March 13, 2020
Dear Friends,
Bishop Brown has sent a pastoral letter to his people of the Diocese of Delaware indicating, “I am hereby suspending all worship services within the Episcopal Church in Delaware for the next two weeks, effective immediately.” The Bishop continues, “I hope to be able to lift the suspension to enable public worship again by Sunday, March 29 (the Fifth Sunday of Lent). This however, cannot be guaranteed at this point. I expect to notify clergy of the status of the suspension on Wednesday, March 25 (earlier, if at all possible) in order to begin preparing for worship as soon as possible.”
“We all feel pain and sadness in having to suspend worship, even under these remarkable circumstances and even though temporary. This is not an easy action to take. As I have written, we live in a very uncommon time, and we make our decisions together with the full knowledge that our actions affect one another across the church and across our community. None of us is an island, none of us is alone. I pray we all will find the wisdom and courage in this hour to embody the faith, hope, and love of Christ Jesus to one another and to the world.”
For the next two weeks, that is, from March 12 to March 26 we will not have Sunday or weekday worship services, all meetings are postponed, the Corned Beef & Cabbage lunch will be rescheduled. There will be no Wednesday Supper & Study, Monday Bible Study, and no Sunday Study. There will be no meetings including Vestry until further notice.
I am available for pastoral care at all times. Call me at the office (856-2894) or at home (644-9447).
We will do our best to keep you informed.
Please keep me in your prayers even as I assure you that you are in mine.
In Christ’s Name,
Fr. Larry