Earlier this year, Presiding Bishop Curry invited Episcopal parishes to consider supporting the Good Friday Offering. Since 1922, Episcopalians have supported ministries of the dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East through special offerings during their Good Friday services. These offerings provide critical assistance to the ministries of this Province to promote peace and mutual understanding through pastoral care, as well as health and educational programs throughout the region.
On March 17, 2020, in response to the coronavirus global health crisis and the recommendation from the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to suspend public gatherings of more than 10 people, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry sent a message to Episcopalians concerning the suspension of in-person gatherings for public worship during the sacred time of Holy Week and Easter Day and possibly beyond.
“It is important to emphasize the suspension of in-person gatherings is not a suspension of worship. I very much encourage and support online worship,” said Curry.
The move to online worship has also affected giving patterns. Just as Episcopalians are finding ways to worship together while remaining physically apart, more churches are now offering ways for members to give online.
Recognizing that for many Episcopalians, the Good Friday Offering is an important part of their Holy Week tradition, offerings may now be made through both a secure donation webpage as well as a text giving option: text “GFO” to 91999. These options enable continuation of the spiritual practice of giving while participating in a virtual worship service.
For more information about the Good Friday Offering, contact the Rev. Robert Edmunds, Middle East Partnership Officer at redmunds@episcopalchurch.org For questions about online giving or to make a gift by phone, contact April Frazier, Gift Processing Officer, at 212-716-6002.
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
As we learn how to adjust our lives given the reality of the coronavirus and the request to do our part to slow its spread by practicing physical distancing, I invite you to join me each week to take a moment to cultivate a ‘habit of grace.’ A new video meditation will be posted on Mondays through May.
March 30, 2020: Love God, love your neighbor, love yourself
Last week I was reading in Matthew 22 and I noticed something that I hadn’t seen before. Matthew 22 is Holy Week, it’s smack dab in the middle of Holy Week. The conflict in Jerusalem is escalating. Jesus knows this and it’s at that point that he’s tested by, clearly someone who probably was trying to entrap him. He knows that. It was the guy who came up and said, “What is the greatest law in the entire legal edifice of Moses?” And Jesus responds, drawing on what Moses taught in the Hebrew scriptures, in Deuteronomy and Leviticus, “You shall love the Lord your God with all yourself, all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.” And then he says, “On these two, hang all the law and the prophets.”
It hadn’t occurred to me that when Jesus said that, he was actually talking about how you live in an uncertain period of time. About how you live in any period of time. But how you navigate in particular in uncertain territory and tough territory. He was in uncertain territory in Holy Week, and it was tough territory. It wasn’t a pandemic. It was a passion. And he said, “Love God with everything you got. Love your neighbor in the same way. Love yourself.”
And so I decided last week that I was going to make sure every day I did three things very simply, or at least thought about them. How can I love God today? Very simply, nothing complex. How can I love my neighbor, others? How can I love myself? And it occurred to me that just sometimes asking the question, you may or may not have an answer, but you may figure out an answer for that day. That sometimes just asking the question can help in times of uncertainty, in days of pandemic, and in times when the days are just going to keep going on and on and on.
How can I love God today? How can I love my neighbor today? How can I love Michael today? One thing I’ve started doing in my prayer list, is keeping a list of groups of people to pray for. And I’ve been praying for first responders, folk who work in hospitals, the folk who keep the grocery stores open, the pharmacies, police officers, firefighters, ambulance folk. People we can’t even see. People who keep the Internet going. I mean all sorts of folk. And so, I would offer this prayer for all of them.
All of the people we don’t see, but who help to keep life livable, even in time of pandemic.
Keep watch dear Lord with those who work, or watch, or weep. And give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ. Give rest to the weary. Bless the dying. Soothe the suffering. Pity the afflicted. Shield the joyous. And all for your love’s sake. Amen.
Love God, love your neighbor, and love yourself, day by day.
God love you, and you keep the faith.
—The Most Reverend Michael Curry,
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
The Most Rev. Michael Curry
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as Chair of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church.
Presiding Bishop Curry was installed as the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church on November 1, 2015. He was elected to a nine-year term and confirmed at the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 27, 2015.
