[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm0tbb-iUt4[/embedyt]

The following is an automatically generated speech-to-text transcript of the video, with slight editing. 

The Rev. Jed Fox: Hi, I’m the Reverend Jed Fox, Rector of the Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington. As we come into summer, I want to give you a little bit of an update on where we are in terms of reopening. We’re hoping to reopen soon, but we’re waiting on a few different things.

First we’re waiting on the furnace.

Yes, the furnace is still broken and yes, we’re very, very hopeful. We’ve been working very, very diligently on getting it fixed, and we’re very hopeful that that’s going to happen this summer. So that is step one. And being able to meet in this space in-person getting the furnace fixed.

Step two is waiting to see what the governor decides to do.

The governor is changing things. He’s said that he’s hoping to reopen the state June 30th and that’s going to come with some differences in restrictions. So that is another variable that we’re having to take into account.

All that being said, we do have a plan for reopening and it goes like this.

We’re going to start having some outdoor worship services at the end of this month, at the end of June. And those outdoor worship services are going to be away for us to get together physically in a much safer space with some restrictions. And there’ll be more about that. More information about how that’s going to look and what you’ll need to do and bring in order to participate in an outdoor worship service very soon on our website.

In July and August, there might, depending on the furnace and the governor, as I said before, be some indoor  worship services in this space, again, on a very limited basis. Here’s how I want you to think about it. When someone opens a restaurant, they have what’s called a soft opening. And this is when the cooks and the waiters and everybody in the restaurant sort of gets a feel for what works and how things need to be tweaked, a little bit here and there, either in the menu or in table placement, or how servers are apportioned to different tables and all those other variables that a restaurant has to take into account.

They have the soft opening and they get all the kinks worked out and then they have their big grand opening. We’re going to do basically the same thing.

So, if we can, based on all those other variables I talked about, have people in the building for worship in July and August probably way more towards August, probably towards the end.

We’re going to treat that like a soft opening and these are going to be people who are going to be helping us get ready to reopen the space. And, to work out the kinks of what we need to do to, to be in this space and to do it safely. Because as our number one goal, whether it’s outside worship, whether it’s inside worship, in everything we’re doing, our goal is to make this a safe worshipful experience.

That’s incredibly important. First rule of liturgy is no one gets hurt.

So once we’ve worked out all those kinks, hopefully in July and August, our goal and hope is that on the third Sunday in September, Holy Cross Sunday, the Sunday that we’ve traditionally here at Redeemer opened the program year, we’re going to have a grand reopening of the space. All things being equal, based on a whole bunch of variables, especially those I named at the beginning of this video.

The best we know now we’re going to aim for that third Sunday in September, full reopening of this worship space.

Now hearing this, I know that people might be in one of a few, but three particular places, either one. I’m sure some of you may, maybe even many of you, are very ready to get back to Redeemer. So ready to throw open the doors, get everybody back and be together in worship.

There are probably others of you who are maybe not ready. Not sure you’re ready yet. I don’t know if I’m ready. I don’t know if I’m not ready. I need more information.

And maybe there are others of you who are just very confident in the fact that you’re not really ready to be here yet.

And I have something to say to each of those groups.

First to those who are really ready to get back. I understand I’m really ready to get back, too. Please be patient with us as we make sure that we can do this safely. And, if there’s anything you want to offer, anything that you think you could help add to, to getting us ready to do this in a safe and healthy way and intentional way, please let me know. You know, how to get in touch with me I hope by now.

For those people who were in that middle group, that you’re not sure whether you’re ready or you’re not ready and you need more information, please reach out. I want to make sure that you have all the information that, we can give you, that I can give you about what our plan is and how we intend to do this in an intentional and safe way. And then you can, use that information to figure out where you might want to be, whether hearing everything that we’re doing, you’re ready to come back or you’re still not ready. Even, getting all the information that you were wanting.

And for those who are not ready to come back, that’s okay. We’re not going to stop streaming. So if that is useful to you in that interim time to see, to be a part of worship at distance via these virtual means that we’ve been using for the last almost 16 months, don’t worry. That’s not going away. It probably is never going to go away. The church will be here for you and we’re going to work very hard to make sure that you still feel a part of it. You are no less a part of this church. If you can’t be here physically, either because your body won’t allow you or because you just don’t feel ready yet, you are still a part of this church and we’re going to work very hard to  ensure that you feel that way.

And we interact with you that way. And when you get to that point where you might feel ready to come back, we want to make sure that we welcome you back with open arms.

Now you may be feeling a whole bunch of other different ways, and you might feel like you need to talk it out with me. Please. Let me know what questions you have. Come and talk to me: my door, my phone, my email are open for you to chat with me about this.

This is not the last time I’m going to be making a video like this, this summer. You know, things are going to change. That’s the one rule I’ve learned throughout this pandemic is that I make a suggestion, particularly if I put it on video, things change.

And so as things change, I hope that I’ll be able to work with you and you can work with me to be able to go forward intentionally in reopening Redeemer when it’s safe, in a way that is good for all the people, whether they’re ready to come back and need more information or are waiting for just a little bit longer to come back.

So be watching this space, wherever you’re viewing this video for more information about more of the details about what reopening is going to look like as we move forward. And until we see you again, may God’s blessing be with you, Christ’s peace be with you, and the Spirit’s outpouring be with you. Amen.