Indoor Worship and Holy Communion
Holy Communion will be available at both the 7:45 am and 9:15 service. 
You do not need to register in advance for the service, but it is first come first serve. 
Recently, we filled each of the double seats. Bob, Ethan, and Dave have added four sets of double seats. Although this has increased our seating, we are within the diocesan guidelines because there is still six feet of separation and the number of people near the altar and in the choir section is less than we had originally planned. 

If you attend in-person worship, please note:

  • Masks are required indoors. 
  • The service will be about 45 minutes. 
  • At this time there is no coffee hour afterwards. 

Drive-in Church - drive up, tune your radio to 107.5 FM
Walk-up Church - bring a chair/bike/beach blanket, stay six feet from your neighbor in our garden and grassy area, and listen to the service live.
Live-stream - go to AllAngelsLBK.org, click on the listen live button, and you will be routed to our YouTube channel. 
Zoom - go to https://zoom.us/j/5955701807 and watch and listen live. Be sure to stick around after the service for our coffee hour chat-with-your-neighbor time. 

The bulletin can be found on the All Angels Website: AllAngelsLBK.org
or at the following link: Bulletin for Sunday, August 30
Service Time Change Coming
 
Starting September 13th, our service times will be 8 and 10 am. 
Picture of the Week
Through the magic of television, we now have one camera for both the YouTube and Zoom broadcasts. That also means there is a 40 inch monitor/television in the church. This TV was in the Parish Hall and has been called up into service. If it all works on Sunday, we will rearrange the equipment to make it look better. As it stands, however, we need access to each piece in case it doesn't work. 
Speaking of Zoom

The audio difficulties Sunday morning could have come from two locations - either Zoom or our system. We have checked each connection and we are up and running on this side. This Sunday everything should run smoothly and clearly.
Online Giving
All Angels now has an electronic offertory plate! You can find the online giving link on our All Angels website by clicking the link below:
Men's and Women's Discussion Groups
The Men's and Women's Discussion Groups are now
on-line. If you are interested in joining, please email
Discussion Group Readings

Hello! We had quite the discussion this week. Thank you for participating. 
Attached is our reading for next week - preparing one's mind for uncertain times. These certainly are uncertain times; can one prepare one's mind for it? Some philosophers think so. I'd like to hear your opinion on it. 

Here is the website address for the discussion group: 

God's peace to you and may God bless those lives who have been uprooted because of Hurricane Laura. 

- Dave
Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer invites you to pray with them, every day,
at 8 am, wherever you are. When you enter into prayer at 8 am (Eastern), you will know that others are praying at the same time. 
Thank You of the Week

Thank you to Scott Wuesthoff for hosting the Zoom worship broadcast and fellowship each Sunday. 
Prayers for our People

On our prayer list is Andres who is undergoing cancer treatment. Here is his business website that details his battle with cancer and what he is doing now.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Graciously answer the prayers of everyone who calls upon you for help, especially: Downs IV, Holden, Heidi and Cynthia.
Grant healing and recovery for all who have gone through surgery, especially Carlos, Virginia, Pearl, Susan, and Tom.
Give peace and strength for those going through cancer treatments, especially John, Victoria, Andres and Ginny.
Visit and comfort all who are under the care of skilled nursing, especially Bob, Ruth, Timothy, Don and Barbara.
Be near to all who are in hospice care, especially Ward. 
All previous services, discussion group readings and Bible study classes may be found on our website:
Reflection
Cautionary Practices

A group of concerned citizens convinced the Manatee County Commission to modify its mask mandate to exempt churches effective immediately. Although I have some strong feelings on this exemption, it does not affect All Angels for many reasons – first and foremost, we’re in Sarasota County (Longboat Key is oddly in both counties), the city has a mask mandate and the Bishop has said each rector and Vestry should continue in cautionary practices.

We are dealing with a contagious airborne virus that is often spread by non-symptomatic people. Most of the congregation would self-identify as being in a high risk category. Just because Manatee County is reporting a 4% infection rate doesn’t mean we are in the clear. Speaking of infection rates, Longboat Key has gone weeks without a new reported case. Despite that success, the city commissioners have wisely, in my opinion, decided to continue with the cautionary practices that have kept the infection rate at or near zero. As such, so should we.

There is an interesting case from a Starbucks in South Korea. An unmasked, asymptomatic customer enjoyed her drink while sitting underneath a blowing a/c vent. She infected 27 people in the establishment. Aggressive contact tracing has shown those 27 have infected 36 more, so far. The customer and the 27 people most likely had masks but were not wearing them because they were eating and drinking. Yet, the four Starbucks employees who wore masks did not become infected. Epidemiologists have shown masks significantly reduce the chance of asymptomatic spread; this particular case, however, shows how non-N95 masks can even hold back the virus from the wearer. It seems as if wearing a mask helps your neighbor and yourself.

Manatee County Commission said there has been no evidence of virus transmission stemming from church participation in the county… thus, masks are not required. Evidence suggests otherwise; churches around the country have experienced blooming transmission from unmasked church participation. It raises the question for me that perhaps no Manatee County church transmission has occurred because masks are required. I get little comfort knowing that epidemiologists in the future will study what happens here.

The group of concerned citizens against wearing masks in church said that it was governmental overreach, prohibited free worship, and, if the government could dictate what they could wear, perhaps the government could limit the number of people who can attend. This author would like to point out that those clauses – clothing and maximum number in a building – currently exist. Also in existence is the fact that mask or no mask I still cannot visit parishioners at Sarasota Memorial Hospital or Plymouth Harbor. To our brothers and sisters of the faith in Manatee County, we are all members of one body. The Apostle Paul writes that we need to weep with those who weep and celebrate with those who celebrate. I think he’d also write that we need to wear masks for those who medically cannot wear them and for those who are at the most risk. Perhaps the best expression of free worship is this: to voluntarily practice cautionary practices, like wearing a face covering, to help others. 

- Fr. Dave