Dear People of St. James’,
We are watching hospitalizations fall in our area, and according to Austin Public Health, we have returned to Stage 4. Thanks be to God!
That means we will resume in person worship on our campus on February 21, the first Sunday in Lent, and we are planning a Holy Week with some in person worship options and online offerings.
So, God willing, as of February 21, our Sunday schedule will look like this:
By 8 am: The VIDEO is live here and the Facebook Watch Party announcement is up.
8 am: In person service, Rite I, distanced, masked, no more than 40 min, in the sanctuary REGISTER
9:15 am: Online Sunday Forum; Online Godly Play
10:15 am: Facebook Watch Party
10:15 am: Facebook Watch Party
10:30 am: Outdoor service, Rite II, in the grove, masked, distanced, with singing REGISTER
12:00 pm: Occasional online coffee hours (not every week)
1:00 pm: Zoom service in Spanish
2:00-3:30 pm: Newcomers group (Zoom) every other week starting Feb 14
4:00-5:00 pm: Outdoor Children’s Service every other week, starting Feb 21 REGISTER
5:00 pm: Outdoor service in Spanish (may switch to 6 pm at the time change, March 14)
5:30 pm: Zoom Night Prayer Service in English
You will notice a few changes based on what we have learned since our prior phase of in person worship. We will be bringing the small 8 am service inside, using a diocesan approved plan with a number of precautions. Stay tuned for the video walk-through.
You can learn more about in person services and register for them HERE. Registration remains important to us, because we still need to limit attendance in order to observe distancing requirements. Registering by the Friday prior to the Sunday really helps us out!
The Vestry Administration Committee will also be revising our Safe Spaces plans to provide for a rain plan for outdoor worship services, among other things. New plans will have to be approved by the Vestry and the diocesan office, so we may not be ready to implement them on February 21.
We hope that this schedule will offer plenty of spaces at the table for the people of St. James’ and those we not yet know to come together for worship that empowers us to turn, learn, worship, and go out into the world to serve.
Rev. Eileen
