Dear St. Thomas’,

What a week it has been! We have all received an abundance of information, much of it conflicting. The news around the world doesn’t match up with our lived experience, and the lack of hard data means even the experts are only guessing. It’s hard to take it all seriously when I don’t yet personally know someone who is dangerously ill from this virus.

However, yesterday, Monday, I heard a similar message coming from the White House and Governor Murphy: now is the time when we can make a difference and save lives. Due to its long incubation period, most people don’t know they’re infected until long after they’ve begun spreading the virus to others. Many people will have mild cases that don’t seem bad at all: but the effect of spreading that mild case to another person could be deadly.

My prayer is that the skeptics are right, this will blow over, and we’ll feel silly for having made a big deal out of it. Evidence from other countries suggests that won’t be the case. The situation remains very fluid and my plan is to take these isolation guidelines very seriously until health experts tell me it is safe to do otherwise.

For me that means avoiding being around people (other than those I live with) as much as possible. I do this not only for my own sake and the sake of my immediate family, but for the sake of every person I might come into contact with in the future and accidentally infect before I ever knew I was sick!

In the meantime, St. Thomas’ continues to be a community of worship and mutual care. What does that look like this week?

In consultation with many of you, we are working out a schedule of online events. Links for these events will be found at www.stthomasglassboro.org.

Daily:

• Storytime for all ages, reading C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
• Musical offerings from St. Thomas’ and Others

Tuesday:

• 6.30pm: Small Group Study continues online!

Wednesday:

• 6.30pm: Bible Study, followed by Evening Prayer about 7.30pm.
  To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/777304867
  To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 777 304 867

Thursday:

• 7.30pm: Vestry meeting

Thursday & Friday:

• Phone Tree
  We will try to make contact this week with everyone at St. Thomas’. If you get a call from someone checking in, let them know how you’re doing and how you’re staying connected with St. Thomas’. If you have a few minutes, offer to make a call or two from their list. Many hands make light work and joyful conversations!

Saturday:

• 4.30pm: Adult formation: Psalms, followed by a brief form of Evening Prayer.
  To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/480151251
  To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 480 151 251

Sunday:

• 9:00am: Sunday School for children
  To join the meeting via the Internet click here: https://zoom.us/j/897315461
  To join the meeting via telephone, dial (646) 558-8656 and use Meeting ID: 897 315 461
• 10:00am: Sunday School for adults
  (same connect info as Sunday School for children)
• 11:00am: Holy Eucharist with a pre-recorded service at www.stthomasglassboro.org

Matters remain fluid and this schedule is subject to amendment. But this is our direction for St. Thomas’ this week as we continue to live out our vocation as the body of Christ in this time and place.

God’s blessings be upon each of you: take care of yourselves and each other. Be gentle, be kind, be faithful to the disciplines of this season. May you continue to observe a Holy Lent.

Faithfully,

Todd+

Let us pray.
O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, p. 832)