The descendant of enslaved Africans brought to North America by way of the trans-Atlantic slave routes, Presiding Bishop Curry was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 13, 1953. Presiding Bishop Curry’s father was an Episcopal priest and his mother was a devout Episcopalian. She died at a young age, and Presiding Bishop Curry, along with his sister, was raised by his father and his grandmother. His father, mother, and grandmother grounded him in Christian beliefs and practices through their example and their teachings.
He attended public schools in Buffalo, New York, and, even at a young age, he learned about social activism through his father’s leadership and his own dedication to righting a broken world.
He is married to the former Sharon Clement, and they have two adult daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth.
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
Spiritual and religious, but not contagious: spiritual practices in a pandemic.
Here are a few resources that I’ve compiled to assist people as we navigate the COVID-19-related physical distancing and the Stay Home Order.
Scripture
Bible.oremus.org: A free bible lookup online, with the King James Version and New Revised Standard Version available.
Church Publishing
Book of Common Prayer
For those who are at home and do not have a copy, we have made an easy-to-navigate PDF version of the Book of Common Prayer available.
Adult and Children Spirituality
Barbara Cawthorne Crafton, well-known author and retreat leader, offers Living Lent, meditations on the hymns of the season. Those who have known the hymns forever, as well as those who are new to these verses, will find them and Crafton’s meditations on faith, prayer, forgiveness, healing, and more, an excellent companion for the Lenten season.
For children, Karin Holsinger Sherman offers Candle Walk, a beautiful illustrated picture book that prepares children for sleep by taking them on a candlelit wander through the woods and inviting them to experience Compline, a centuries-old practice of contemplative evening prayer. Appropriate for toddlers through elementary aged children, it is a wonderful way to prepare children for sleep, assured of the nearness of God. The Order of Compline from the Book of Common Prayer is also included at the back of the book.
Episcopal Relief and Development
Lent: subscribe to Lenten Meditations or listen on this page.
Forward Day By Day podcast and Daily Prayer are two resources from Forward Movement. Forward Movement is an independent company that creates many of the pamphlets which can be picked up in the narthex (church entry hall), including Forward Day by Day.
Books
We are in a season where we are encouraged not to seek the exterior world, but invites us into the interior. Here are some suggestions for books that speak to the spiritual interior and the moral interior of ourselves. Most of these are linked to Third Place Books, who is offering free shipping through the end of March 2020.
On the Side of the Poor: The Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutierrez (N.B. I have not read this yet, but have read other works by Fr. Gutierrez, who is one of the foundational minds of Liberation Theology.)
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
As we learn how to adjust our lives given the reality of the coronavirus and the request to do our part to slow its spread by practicing social distancing, I invite you to join me each week to take a moment to cultivate a ‘habit of grace.’ A new video meditation will be posted on Mondays through May.
March 23, 2020: Pandemic
Hello. This past week I came across two passages, one from the Bible, one a poem. The one in the Bible, I was just reading through parts of Matthew’s gospel and was reading through the Sermon on the Mount and got to chapter seven where Jesus says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
In this time when we are all called to physically distance from each other, physical, not social, but physical isolation for the good of each other. I’m mindful of the words of Jesus when he said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Maybe that’s a frame for having to live in a time of physical isolation.
The other thing that I came across was a poem. It was in an email from Thistle Farms, a ministry that many of us know, led by Becca Stevens. It was a poem called Pandemic. It’s by a poet named Lynn Ungar, who’s also an ordained minister, and in the poem she says:
What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath—
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has become clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love–
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.
Have a blessed week. God love you and keep the faith.
—The Most Reverend Michael Curry,
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
Poem Used with permission of the author, Lynn Ungar.
The Most Rev. Michael Curry
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as Chair of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church.
Presiding Bishop Curry was installed as the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church on November 1, 2015. He was elected to a nine-year term and confirmed at the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 27, 2015.
The descendant of enslaved Africans brought to North America by way of the trans-Atlantic slave routes, Presiding Bishop Curry was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 13, 1953. Presiding Bishop Curry’s father was an Episcopal priest and his mother was a devout Episcopalian. She died at a young age, and Presiding Bishop Curry, along with his sister, was raised by his father and his grandmother. His father, mother, and grandmother grounded him in Christian beliefs and practices through their example and their teachings.
He attended public schools in Buffalo, New York, and, even at a young age, he learned about social activism through his father’s leadership and his own dedication to righting a broken world.
