From Bishop Scarfe: Suspension of in-person worship

 
 
 

As COVID-19 spreads, and there are ever new cancellations and closures, both locally and nationally, we need to consider how our collective behavior as people of faith can best assist the efforts to slow down its impact and protect our neighbors. What does it mean to be faithful at an unprecedented time like this? I believe that we show God’s love to our neighbor in these circumstances by keeping each other as safe as we can, and by practicing good social distancing. This requires us not to gather in public worship for this crucial period of time as we seek to do what we can to help even out the expected contagion (what is being called “flattening the curve”).

We will suspend in-person public worship after this weekend for at least the next two weeks. Resources for worshipping in our homes is being provided below, and other ideas to deepen our Lenten practices. I will lead online worship for the diocese on March 22nd and March 29th (more details to come). We will re-assess where we are as we approach Holy Week. Some of you, I know, have decided not to worship in-person beginning this weekend, and I would encourage you to join in the streamed online worship from the National Cathedral on Sunday at which the Presiding Bishop is preaching.

I realize that, for some, this also imposes an issue of conscience in terms of your obedience to offer public worship and I will respect that decision. I ask, however, that if you offer public worship that you clearly display this public notice: NOTICE OF CAUTION.

If we were facing a series of heavy snow and ice blizzards, as we did in January and February 2019, we would have been dealing with something we are familiar with. This is very different. It is not simply our own safety which is at stake, but that of others, especially our elderly and most vulnerable neighbors. This opportunity provides us the chance to reach out by phone or digitally, and keep each other in mind more intentionally than if we had been able to gather. 

God once asked the people of Israel to be in lock-down, on the night of Passover in Egypt. We will come through this glad that we have played our part in seeking to prevent more widespread suffering. Viruses are no respecter of persons, but we can be. And through our actions we offer praise of God’s holy name. 

While at home, there are several options for worship, and I am grateful to Meg Wagner for collecting quite an alternative of being a Church in worship, while in this temporary place of exile. Keep each other in prayer. Pray for our leaders as they sort things out as they must. Remember our first health responders and their families; and be yourselves “calm translators” in an anxious moment. Be mindful too, of efforts that we can support that are reaching out to the more economically and physically vulnerable among us. Here is one example from Iowa City of a local effort being formed to run needed errands for at-risk or quarantined individuals: Iowa City COVID-19 Errand-ers.

The Apostle Paul writes (in our Epistle for Sunday, March 15th) by faith having peace with God…“(rejoice) in your sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope; and hope does not disappoint us, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who is given to us.” (Rom 5:3-5)

It is very counterintuitive to be inviting you to step away from gathering at the very place we need to be gathering, around God’s table. We are not distancing ourselves from our faith in God, nor our faithfulness to God. We remain the Body of Christ. This is a time when we play our part in seeking to delay an unknown adversary. And we do it, even as we pray the collect for this Sunday that we be “kept outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all the evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul.” (Book of Common Prayer, 218)

What my colleague, the Bishop of Indianapolis, asked of her people, I ask of you: “Bear with one another. Bear with your leaders. Bear with me. Pray for one another and above all pray for the physically and economically vulnerable people who will be hardest hit by this epidemic.”

In the peace and love of Christ,

+Alan Scarfe
The Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, Bishop of Iowa

DIOCESAN MEETINGS AND EVENTS CURRENTLY AFFECTED:

March 15 - Southeast Chapter Meeting moved online via Zoom. DETAILS

March 22 - Central Chapter Meeting moved to online via Zoom. ZOOM LINK

March 22 - Southwest Chapter Meeting moved to online via Zoom. DETAILS

March 28 - Addressing Racial Bias in Churches POSTPONED until November 14. DETAILS

March 28 - Three Rivers Chapter Meeting moved online via Zoom. DETAILS

March 29 - East Chapter Meeting moved online via Zoom. DETAILS

Resources

FOR CHURCHES wishing to meet entirely online or stream a service from the church building: Visit https://www.iowashare.org/online-worship for ideas and tips.

And things to think about as you are weighing your decisions about meeting online that includes other helpful suggestions for ways of connecting instead of or in addition to meeting online.

FOR CHURCHES who wish to meet by teleconference only: https://www.freeconferencecall.com provides free teleconference service. It is easy to set up your free account and share the dial-in number and password with people by mail or email.

FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES who wish to worship at home together:

  • The Book of Common Prayer is available online (if you do not have a copy at home), and families can pray any of the Daily Offices together or use the Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families. You can find the readings for the day at https://www.lectionarypage.net

  • Forward Movement offers an easy-to-use daily office (morning prayer, noonday prayer, evening prayer, or compline) at the Forward Movement Daily Prayer website. You can choose a variety of options to customize the prayers according to your preference. There is also a daily podcast, A Morning at the Office, with various people leading the prayers and reading the scripture lessons for the day.

  • Church Next TV offers an online formation course for free called, "Prayer and worship in our homes": https://www.churchnext.tv/library/alternative-formation-for-christians-in-quarantine/114762/about/

  • Do you have an Alexa-enabled device at home? Try out the Episcopal Prayer skill for a simple service of morning prayer.

CHRISTIAN FORMATION FOR FAMILIES

For talking with children about COVID-19:
https://buildfaith.org/coronavirus-anxiety-children-and-the-church/

 
Traci Petty