Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church
eNews
Tuesday, December 22, 2020 COVID-19 Update: Celebrating Christmas and Epiphany with GSL A Message from the Rector: The Rev. Ollie V. Rencher
The seasons of Christmas and Epiphany will be quite different for life at Grace-St. Luke’s Church and throughout the world in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to yesterday’s Shelby County Health Department Directive to assist with flattening the coronavirus curve, our Bishop, the Right Reverend Phoebe A. Roaf, asked in a message to all diocesan faith communities to temporarily suspend in person worship and indoor activities with more than 10 persons for at least the next several weeks effective December 21. Our updated schedule of offerings for Christmastide into Epiphany is provided below and available online at www.gracestlukes.org/news/advent-christmas-epiphany/ The GSL Clergy as well as members of our Re-Entry Task Force and the Vestry support this holy pause to in-person offerings for a stretch as part of our Christian witness in partnership with the state and community public health measures requested. Fortunately, our worship, formation, and several connection-making offerings will continue online and will include some new offerings to be announced in January. While this change naturally is painful and disappointing, especially as GSL and other Episcopal congregations have observed sound protocols for in-person gatherings, health and medical professionals agree that we will not regret exercising an abundance of caution at this particular juncture in the pandemic. We walk by faith and not be sight, trusting in God that a new day will come when we can gather. The twelve-day journey of Christmas to the Epiphany (January 6) when the Church celebrates the divinity of Jesus boldly reminds us of our baptismal heritage that the “Church” literally is the body of Christ. From the beginning of the Christian tradition, the Church has been without walls, because the Spirit of God