He is married to the former Sharon Clement, and they have two adult daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth.
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
A word to the Church regarding Holy Week and Easter Day from the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church:
Dear People of God,
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
These affirmations are at the very heart of our faith as followers of Jesus Christ.
In public services of Holy Week and Easter we solemnly contemplate, commemorate, and rededicate our lives as witnesses to life made possible in the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Together with Christmas, Holy Week and Easter are the holiest of days in our life together in Christ.
Last week I stated publicly my support for bishops who, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, decide “for a designated period of time . . . to cancel in-person gatherings for public worship.” I write now concerning the need to suspend in-person gatherings for public worship, in most contexts, during the sacred time of Holy Week and Easter Day. Because this is a global health crisis, the principles in this letter apply throughout The Episcopal Church, including beyond the United States.
On March 15th the Centers for Disease Control recommended the suspension of public gatherings in the U.S. of more than 50 people for the next 8 weeks. On March 16th officials of the federal government asked persons in the U.S. to “avoid gatherings of more than 10 people” for the next 15 days. It is reasonable to assume that some form of recommendations restricting public gatherings will continue for some time.
Considering this changing landscape, I believe that suspension of in-person public worship is generally the most prudent course of action at this time, even during Holy Week and on Easter Day. I am also mindful that local situations vary. Bishops must make this determination and the duration of said suspension in their respective dioceses, based on the public health situation in their context and the recommendations or requirements of government agencies and officials.
It is important to emphasize that suspension of in-person gatherings is not a suspension of worship. I very much encourage and support online worship.
In the Gospels, the teachings of Jesus about the way of love cluster during Holy Week and Easter (see John 13-17, Matthew 22:34-40). The primacy of love in the Gospels is given its fullest expression in the shadow of the cross. This way of unselfish, sacrificial love, the way of the cross, is the way of God and the way of life.
It is out of this love for our fellow humans, our neighbors, that we forego the blessing of being physically together for worship. In so doing we seek to promote health and healing needed at this time.
God bless you and keep the faith,
+Michael
The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
March 17, 2020
The Most Rev. Michael Curry
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as Chair of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church.
Presiding Bishop Curry was installed as the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church on November 1, 2015. He was elected to a nine-year term and confirmed at the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 27, 2015.
The descendant of enslaved Africans brought to North America by way of the trans-Atlantic slave routes, Presiding Bishop Curry was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 13, 1953. Presiding Bishop Curry’s father was an Episcopal priest and his mother was a devout Episcopalian. She died at a young age, and Presiding Bishop Curry, along with his sister, was raised by his father and his grandmother. His father, mother, and grandmother grounded him in Christian beliefs and practices through their example and their teachings.
He attended public schools in Buffalo, New York, and, even at a young age, he learned about social activism through his father’s leadership and his own dedication to righting a broken world.
He is married to the former Sharon Clement, and they have two adult daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth.
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
Hello. Last week while we were all planning and trying to reorder our lives and adapt to the new reality that we are in, I was texting back and forth with the Reverend Gay Clark Jennings, President of the House of Deputies, as we often do. And in the course of our texts back and forth, she asked, “Have you ever thought about maybe doing a short meditation each week for the church while we’re in these days of the coronavirus?” I texted her back and said, “That’s a good idea.” And so this week we began what I think will be a weekly short meditation [Habits of Grace]. Just a word or a song, not sung by me, but a song, a poem, a prayer. Just something for the week in which we are living.
I keep a prayer list on my cell phone in the little note section of the iPad and I’ve noticed that that list is increasing. But the reality is while I often always say my prayer time early in the morning, there’s more time even during the rest of the day now. And so maybe the habit of prayer can increase a bit for me and maybe for us.
One of the things that I’m aware of is that consistent habits, what some have called habits of grace, can really be helpful especially in unsettling times. I was watching television and saw where in Milan and throughout Italy apparently, a movement has begun. Apparently at six o’clock every evening everyone who is in their apartment is socializing by coming out on the porch and at six o’clock they begin to applaud. They just start clapping. And everyone claps and applauds as a way of saying thank you to the medical folk who are working, the first responders who are working. Just a way of saying thank you. And then the applause moves into or morphs into a song. And they sometimes sing their national anthem or sing some other song, every day at six. A habit of grace. A way of centering the day. Whatever way you do it, find and keep that habit of grace or those habits of grace that center the day. Tomorrow, Tuesday, will be St. Patrick’s Day. There won’t be a parade, but maybe we can say a prayer attributed to St. Patrick.
