A Word from Session: Second letter

Dear Western Church,

Your Session sat for its regular meeting – as we have every month during the pandemic – on Zoom earlier this week. Two topics dominated the conversation: our response to the call to anti-racism, and the practical issue of returning to some form of in-person worship.

You received our anti-racism response last week. This report shares our thinking about in-person gatherings.

It probably goes without saying, but when we open our doors again, things will be different. We will faithfully follow the District’s reopening criteria and our own duty of care for your health and well-being.

To begin (and for the foreseeable future), we must limit attendance to no more than 50 and have designated seating in the sanctuary. Face coverings and temperature checks will be required. There can be no children’s sermons or classes, choral or communal singing, or hospitality before or after worship. Communion would be served in individual packets.

We realize this makes for a less-than-ideal worship experience.

The contours of the virus outbreak change every day and much remains uncertain. What is certain is the health risk we would introduce by gathering in person.

With all this in mind, we the Session determined that this is not the time to restart in-person services. When then? We’ll reexamine the situation again at our meeting in October (and watch developments in the interim). This week the District extended its State of Emergency order into October.

By the way, this timeline is in line with other churches in the Presbytery and in our neighborhood.

In the meanwhile, we continue to offer our online Sunday service on Zoom and Facebook Live, and are investing in technology to make it better. We are in the minority of churches where the virtual service is conducted live and not entirely pre-recorded.

This fall, we will also restart more of our small groups on Zoom. The Free Inquiry class, for one, has already done this. Our online programming will forever be part of our ministry going forward – this is one blessing from these troubling times.

We understand that this is not news you wanted to hear, but we cannot change our circumstances. Your Session wishes to return to full worship as soon as it is prudent and safe. In the meantime, please let us hear from you. You can contact the Session directly (and confidentially) through the pastor’s email, laura@westernpresbyterian.org.

Thanks for listening. Be well and stay safe.

Kate Brittian
Jennifer Druliner
Paul Fiddick
Rebecca Jackson, Clerk
Ray Kim
Rebecca Koenig
Annette Reilly
Mimi Scotchmer
Jesse Stanchak
Cindy Stevens
Susanne Ward
Laura Cunningham, Moderator