We are very excited to begin the process of welcoming our congregation back to church this Sunday, June 13th.

Here’s what you need to know:

PROTOCOLS: All present in the building must wear a mask over their mouth and nose while in the building at all times, in compliance with the City of Philadelphia’s indoor mask mandate. We will practice social distancing and good hygiene habits by washing our hands or using hand sanitizer.

CAPACITY LIMITS: To allow for continued mitigation protocols required by the Diocese and the City of Philadelphia, seating will be limited to 25 households, in addition to helpers, readers, staff, and choir. Children attending the services will remain with their families during the entirety of the worship. Childcare will not be provided at this time.

HELPERS NEEDED: We would like to invite you to help with the services on Sunday with simple tasks anyone of any age can do. As part of the registration process, you will have the opportunity to sign up to help with check-in, handing out essentials, and making everyone feel welcome and at home.

REGISTRATION: The link for registering for Sunday, June 13th is below (each week there will be a new link). You will need to enter an email address or phone number for contact tracing purposes: https://tinyurl.com/June13CHTRegistration

If you are not computer savvy, you can call the church at (215) 567-1267 by 1 pm on Thursday each week.

One of the things we miss about our online services is the prayers people would type into the comment section during the silent moments. It was a great way to really have the Prayers of the People by the people’s prayers! Now that we’re back in the church, we’d like to offer you all a chance to continue to offer your prayers each week.

We have put together a booklet where you can add your prayers for the reader to read in church. Look for the table in the back of the church marked “Prayer Requests.” There are three sections for prayers:

We invite you to share with you your own prayers for the day each week!

 A Service of Holy Communion

To participate in Online Worship: Click here

We will be living streaming worship at 11:00 am on Sundays on Facebook Live. You will be able to view this worship at any time after it uploads. The video will be at the top of the page when you click the link above. Click here for a digital bulletin.

Please see the re-entry update above.

Join us on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. for Candlelight Compline Service.

Take a 10-minute break to end the day in quiet and prayer.

Click Here for Compline Service.

Click Here to participate.

BYOC Coffee Hour

Come and join us. BYO coffee, tea, water, or whatever, for a socially distanced gathering with friends. Bring a mask and look for the banner in the Square across from the church.

Contact Soozung Rankin, Program Director at srankin@htrit.org with questions or to get on the family listserve. Following Safeguarding our Children best practice, Soozung will send families password-protected Zoom links prior to Sunday’s Zoom sessions. Zoom sessions last about 40 minutes. We love seeing you in our Zoom Rooms!

We will follow the same model as last summer and meet on Zoom once a month for a check-in. There will also be some Diocesan service opportunities and youth gatherings. Mark your calendar for Saturday, July 10, 2021, 1 – 4p, Summer Youth Jam (aged 13+) with the Bishop Gutierrez. Following COVID protocol, there will be food and music and plenty of time with our Bishop!

Children of all ages, join at 4p for the first 10 minutes of the 4p "CHT Kids Connect" Zoom for synchronous music-making. At about 4:15p, we will dismiss our toddlers.

If you have a piece to submit, please contact Soozung Rankin at srankin@htrit.org. As of Sunday, May 30th, we have 29 entries. It’s not too late to submit!

Premieres 12p Noon Mondays. All episodes available on-demand as a series on our church FB. For the youngest members of our church family and for the young at heart of all ages.

Soozung and CHT read another book by Kobi Yamada! What Do You Do with a Chance?

By The Rev. John Gardner

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

We ask this question of every person who is baptized in our tradition. At the center of this question is the idea of respect, which connotes a proper regard for the rights, feelings, traditions, and personhood of another. We make a promise, at our baptism, to hold in high regard the dignity of every human being. There are no exceptions. The Christian idea of respect is universal. In our tradition, respect is given; it need not be earned.

This is especially important as we interact with the many different kinds of people we meet in urban life. Yesterday in Rittenhouse Square, for example, I met many people: an aggressive fundraiser, two friends, a panhandler who told jokes, a prospective parishioner, a criminal with a history of violence, two guests from our community meal, and a church member. Our baptismal covenant directs me to extend equal respect to each of these persons. I am guided to respect the fundamental dignity of every person I meet. In Center City, that’s a lot of people—a lot of very different people. Some of these interactions will be very pleasant; others, less so. We are fortunate to have the value of respect as a guide.

When giving respect is difficult, possibly even dangerous to our peace of mind, it could be helpful to remember Jesus’ words to his disciples when he sent them out into the world: “Whatever house you enter, first say ‘Peace to this house.’ If anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.” Christian universal respect works the same way.

Outside of our faith community (and many similar communities), respect is seen as a limited commodity that must be earned. In our tradition, respect mirrors God’s grace. God’s gift of grace is universal and unconditional. We cannot earn this gift, nor can we stop it from being extended. In our daily lives, then, let our respect be the same as God’s grace: freely given, unlimited, always renewing.

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