To our brothers and sisters in Christ
After having a special meeting with the Vestry of Trinity Church, we have decided that in the interest of public health and the safety of our congregation in light of the spread of the Covid-19 virus,
we will not be holding public worship this Sunday, and will not be holding public worship through March 29
, including mid-week services. Instead, I will be broadcasting Morning Prayer live on Facebook Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. I will also be recording the service to be posted on my regular sermon podcast. The Facebook page is available to the public without membership to Facebook. Links to these services can be found at the end of this letter.
Until after March 29, we will not be hosting any ministry or group function at Trinity, including but not limited to Trinity Treasures, book groups, Christian Classics, the Wednesday dinner, etc.
The notable exceptions to this are our outreach ministries, which we will be adapting to attempt to safely continue providing care, especially to food-insecure individuals. We will be contacting LINK to see what their plans are for the upcoming weeks.
The office will be closed to the public during this time. Administrative staff will be continuing to meet the needs of the operation of the parish, but office volunteers do not need to be present.
During this time, please continue to support Trinity financially. Despite not meeting to worship, our expenses continue. In addition to mailing the church office, you can also access online donation options on our website at
http://trinitylawrence.org
/
.
But most importantly, do what you safely and reasonably can to maintain this religious community. As I read yesterday: “The hand you opt not to shake is the phone call you make later.” This is especially true of those who will experience heightened isolation, including our older members and parents who will be spending additional time caring for children while our schools are not in session.
This situation is constantly evolving, and I will seek to communicate further developments as they occur.
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” (John 15:13) This is a useful perspective: we are not laying down our lives, but we are laying down our sense of familiarity, comfort, and tradition – all in the cause of the lives of our friends, all in the name of love. I am grateful for your patience, your flexibility, and your faithfulness and prayers during this time.
Yours in Christ,
The Very Rev. Rob Baldwin
Trinity Episcopal Church
1011 Vermont St. Lawrence, Kansas 66044
785-843-6166
