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Rev. Amy Denney Zuniga
9 AM Live-Streamed Service 3/15/20
Sanctuary open daily for
personal prayer 7am to 7pm.
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Dear Ones,
By now you have most likely received the news that Grace Church, along with all other churches in our diocese and many across our state, country, and the world, has been asked to temporarily suspend in-person worship gatherings in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In all my years as a priest, it has been my primary goal to keep the doors of the church open on Sunday morning, to welcome any and all who would gather. For the first time since they were installed 15 years ago, and for perhaps the first time in our 145-year history, Grace’s physical doors will be closed this Sunday morning.
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I grieve this deeply, as I know do many of you. We grieve together, and we grieve with many who face great losses in the face of this situation. But, as the prayer book reminds us, we do not grieve as those without hope. “Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Joy awaits us—the joy of having averted an even greater crisis, of saving the lives of people we love, and of returning again to our incarnational, Eucharistic worship as the physically gathered body of Christ.
In the meantime…
· There will be no 8 AM or 10 AM Eucharist on Sunday, no atrium or youth group.
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We will be live-streaming from the sanctuary, but there will be no one physically in attendance except the servers necessary to lead the liturgy. The congregation—YOU—will be worshipping from home!
If you can’t get on the live-stream at 9AM, don’t worry! You’ll be able to see the video soon after.
· We have other recent sermons and services for you to view at home at the bottom of this eNews.
· All on-campus, in-person church events are temporarily suspended including tonight’s Refugees Stations of the Cross, next Saturday’s building and grounds workday, and the youth group’s “Have A Heart” fundraiser scheduled for 3/28.
· For small groups, ministry and committee meetings and non-church events, please contact the leader to see if the event is taking place. We have “virtual meeting spaces”—a video-conferencing account through Zoom and a dial-in number through One Number—which we can make available to groups who wish to meet this way.
· For groups using the Grace Church campus, please maintain “social distance” of at least six feet between individuals. This may mean moving your group to a larger space. Please contact the David Foushee (
office@grace-episcopal.org
or 707-963-4157) to reserve alternative meeting spaces.
· Because in-person events may not be taking place, it is even more important to reach out to others via telephone, email and social media. We are working on a phone tree and a “buddy system” that will enable us to check on one another and stay connected during this time of “social distancing” that will be isolating for all of us. Please contact Sr. Warden Joan Heller at
· We are working on bringing as many of our special Lenten worship and formation opportunities to you in a remote, digital format as possible. Our “Pilgrimage Through Holy Week” discussion of the history and meaning behind Maundy Thursday will be available via “Zoom” at noon this Sunday, March 15. To “Zoom” in click this link
https://zoom.us/j/462289884
to use a computer or smartphone app for video conferencing, or call 877-853-524 from any phone and enter 462289884 when prompted. If you’re new to zoom, dial/click in at about 11:45 to make sure everything’s working.
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You can still come to church.
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· You can still come to church! The sanctuary will be open daily from 7AM to 7PM for personal prayer; there are lots of prayer resources available in the sanctuary. And the labyrinth and grounds are always open! Please abide by the posted health and safety guidelines when on campus.
· The office will be closed, but staff will be working remotely and available to you for logistical or pastoral needs. Reach out to:
David Foushee, our wonderful Office Manager, prayed in staff meeting Wednesday that “what comes out of us now might be an expression of our community, not of fear of community.” I have faith that it will be. We will find new ways to worship and be community, supporting and loving each other and sharing the love and deep peace of Christ with our neighbors and our world. We will be stronger for this. That doesn't make this moment any less difficult. Please know that I am so very grateful for each of you and cherish your presence, physical or virtual, in this community. Please know that our worship together—online, at home, and wherever we find ourselves, will be real, true, and pleasing to God. Please know that who we are now as a people of God really does make a difference to this world. Keep praying! Dig deep. We will get through this… together.
In the deep peace of Jesus the Christ, who died and rose again, Amy+
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Refugee Stations of the Cross/Viacrúcis del Refugiado
This bilingual service draws parallels between the way of suffering that Jesus walked and the stories of those forced to flee their homes over the last 100 years. The photo installation will be up for viewing in the sanctuary from March 13 through April 3. You may come walk the way of the cross at any time.
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Lenten prayer resources
are available for you in the sanctuary. Stop by anytime!
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Anne and Erika are meeting each other’s babies. Erika is holding Isaiah and Anne is holding Noah.
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1314 Spring Street
St. Helena CA 94574
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