Dear Saints of St. David’s:
The next several weeks promise to be a time of rapid change for our parish, as we continue to update our capabilities for virtual services, discuss the possibility of joining for worship in person, and work with the Diocese of Rhode Island on the question of clergy.
In this spirit, I am writing to you this week to offer a few updates on the work that is being done by our parish teams:
We are expecting to have the audio/visual work at the sanctuary completed this week, which includes the installation of a new camera and sound equipment that will be tied into a dedicated computer for Zoom and livestreaming. The worship team is determining a schedule for bringing service participants (officiant, readers, and musicians) into the sanctuary to record or livestream Morning Prayer.
Another key component to our technology plan is a new website for St. David’s. Our tech team has been working diligently with a professional website designer to create a new online presence for the church, and we expect to have an announcement soon about when we will launch the new site.
In the midst of this work to improve our technical capabilities, the executive committee will host a Virtual Community Forum on Re-Opening on Sept. 2 from 7-8 p.m. via Zoom (find the link in this week’s eLamp sent via email).
The purpose of this Forum is to give parishioners the opportunity to offer their thoughts and ideas; please be aware that no decisions will be made about in-person worship on Wednesday night.
On the topic of clergy, I am in regular contact with Canon Dena Cleaver-Bartholomew from the Diocese of Rhode Island about our needs as a parish and the availability of clergy to address them.
At this time, we do not have a start date or schedule for clergy who may join us, but Canon Dena is working diligently to identify and place a priest with us as soon as is practical. The most likely scenario is that we will have part-time clergy for a time before embarking on the discernment process.
In the meantime, we will continue to hold weekly virtual Morning Prayer services, coordinated by our worship team. Please contact the church office if you are interested in serving our parish family as a reader or officiant.
I will continue to notify and update you about these and other topics via email, Facebook, and the eLAMP. As I explained in my earlier letter, the only 100-percent accurate information about St. David’s will be provided through these channels.
If you have any questions, please refer to the emails, eLAMPs, and Facebook posts that are published by the church, and direct anyone else with questions to this information. I also welcome you to send me an email if you would like to reach me directly.
Love and blessings,
Linda Guest, Senior Warden
Prayer For Social Service
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served
but to serve: Bless all who, following in his steps, give
themselves to the service of others; that with wisdom,
patience, and courage, they may minister in his Name to the
suffering, the friendless, and the needy- for the love of him
who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus
Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.