Changes to BC's COVID-19 Restart Plan for July 1

Dear Friends,

Most likely, you will have heard by now that the Province of BC is moving to Step 3 in the BC Restart Plan on July 1st. This step involves many shifts away from the Public Health Orders towards public health recommendations – especially with regards to worship services.  

Although this is great news, it is also somewhat unsettling. We have spent so much time living with the restrictions and anxieties of this pandemic, it is hard to believe that we can make so many shifts “back to normal” so quickly. And there are, of course, those of us who would much prefer not to go “back to normal” – at least not in all areas.  

I have been in a Zoom call with clergy in the Diocese and Bishop John Stephens. What was clear in that conversation was that as a community rooted in the love of God, we must strive to balance the yearning to reconnect and be together with the care and protection of those who are more vulnerable and in need of moving more slowly. 

There remain some unknowns about the details of how Step 3 will work for us as a worshipping community. BC’s Public Health Officer has promised written guidelines for worship which we anticipate we will be required to follow (or at least strongly encouraged to follow) by the leadership of the Diocese of New Westminster. Bishop John has promised a pastoral letter which will outline what protocols the Diocese will require of us, but his communication on June 30th was only that he too is waiting for those written guidelines and asks that we not attempt to make any changes to our protocols until he receives them. 

As a result, we are planning to treat Sunday, July 4th as we have treated June 20th and June 27th. We will continue to use physical distancing and wear masks in the building for this Sunday. Andy will be in to sing for us with Ugo playing the organ and those of you at home will be welcome to belt out the hymns – and those of us who will be in the building will continue to refrain from singing. We have already sent you the request to pre-register and we will take those registrations this week. 

Parish Council, the Wardens, and Pastor Ruth have been engaged in ongoing conversation about what elements of our COVID-19 protocols we will want to maintain and when we will want to remove them. Pending the information from Bishop John, we hope to relax a few things in July while mostly maintaining our current practices. We want to use this month to see how the rest of our neighbourhood and social circles cope with the loosen restrictions. Parish Council and the Wardens have been clear (and I thank them!) about ensuring that I get my summer break to renew and recharge. This has been a truly exhausting year – and not just for me. Many of you are also exhausted and I am hopeful that a more cautious re-entry will empower some of our folks who need that care to be able to join and get comfortable before we further decrease restrictions.  

I hope to have more information early next week. I appreciate your ongoing patience and care for one another. I pray that as we live in these anxious times and cope with multiple kinds of disasters that feel out of our control (COVID-19, climate change-driven heat waves, the depth of racism in our country among the most pressing), you will be held in the grace and peace of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Ruth