I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Holy Trinity. Through belief in the three-ness, through confession of the oneness, the creator of all creation. So Christ be with me. Christ before me. Christ behind me. Christ within me. Christ beneath me. Christ above me. Christ on my right. Christ on my left. Christ when I lie down. Christ when I sit up. Christ when I arise. Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me. Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me. Christ in the eye of everyone who sees me. Christ in every ear that hears me. Christ in the heart of friend and stranger. *
God bless you. God keep you. And may God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.
—Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
*Used with permission of OurCatholicPrayers.com. Find the complete prayer.
The Most Rev. Michael Curry
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as Chair of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church.
Presiding Bishop Curry was installed as the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church on November 1, 2015. He was elected to a nine-year term and confirmed at the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 27, 2015.
The descendant of enslaved Africans brought to North America by way of the trans-Atlantic slave routes, Presiding Bishop Curry was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 13, 1953. Presiding Bishop Curry’s father was an Episcopal priest and his mother was a devout Episcopalian. She died at a young age, and Presiding Bishop Curry, along with his sister, was raised by his father and his grandmother. His father, mother, and grandmother grounded him in Christian beliefs and practices through their example and their teachings.
He attended public schools in Buffalo, New York, and, even at a young age, he learned about social activism through his father’s leadership and his own dedication to righting a broken world.
He is married to the former Sharon Clement, and they have two adult daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth.
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
I am reminded in the last several days of the Beatitude the Gospel-writers forgot:
Blessed are the flexible, for they shall never be bent out of shape.
As we continue to monitor the situation and plan accordingly, I wanted to update you on what the plan is for Church of the Redeemer. As you no doubt already have heard, the Governor has banned all events of 250 or more people (phew, just missed us) and Public Health—Seattke and King County has banned all events of less than 250 that do not meet the following requirements (New Limits on Large Gatherings, Other Emergency Strategies to Slow the Spread of COVID-19):
Older and vulnerable individuals have been encouraged not to attend.
Recommendations for social distancing and limiting close contact are met.
Employees or volunteers leading an event are screened for symptoms each day.
Proper hand washing, sanitation, and cleaning is readily available.
Environmental cleaning guidelines are followed (that is, clean and disinfect high touch surfaces daily or more frequently).
There are several churches throughout the Seattle Metro area which have chosen to close their buildings and move to virtual meetings, including St. Marks Cathedral. It is my intention to continue to open Church of the Redeemer to God’s people unless and until told to close by the Bishop or Public Health. That could be as soon as tomorrow (Insert joke about giving up church for Lent here) or never.
Until then, the policy of attendance at Redeemer is to use your best judgement about whether attendance in person is best for your own health and well being.Do Not Come to Church if You Are Sick!
Additionally, following the instructions of Public Health—Seattle and King County:
There is no education, adult or children’s, at the church until further notice. We are working diligently to find alternative methods of education.
Please give thorough and serious consideration as to whether in person attendance is worth it if you are 60+, have an underlying health condition, or are in any way immunocompromised.
Those who do attend worship in person should practice social distancing, remaining 6 feet from any other person. As luck would have it, the benches that make up our pews are five feet long. So leave a little further than a bench length between you and your neighbor.
All other precautions, such as no chalice, frequent washing or sanitizing of hands, and so forth, continue.
Blessed are the flexible, the gospel writers forgot to add, yes that seems about right. I feel confident that this will not be the last time that I write to you this week. As I said in a previous email, please continue to pray for each other, for Church of the Redeemer, for the most vulnerable in the greater Seattle area, and especially for healthcare providers who are bearing the brunt of this pandemic. And, remember the words of the Apostle Paul,
What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31,35,37-38)
May Christ’s Peace and Love be with each of you,
Fr. Jed
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
From the Most Reverend Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, about coronavirus and COVID-19:
In this time when we are all affected by the coronavirus, whether directly or indirectly, whether physically, biologically, psychologically, spiritually, and for many economically, it may be helpful to remember that we’re in this together.
