During this time of pandemic, we have developed a way to celebrate the eucharistic in the safely distanced outdoor setting of the grove at St. James’. Currently, we have weekly outdoor services happening in English at 8 am and in Spanish at 5 pm. Additionally, we have an every other week Children’s Service at 4 pm. On Christ the King Sunday, November 22, we will add an 11 am service.
Here’s a little FAQ:
How do I register for services?
Go to this page to register for 8 am or 11 am services.
Go to this page to register for the Children’s service.
On the Sign Up page you will learn more about how we are going to keep each other safe in this in person scenario.
In order to register for the service, you will need to agree to these safety measures which include: checking yourself for symptoms of COVID prior to joining us and staying home if you are experiencing any symptoms, wearing a mask for the entire time you are on campus, maintaining distance between yourself and those who are not members of your household, and bringing your own chair or blanket for seating. We will have a few extra chairs available, but they are unlikely to be quite as comfortable as your own.
The online registration form will be as simple as possible but you can also call the office to register. When you call, please leave a message and we’ll get back to you.
Where will the service be?
The grove is the area shaded by the trees of our prayer grove between the church and the school. It easily accommodates 30 socially distanced people arranged so that households can sit together.
When you arrive, you will see a table set up for checking in. At check-in, we will have a hand sanitizer station, extra masks just in case, bulletins for those who want a paper copy, and a sign-in station. Signing in is essential, because we are carefully tracking who attends in person gatherings in case we need to do contact tracing. At sign-in, we will double check with you that you checked yourself for symptoms that morning. We will also have an offertory box available if you would like to make a donation.
You will then scope out a place to sit. We will have some spots along the sidewalk designated for those who require accessible seating. You will also see spots laid out on the lawn, because sometimes it’s hard for us to figure out what 6-8 feet looks like.
What will the service be like?
Once the 11 am begins, the 8 am will return to being a traditional Rite I Service of Holy Eucharist. The 11 am will be a Rite II Service of Holy Eucharist with music. Worship leaders will be mic’d so that you can hear and understand them through the masks. Instead of passing the plates, we ask that you drop your offering in the offertory box at check-in.
The service will include communion – in fact, that’s one of the main motivations for gathering in person! During the Liturgy of the table, you will notice a good bit of conspicuous hand sanitizing on the part of the celebrant. At the time of communion, if you would like to receive the bread of life, the celebrant will ask you to stand and I will come to you, masked. If you do not wish to receive, please stay seated. Once you receive the host, the celebrant would ask that you wait until she have passed by to lower your mask to consume it. The tricky part about receiving the host will be the hand-off, but we will talk about that when we get there.
When should I arrive for services?
Because we are having people sign-in, you will want to arrive 10 or so minutes early. These are not long services, so if you come 15 minutes late you will have missed half of the liturgy.
Will there be room for visitors?
Yes! It would not be a St. James’ service if there weren’t.
What is the rain plan?
If rain is expected, we will not have the service, and we will let you know by messaging you by 8 pm the evening before. We hope that you will join us for online services in case of rain.
We would love to see you at these outdoor services, but we also realize that it will not be right for everyone. If online services are working for you, that’s great! If this does not fit with the precautionary measures you’re are taking for your own safety because you are in a higher risk category for COVID, please do what you need to do! For the time being – online life will be the main thing, but small in person gatherings outdoors are like a low-risk bonus.
We are reshaping our table of welcome, but it is still true: wherever you are; wherever you are on your journey of faith, you are welcome at this table.
