July is usually a quiet month at Christ Church Cathedral, as many parishioners are away for summer vacations and travel. This year looks different in many ways, as COVID-19 continues to disrupt our accustomed ways of living. Still, I pray that this month can contain time of respite and renewal for us all.
I will be away from my duties at Christ Church this month, completing the Shalem Clergy Leadership program that began last summer and then taking some annual vacation time. We will continue through July to stream Sunday worship, which will come to you in the now-usual ways of a weekly email link and through our website. Christopher, Mollie, and I—with the able assistance of Carolyn Jeffers and Melissa Hicks—have prepared and recorded July worship using the “Simple Presence” format familiar to some of you from our Wednesday services. I hope you find these four Sundays peaceful times of prayer and reflection. Of course, you might also enjoy streaming worship from the National Cathedral and other sources that we will share with you.
Your vestry will meet on August 2 to assess our return-to-worship plans. As ever, their foremost consideration will be the health and safety of all Cathedral Family members, and we will share our updated plans the following week.
I continue to pray daily for your health and well-being, both physically and spiritually, and I would ask your prayers for the same for our staff, our leadership, and me during this time of physical separation amid ongoing stress and upheaval in our world.
May God’s peace be with you always,
Beverly+