ADOTS Weekly Special Update
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A weekly roundup of information, updates, and recommended ministry resources.
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"Our family, some still in pajamas, congregated together in our living room at 9:50 AM. We searched up Christ the King’s Sunday morning live stream through our Roku via YouTube. We were greeted with our loving rector, Father Michael Novonty in our beloved sanctuary and chancel, adorned with the dark purple color of Lent. It was strange, and maybe a little awkward, yet comforting to look into our familiar worship space from afar.
My husband and I decided ahead of time that we would be fully engaged, therefore setting the tone in our home for our children. As we gave into worshiping our God, the barriers and distance and technology seemed to disappear. We saw familiar faces and heard familiar voices. We said the liturgy we know by heart. We knelt, stood, and sang. My teenager and tween were engaged. My five year old jumped on the couch saying, “There’s Father Michael! There’s Mr. Ben!” Afterwards, we hopped to the van and drove to the church building to receive drive-thru communion, which was still just as meaningful and beautiful as ever — maybe even more stark than usual.
We then kept our tradition of eating out on Sundays by grabbing a take-out meal at a local restaurant. In the end, we kept Sunday a sacred day. This day would not blend into one long day like the previous days seemed to. In spaces that might normally be used for entertainment and entertaining, on this day they became makeshift naves and we worshiped our God in Spirit and in Truth, still with some of those familiar faces and still together as a family.
-Chrissy Coblentz is Parish Administrator at Christ the King, Birmingham, AL
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Leading Beyond the Blizzard
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n an article from the Praxis Journal that Archbishop Foley Beach recommends all should read, we are implored to view the COVID-19 pandemic not as a current storm or blizzard to hunker down and “get through”, but instead recognize this as the beginning of a small Ice Age — an extended season that will last many months or longer, with far-reaching effects for our churches and parishioners. And the sooner we take this viewpoint the better: If the winter is relatively mild, our organizations will be stronger for having done the difficult work of restructuring to continue to serve in crisis, which will certainly not be the last crisis we experience; if the winter is long, we will be ready and able to serve through it.
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Archbishop Foley has designated the American Anglican Council and Anglican Compass as the communication hubs for COVID-19 resources for the ACNA. Each week they add updated resources to help guide Anglicans through the ever-changing terrain of the pandemic.
This Week from the American Anglican Council
Canon Phil Ashey addresses the question many clergy are asking: How do we prepare our congregations now for when our church buildings re-open? While parish leaders necessarily wrestle with these technical logistics, Canon Phil asks a subsequent question about our spiritual preparedness: How do we prepare for what the Lord is doing next? He encourages us to identify what God has been teaching us through this period, and to prayerfully consider the future and His direction.
This Week from Anglican Compass
Fr. Daniel Adkinson of St. Thomas, Athens, GA provides a thorough roundup, focusing on the difference between technical and adaptive challenges. He says while our churches have creatively solved technical problems quickly, our new focus is now “to press forward together into the adaptive leadership challenges ahead as we continue in this uncharted territory.”
- Sustainable Church: Re-launching physical services, stewardship, and broader perspectives on the topic.
- Mission: College and student ministries, parenting resources, multi-ethnic ministry, COVID relief work, and pastoral care.
- Fruitful Digital Ministry: Theological analysis and perspectives on the intersection of the gospel and digital media.
- Partner Resources: Fresh Expressions, Alpha Course, and webinars.
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How to Support the Global Anglican Church Now
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While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world, its full devastation has yet to be felt in many places overseas and domestically. The Anglican Relief and Development Fund — the relief arm of the ACNA — is raising funds now in anticipation of the great need to come.
In North America, ARDF is partnering with the Matthew 25 Initiative of the ACNA to administer relief grants domestically, while ARDF will continue international relief efforts through its GAFCON and Global South partners. For ADOTS churches which partner with an overseas church or diocese, ARDF has information on how to request funds (see link below).
Furthermore, Archbishop Foley has issued a call to action to raise $200,000 through the Matthew 25 Initiative for COVID-19 emergency relief, saying, “I don’t know how else to say it except to say it boldly: I need your help to pray and give.” Read his full letter here.
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Please Share: Daily Prayer Live!
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Morning, Noonday, and Compline
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Archbishop Beach asked us to provide live Daily Office prayer!
The clergy of ADOTS and Holy Cross Cathedral have come together to create a live Daily Office format for:
Weekly Hymn Sing! Every Wednesday at 2pm with Chris Sieggen of St. Thomas, Athens, Georgia.
Liturgy
We're using the liturgy at
https://www.dailyoffice2019.com/ so that everyone can follow along each day. This website updates the prayer services of the daily office each day, so its all there!
Please Share
With so many people looking for connection, this is a great resource to share with all your friends on any social media platform. You can share the link fb.com/adotsDailyPrayer anywhere, Twitter, Facebook, Email, Instagram! Your friends and family don't have to be on Facebook to watch the videos. and join us in prayer.
You can also share on your church's public pages!
Comment
Whenever you join us, please add a comment to show us you are present, to encourage others,, to add a prayer request, or to give a thanksgiving.
See you there!
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Prayers for Such a Time as This
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We have compiled and adapted prayers from the Book of Common Prayer 2019 to include in online parish services and for home worship. Some prayers have been adjusted from the BCP 2019 to reflect the current coronavirus situation. We have included the prayer number and page numbers so you can easily find them in your own BCP 2019. You can download and print this resource as a PDF by clicking the link below.
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Send us Your Stories of God's Grace in this Time
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We would love to share the stories of God's work through and among his people. Please email us at
news@adots.org so that Rachel can help you share these stories of God working even in difficult times.
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Check out our website for more...
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