Recently, the Centers for Disease Control updated their guidance for COVID management, advising that, in areas with significant spread of COVID infections, even fully vaccinated people should wear masks. Soon thereafter, Kansas City’s mayor renewed the mask requirement for our city. So, St. Andrew’s will follow that requirement. Effective immediately, everyone entering St. Andrew’s or HJ’s Youth & Community Center must wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.
How will this affect the life of our church? Our worship and other programming will continue as they have, other than the participants wearing masks and coffee hour moving back outdoors, under the porte-cochere. For now, we aren’t requiring social distancing again. But let’s return to waves and bows when we greet each other or pass the Peace, rather than hugging or shaking hands. I know this makes the experience of church less than many of us would prefer. But I think it’s wise to err on the side of prevention, loving the people around us by helping to keep them safe.
For me, this is disappointing news. I had hoped we were past requirements like this. Perhaps more people will receive the available vaccines and send the case rates back in the right direction. But for now, as we’ve learned throughout the pandemic, practicing love for one another sometimes means accepting holy inconvenience – like wearing masks.
