July 2, 2020

Beloved Friends,

We are back! Slowly, slowly, as the church and provincial leadership allows, we will be opening up the church for worship on Sunday mornings.

We will be practicing all safety measures strictly, including sanitization and physical distancing. The wearing of masks is strongly encouraged, but not mandatory. In order to have everyone fit safely in church we have split the congregation into two groups, A and B. And we will be inviting you to come every other week. We will let you know if you are in group A or B. (After a month or so we may mix up the groups, so we can see other parishioners – kind of like five-minute dating!).

Please remember that all services will continue to be recorded and will be posted on our Facebook page, on our website, www.stbarnabasparish.ca, and on our YouTube channel.

Here are the Sundays each group can attend (through to August 23rd):

Group A                     Group B

July 5                          July 12

July 19                       July 26

August 2                    August 9

August 16                  August 23

So this is what to expect:

  • You will receive a phone call and an email inviting you to church on alternate Sundays.
  • We will be celebrating Morning Prayer, until the Diocese gives us permission to have Eucharist.
  • Sadly, no singing in church for a while.
  • We will joyously celebrate our community life and faith together with music, prayer, scripture, silence and reflection on God’s word.
  • We won’t be congregating in clumps of people: no exchange of Peace, no coffee hour, no chatting at the church door. We will be welcoming families, or people who have already expanded their “bubble” to sit together.
  • Hand sanitizer and masks will be available at the church door.
  • The collection plate will be at the entryway to church to receive your gifts.
  • We will continue to pray for the whole world as we struggle to be safe and stay connected during this pandemic.
  • The MOST important thing of all is staying safe. The next most important thing is to stay connected. Every single member of our congregation, from oldest to youngest, from every tradition and history is part of our great big family. This is a time for compassion and patience.
  • Thanks to the church leaders who have kept St. Barnabas going, for these many, many decades, since 1891. We are a strong group, and we are known for our loving kindness visible to all. Let’s continue to show that!

I can hardly wait to see you!    Emilie

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