Health Update – Worship & Meetings

Updated August 4, 2020 – Please read the following communication from our rector, the Rev. Milton Black regarding our current health situation and what that means for our church community.

August 4, 2020

Dear Friends in Christ,

Unfortunately, Corpus Christi continues to be deeply impacted by the coronavirus. The Phase 2 Committee, led by Dr. Mason, has been monitoring and discussing the current situation. It is their opinion that, because the Church is an essential operation, we should continue to offer worship as long as we can manage it safely. There are parishioners who are choosing to come and worship because they feel safe, and because it gives them life and hope. This is what we are here for, and we want to continue to offer it as long as it can be done in a safe way. For those of you who are worshiping with us online, we hope that this has been a blessing to you until we can all join together in person again.

The Church of the Good Shepherd has been following a very strict set of guidelines for our in-person worship, and we remain confident, given the amount of space in our sanctuary, that our preparations, planning, and protocols are sufficient to continue to accommodate the number of people, currently 30 – 50, who are attending our morning services. The Sunday evening 5:30 Service has been suspended until further notice.

As a reminder, if you have been exposed to someone who is sick, or even if you are not feeling well, please do not risk exposing others until you have been tested and cleared by your doctor. If you have an underlying health condition, please consult your doctor before returning to public gatherings. We are pleased to offer live stream worship online each Sunday through Facebook Live, as well posting a recorded service to our website each Sunday.

Currently, we are planning our Fall programming year; all of which is subject to change. We are looking forward to having Bishop Reed with us on Sunday, August 30, for Confirmation. We will let you know more about the details of the Confirmation Service in the days to come. Additionally, we are planning for Rally Day, September 13th, celebrating our 160th Birthday; picnic style following the 10:30 service. Of course, like everything else these days, this is tentative, but we are hopeful and prayerful that we can celebrate outdoors in a safe way. Please be on the look-out for new and changing information regarding the calendar.

The clergy and staff are here for you. We have been making check-in phone calls on all of our parishioners. Please let us know how we can support you and your family during this time. You are in our prayers daily.

We are all creative, industrious, and adapting to these new circumstances; learning how to live again in this environment, and that is so important. Take care of yourselves and take care of one another. We need each other and will get through this together. We are looking forward to seeing you soon. Keep the faith. “Be of good courage. Hold fast to that which is good! Render to no one evil for evil. Support the weak, help the afflicted, honor all persons; love and serve the Lord,” and may the peace of Christ rule in your hearts always.

Yours in Christ,
Milton