Dear Ones of St. Columba's,

  This Sunday we will cautiously re-open for indoor worship for the first time in over a year. I cannot wait to begin seeing some of your (masked) faces again, and to be able to offer you communion and worship in our sanctuary. As we start moving once again in the direction of communal in person worship I want you to know about how this process will work, and what our guiding principles are for the weeks ahead. 

  First, I am aware that cases in King County are rising. If we were using the metrics that we used last summer for pop-up church now, it would be a deal breaker for indoor church. However, we are not where we were last summer. We know more about COVID-19, and we have access to vaccines. I no longer feel that it is reckless to gather for worship. I also understand that not everyone is ready. Please know, if you do not feel safe or comfortable worshipping in person, there is no pressure to rush into this. We will continue to offer livestream at 9am for the forseeable future. The plan as it stands is that we are shifting this week to two services - one at 9am and one at 11am. For the first three weeks of this schedule 9am will be livestream only, and the 11am will not be livestreamed and will be open for in-person worship. We will be taking sign ups. On Pentecost or later we will shift to open both services to in-person attendance, and will continue to stream the 9am and not the 11am. 

 Second, I am discontinuing the practice of setting our own metrics for when to gather and when to close. That served a purpose, but now it is time to simply follow the guidelines we are given. The governor's office as well as the bishop's office do allow us to gather for indoor worship, with safety protocols in place. If this changes, we will abide by that. 

 Finally, we will stay safe together by honoring each other's choices around attending in person or via live stream broadcast. When we gather in person we will follow government and Bishop's office recommended protocols for distancing and masking. And we will walk this path gently and with grace for each other as we begin to imagine life and worship together in person, again. 

Friends, it is okay to be the first one signed up and eager to re-gather. It is also okay to feel anxiety, reluctance, or fear at this prospect. My hope is that our community is big enough to hold all the ways we feel, and to continue to meet each other where we are as we journey deeper in faith, hope, and love together. 

I'm here to talk, as is Meghan, as we move forward. Let us know what you are longing for, what you are fearful of, so we can walk into the future together.

with care and gratitude,

Alissa