Dear Community,
I have been following the development of the coronavirus this week, and it is with heavy heart that I am deciding to cancel all scheduled church activities for the time being. It is not a question of faith in the power of our Sacrament, but a feeling of deepest responsibility to meet the unknown of just how quickly this is spreading, and for whatever reasons. In our area, with increasing numbers of cases in hospitals, we are being asked to create social distance wherever possible to slow the spread of this infection. Hospitals can only handle so much. This is not just about us—we live in a wider community. Right now it is important to limit the risk of becoming carriers (whatever paradigm we live with around disease, we are all undeniably connected!) for we may come into contact with others who are immune-compromised in some way. It feels to me the most ethical and compassionate response while this is still ramping up. Everyday, new things are coming to light. The question becomes more and more, what can I do for others? How can I connect/help even when I must keep distance?
I received this from a colleague this morning:
“By creating fear, crises such as the current one tend to intensify our innate self-centeredness. This anonymous post, which has gone viral in Italy, is a much-needed antidote:
‘We come to understand that this is a struggle against our habits and not against a virus. This is an opportunity to turn an emergency into an opportunity of solidarity and unity. Let's change the way we see and think. I will no longer say "I'm afraid of this contagion" or "I don't care about this contagion", but it is I who will sacrifice for you.
I worry about you.
I keep a distance for you.
I wash my hands for you.
I give up that trip for you.
I'm not going to the concert for you.
I'm not going to the mall for you.
For you!
For you who are inside an ICU room.
For you who are old and frail, but whose life has value as much as mine.
For you who are struggling with cancer and can't fight this too.
Please, let's rise to this challenge! Come together...nothing else matters.’”
How can the church keep being the church even when canceled? Here are some excerpts from an article online (Five Ways To Be The Church When Church Is Canceled by Erin Wathen) that gives some great suggestions:
“Check on your neighbors. Your older neighbors, your neighbor on chemo, your neighbor whose kid relies on free school lunch, your neighbor who still has to go to work and could use help with childcare… Any time you help someone in your proximity, you are living out the values of your faith community. You are embodying what the whole gospel thing is about, which takes church out of the building and brings it to life for others. This is what we go to church to learn how to do– it is ‘for such a time as this’ that you have spent all those other Sundays in worship.
Pray for your church family. And send notes. Make phone calls. All the things that we do for shut-ins, do for each other now that we are all shut-ins, so to speak. We are one body, even when that body is not together in the flesh. There are plenty of ways to stay connected in spirit, and care for each others’ spiritual needs.
Practice Sabbath. For some, this shutdown of life as we know it is going to cause significant economic hardship. In the spirit of #3, care for your neighbor as best as you can. In the meantime, recognize if your own discomfort is just inconvenience, and keep that perspective. Recognize that downtime can be a gift– an imposed sabbath of time to sit still and be with your family, without the usual rush of places to be and things to accomplish. Read together; prepare meals together (can you share with a neighbor? #3 and repeat). When’s the last time everybody was home for this long? Talk about what you can learn from this season. Talk about your blessings. Play a game. Make something. Listen to music. It really doesn’t matter. Any of these things can be worshipful in their own way, if by ‘worship’ we mean rest and renewal by way of connecting with God and others.
Support your pastors. And elders, and trustees and board members– whoever has to make the really hard decisions about whether and how to gather in times of uncertainty. There is no road map for this, and there is no one right answer. Trust that the folks who ultimately make the call spent some time in prayer, discernment, and very difficult conversations. Know that they heavily weighed consequences, including your disappointment, and ultimately did what they thought was the best thing for the wellbeing of the community.
Send in your pledge. This may seem like a small thing in the grand scheme right now, but trust me. It matters that you continue to get your offering in, as long as you are fiscally able…Even if the building is empty, bills and salaries need to be paid; what’s more, you’re helping your church maintain mission commitments to the community in a time when that commitment is more important than ever.”
We do not yet know the repercussions of this world event; but most likely we will have to find ways to help one another as the health and economic consequences of this become more clear. Please let me know if you would like to be on a contact list/receive regular phone calls or need help with anything else! Faith DiVecchio and I are ready to help.
I am limiting visits to the most essential, but I stand ready to help; if you need someone to shop for you, to bring a warm meal, drive you somewhere, etc. PLEASE do not be afraid to reach out! 413-854-8875.
I will be holding the service tomorrow alone—with all of you, and our world, in my heart. I will be thinking of alternative ways to reach out to you and bring spiritual nourishment during this time—and I'm taking requests! Passiontide begins. Stay in touch. Your struggles are my struggles.
Faithfully yours, Rev. Liza Marcato