Hi, Everybody:
This Sunday, June 21st, is the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost, Fill the Food Barrel Sunday, and Father’s Day! Unfortunately, as we still won’t be worshiping in person, we can’t have the children hand out tiny wrenches to all the men in the congregation, but we will be having a Liturgy for Men of Faith during our online worship service, so be sure you tune in.
Also this Sunday we will be having our very first Zoom Communion. For those who have been living under a virtual rock these past few months, Zoom is a way to get groups together live over your computer or phone – with video or just your voice. For the past two Sundays, we have been having Virtual Coffee Time through Zoom at 10 am. This week, we will have Communion at 10 am followed by Coffee Time. So make breakfast for Dad, watch the service, gather up your favorite bread and grape-based beverage, call/log in to Zoom, have Communion with everyone, and stay to chat. Attached to this email is a PDF of the Zoom information you will need (I’ll list that information again in Sunday’s email in case you [God forbid!] delete this one). After that, you are free to give Dad whatever he asked for – with my Dad it was either [a] Clean out the garage, or [b] Peace and quiet! (I don’t think he ever got [b] with six kids)
Speaking of Virtual Coffee Time, on June 28th during Coffee Time Neal and Rene will give a presentation updating us on Reneal International Education Outreach’s work during their 14 weeks in Tanzania in the fall of 2019 and early 2020. For many years now, HTLC has supported Reneal, a non-profit organization based in Fremont that installs computer labs in public high schools in Tanzania and the Philippines. Reneal also has scholarship programs in both countries. There will be a Q&A time at the end, but Neal and Rene also welcome any questions in advance if you have them. You can send them to Rene (rlbierb@yahoo.com, by June 26th please), and Neal and Rene will try to answer them during the presentation.
You may have heard that the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) has a newly revised COVID-19 order that goes into effect today. Here are links to the order and several summary-type documents:
- Health Officer Order 20-14a (17 pages – masochists only)
- ACPHD June 18 Press Release (4 pages – moderately detailed and readable)
- 20-14a Businesses (3 pages – a list of businesses which are or are not allowed to operate)
- Health Officer Order Summary (2 pages – succinct overview of new stuff)
What does this all mean for Holy Trinity? Well, here’s the pertinent part of the summary:
Religious and Cultural Ceremonies:
• Limited to fewer than 100 people or 25% of the building/area capacity, whichever is lower
• Permitted indoors or outdoors; ACPHD strongly recommends a limit of 25 participants
• ACPHD strongly recommends continuing virtual services
• Food and beverage sales/distribution are discouraged
• Local guidance includes recommended modifications for common practices to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission
Notice it says they strongly recommend continuing virtual services. Just because we could hold in-person services of 25 or less doesn’t mean we should. We would all need to wear masks, stay at least 6 ft. apart, not sing hymns or even speak responses together, have people sign in in case we need to track an outbreak, probably have multiple services with people signing up for a particular time, possibly forego communion, have everything sanitized often, and maybe even have temperatures taken. How many people would want to worship that way? We don’t know.
That’s why the Council and Worship Committee put out that Worship and Fellowship Survey asking those types of questions. If you haven’t filled it out yet, please do so, and try to submit it by Monday so we can plan for the near future. Here is the survey link: https://forms.gle/GE3f1Zjex19XSXdj8 in case you forgot about it or lost it (so irresponsible!). As the Council and Worship committee review survey feedback and prepare plans, the church buildings will remain closed at least until July. More information on any worship changes will be shared the first week in July.
Finally, for those who didn’t get enough official stuff by reading the Health Department Order, I’m also attaching the minutes from the June 7th Special Council Meeting. You’re welcome!
– Keith
Your Friendly PLC