Spring has arrived, with all of its promise of hope, renewal and rebirth!
If you haven’t been to St. John’s recently, you may not be aware of the buzz of activity taking place. It’s subtle, it’s still growing, but it’s palpable. And it’s a sure sign that St. John’s is emerging from a long winter slumber.
As we’ve gradually been able to increase the number of people in the sanctuary, we now have a growing team of participants who are at St. John’s each week to present and enrich our online worship service. Our tech volunteers, led by the tireless Al Sauer, have learned how to monitor our new A/V system, streaming our services via YouTube and Zoom. We also thank the readers and choir members who bring life and voice to the lessons and hymns each week. I’ve recently had the opportunity to participate in several worship services as a reader, and I can’t begin to tell you how invigorating it feels to be back in our sanctuary, to hear the organ music, and to see fellow parishioners working together in person to bring you our weekly service.
Many thanks to Dave Roberts for his work once again bringing us our Lenten Labyrinth, and to Tom Baker and his crew of nearly a dozen volunteers for their recent work to spread fresh mulch and refresh our grounds. We may not be able to worship indoors at the moment, but we are so fortunate to have our beautiful church campus to enjoy as the weather turns warmer!
Fellow parishioners have contributed personal works of art to illustrate the Stations of the Cross during this Holy Week, in a display that is both moving and awe-inspiring. If you have an opportunity to visit the display during Holy Week, I highly recommend it. Refer to our church calendar on our website for details on when it is open for viewing.
Lois Sauer, Sara Vetter and Suzi Hetzel, our Ad Hoc reopening committee, are working hard to create a framework for us to return safely to worship, in compliance with the latest (and rapidly evolving) CDC and Diocesan guidance. We’ll be sharing information about next steps over the coming weeks, and will also look to each of you to provide feedback via a forthcoming parish survey.
And finally, Jane Hill has been very active enrolling students for the planned September reopening of our preschool. The response has been strong, and Jane shares that despite having been closed this past year, St. John’s preschool continues to enjoy a strong, positive reputation in our community.
I share all of this with you as a word of encouragement, after a long year of remote worship and social distancing. We’re not quite there yet, and no doubt we’ll still need to adapt to a “new normal,” but we’re making progress toward the day when we will again be able to enjoy the simple blessing of being together in community.
And as we look ahead to this Easter Sunday, during this season of rebirth, that’s something that is truly worth celebrating!
David Bennett
Sr. Warden
