Dear St. James Community,
I hope you all had a Happy Easter Day and are safe and healthy. As we move beyond Holy Week and Easter, though our beloved Church building remains closed, our worship and communal life continues.
The Diocese has held several Zoom meetings for the clergy to stay connected and receive updates. Our Vestry has also held two virtual Zoom meetings to check in with each other and discuss different steps forward as we continue through this period of physical distancing and how we can be most visible and present though our doors must remain closed at this time for safety. Please know that while our community may not be physically together, we are not separate.
I will continue to offer
special prayer services, reflections and updates during the week
; each
Sunday a service will be posted
to
Facebook
and Youtube, and we are working to get these on
our website
as well. Also,
Linda Davis Siess
will continue posting
online Sunday School lessons and activities
for children, youth, and anyone interested.
Zoom Coffee Hours
will continue every Sunday at 11am until we are back in our building. The Zoom link for these is
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82810430027
. This link will enable you to join every Sunday going forward. Zoom is free and easy to download. You may also call in; information on this is posted below.
There are many other ways in which we can remain further connected as well.
Prayer is always important and holding one another and our work and world in our prayers is a great way to stay connected with each other and our God. Our
Prayer Book
is available online at
www.bcponline.org
,
where we can follow along with services, and pray the different services on our own. There are also
resources on our Diocesan home page
,
www.diomass.org
, describing ways to lend a hand in the fight against this virus.
Giving to the Church
also is important during this time. We understand this may be difficult for some right now and we ask that you let our treasurer,
Val Gates
, know if you need to adjust your pledge in any way.
Ways to give
are available by mailing your donation to St James at PO Box 25, Amesbury, MA 01913, or donating through the link on
our website
.
We will also be posting different resources to
our
Facebook
page
to remain present to each other. If any
pastoral emergencies
arise, I am always available and can be reached at 914-217-8478.
This time of physical distancing is difficult, unprecedented and strange but we do not have to navigate it alone.The community may be isolated but we are not separated, as our connectedness through worship, fellowship, creativity, and prayer continues.
Please know, my friends, that you all remain on my mind and in my heart, thoughts, and prayers always.
Peace and Blessings in this Eastertide,
