with us as we move into this new year. Blessedly, and even more importantly, Jesus is also going to continue to be with us. During the Christmas season we celebrate the coming of God into our very midst, into the brokenness and suffering of the world. May the knowledge that Jesus is with you, even in the middle of the pandemic, bring your comfort, strength, and hope.
Blessings.
– Anne
