Dear People, Neighbours, and Friends of St. Thomas’s,
Every week I sit down and try to write something worth your time to read. Connecting with each other has been so difficult over the past two years, and as a newcomer I’ve been grateful for the various ways we have been able to connect nonetheless, whether in person in the limited fashion that’s been available to us up until now, or via other media, be it livestreamed services, or Zoom, or this weekly email.
I had been hoping that by now the situation would be brighter than it has turned out to be. We are on the brink of what I hope will be a relatively brief closing of our Sundays to in-person worship beginning next Sunday the 16th, which as it so happens will mark six months to the day that my family and I arrived in Canada. I was looking forward to celebrating that minor milestone with those of you who could join us in person, but now I know that only those with defined roles in the Sunday liturgies are authorized by the Bishops to attend our services. (I am profoundly grateful for the consolation and blessing of our dedicated altar servers, musicians, and staff members who will make this possible.) Nevertheless, the lack of a congregation grieves my heart, and there’s no dissembling it. This new year has been on the whole a disappointment to me thus far, despite the bright spots (my daughter’s fifteenth birthday on the Epiphany being one of them). I can put on a brave face and declare that “There’s nowhere to go but up!” But there’s no guarantee of that, so why make any claims that could prove false?
In the midst of my grief and desolation, I wonder what I can do for you that will compensate for this latest loss to our common life. One thing I can think of is that we are going to do our best to prepare St. Thomas’s for your return, and in the meantime, improve the quality of our livestreaming as much as possible.
The good news is that sometime in 2022, we should have a brand-new sound and livestreaming system installed in the church, followed not long thereafter, I hope, by an upgraded lighting system. And of course, we have other accessibility projects in the works as well, which we look forward to presenting to you for your feedback, refinement, and approval. So wherever you may be now or in the future, we are doing our best to make St. Thomas’s both your home and your home away from home in 2022. And when you cannot be with us in person, I hope that St. Thomas’s will be your home at home (or elsewhere) via livestreaming, this email newsletter, and our website.
There’s no substitute for being together, of course, which is why we are doing everything we can to ensure that when the day comes at last when we can be together fully present to each other in the beauty of holiness, our fellowship will be supported by this place we love so dearly. In this regard, I feel like someone preparing my house for a big party, and this gives me something to look forward to; after all, I always look forward to seeing you.
It is a peculiar feeling to miss people, many of whom one hasn’t even yet met in person. But I do. I miss you, and even when you are here, I miss seeing your (entire) faces. This current way of doing things, necessary as it apparently is, leaves much to be desired. But the desire itself, even if unfulfilled, is good to have. It makes me look forward all the more to a brighter day. And the days will get brighter, somehow, won’t they? I keep waiting for us to reach the tipping point, when a life freely lived and a present gladly and unconditionally embraced is again possible. I sense it lurking around the corner. I just don’t know how long, and I’d like to stop counting the days, but I’m not a very patient person, and time is short, and I long for us to be together.
And so I sign off this ersatz love letter with genuine assurances of my affection and devotion, looking for that blessed day when we at last can live the way we want to live, in faith, hope, and love. In the meantime, perhaps we will learn through this pestilential time how to live lives of genuine love and service despite it all. I know this is possible. In fact, it’s necessary. It’s just more pleasant to do when you’re around.
Yours in Christ’s service,
N.J.A. Humphrey+
VIII Rector
Copy of Special Q&A Bulletin from the Diocese
Circulated to Clergy, Churchwardens and Staff on January 6
Here are answers to some questions about the modified Red Stage Guidelines announced yesterday. If you have a question about your church or ministry during the pandemic, send it to info@toronto.anglican.ca and the staff at the Diocesan Centre will do our best to answer it.
Q: Do the modified Red Stage Guidelines require us to have only one singer like last time?
A: There are no numerical limits on liturgical leadership for live streaming or pre-recording, and that includes musicians. As long as everyone present is vaccinated, distanced and masked, with distinct leadership roles, you may include multiple musicians, even a small choir.
Q: Do we need to shut down immediately? We had already accepted registrations for this Sunday’s in-person service, and we don’t have volunteers ready to live stream.
A: If it’s too difficult to cancel this Sunday’s plans for worship, proceed carefully and safely with your in-person service, and then shut down on Monday. The entire Diocese must adhere to the new Red Stage Guidelines by Monday, Jan. 10.
Q: We don’t have the ability to offer our own online services. Can we simply direct people to another parish that is online?
A: Yes, please share with your parishioners all the ways they can worship online, including tuning into the St. James Cathedral live stream on the diocesan YouTube channel.
Q: Can the bishops give us more than one day’s notice (Jan. 31) for February’s plans? I need more time than that to plan.
A: The College of Bishops will be monitoring the situation closely over the next three weeks and tracking trends not only in the actual infection and hospitalization rates, but also in how the wider Church and the rest of society (e.g., schools) are responding. If it becomes clear earlier than Jan. 31 how things should unfold in February, the Bishop’s Office will publicize its decision-making as soon as possible.
Q. Does the closure of churches preclude us from offering our space for pop-up vaccine clinics?
A. Allowing the public to gather in our buildings for pop-up vaccination clinics managed and authorized by regional health authorities is an appropriate and faithful exception to our own policy of closure.
Q. How do the new Red Stage Guidelines affect outside groups using our buildings?
A. Parishes should continue to meet the obligations of their lease and license agreements, on the condition that licensees are adhering to the provincial guidelines and public health requirements that apply to them, including masking and distancing. As before, they must comply with our vaccination policy, do screening and contact tracing, only use the building and spaces as clearly stated in their agreement, and be aware of responsibilities like regular cleaning.
Q: Our vestry meeting is scheduled for Jan. 30, and we were planning to do it in person. Does this mean that we need to move to a virtual format?
A: Under the modified Red Stage Guidelines and provincial regulations, small indoor gatherings of up to five people can occur with masking and strict physical distancing. Since vestry meetings would exceed the five-person limit, these meetings must be held virtually as long as we remain under the Red Stage Guidelines. Last year’s vestry guidelines are still available on the COVID-19 Updates page. You can also see this page if you’re looking for resources to help you provide online meetings.