Jesus came among us in the first place, to show us the way to be right and reconcile with the God who is the creator of us all, and right and reconciled with each other as children of this one god who has created us all, and therefore as sisters, brothers, and siblings, one of another.
Jesus came to show us how to be in a relationship with God and in relationship with each other, came to show us how to live not simply as collections of individual self-interest, but how to live as the human family of God. That’s why he said love the Lord your God, love your neighbor as yourself. Because in that is hope for all of us to be the human family of God.
I was in Cuba the last few days with Bishop Griselda and the good people of the diocese there as we received and welcomed them as a full part of The Episcopal Church. A while back when she spoke to the last diocesan synod before they became part of The Episcopal Church, she said, and I quote, “The reason we must become part of The Episcopal Church is so that we can be part of a big family.” She spoke by prophecy. We are all part of a big family. Bigger than our biological families, bigger than our immediate families, bigger than our congregations, bigger than our dioceses, bigger than our cities, our states, our nation.
We are part of the human family of God. Jesus came to show us that his way of love is the way of life. It’s God’s human family.
We are in a time when remembering that may be important for all of us.
We are in this together.
What affects some directly affects all indirectly.
We are part of a family. The human family of God.
Just over the weekend the head of the World Health Organization, said this, and I quote, “We have seen this coming for years. Now is the time to act. This is not a drill. This epidemic can be pushed back, but only with collective, coordinated, and comprehensive approach by us all.”
It takes us all. We are family.
And then one of the spokespersons for the European Union, speaking to the member states said this, and I paraphrase: We must share our resources and our information. It is not the possession of any one nation.
In each of those calls, and in the calls of many of our leaders, we have heard again and again, that we are in this together, we can walk through this together, and we will find our way in our life together.
So look out for your neighbors, look out for each other. Look out for yourselves. Listen to those who have knowledge that can help to guide us medically and help to guide us socially. Do everything that we can to do this together, to respond to each other’s needs and to respond to our own needs.
Walk together children, don’t get weary, because there’s a great camp meeting in the promised land.
Allow me to close with this prayer found on the website of Episcopal Relief & Development, where there are resources and where information can be found.
God of the present moment,
God who in Jesus stills the storm
and soothes the frantic heart;
bring hope and courage to all
who wait or work in uncertainty.
Bring hope that you will make them the equal
of whatever lies ahead.
Bring them courage to endure what cannot be avoided,
for your will is health and wholeness;
you are God, and we need you.
This we pray in Christ our Lord. Amen.
God love you. God bless you. May God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.
Faith-Based Response to Epidemics from Episcopal Relief & Development
An epidemic is a large-scale outbreak of an infectious disease, such as influenza or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Role of Churches, Dioceses and Compassionate Christians
Combat fear with knowledge in order to encourage preparedness and decrease stigma.
Maintain operational continuity and continue worship life in the case of potential quarantine and disruption.
Show God’s compassion and care to those in our communities who are affected.
These are general guidelines; decisions should be made in collaboration with Church leadership and health authorities, based on local practices and safety concerns.
General guidelines for churches and dioceses
Connect with local public health authorities to learn about the level of risk in your area and what restrictions are in place
Provide tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles for use.
Say a prayer during service for people who are ill and mail prayer cards to their homes.
Perform routine environmental cleaning in the sanctuary, kitchen hall and other spaces where people gather.
Bolster outreach ministries to prepare to help low-income hourly workers who call out of work. Encourage those who may consider going to work for the sake of income to stay home because you can offer assistance.
Remind people to cover mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough, wash hands after coughing, sneezing, handling diapers, preparing food or using the bathroom and to stay home if feeling ill.
Safe measures and equity for church workers
Sick leave policies should be flexible, non-punitive and consistent with public health guidance. and Employees should be made aware of the policies, realizing that employees may need to take time off for themselves or to care for loved ones in their household.
Do not require a healthcare provider’s note for employees who are sick with acute respiratory illness to validate their illness or to return to work–healthcare provider offices are extremely busy and may recommend that people only come in if absolutely necessary.
Provide disposable wipes for employees to clean off surfaces like laptops and desks.
Perform routine environmental cleaning in the office.
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Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The situation in western Washington with regards to COVID-19 has been evolving rapidly over the last several days, as has the response of the parish and diocese. After conversations with Public Health—Seattle and King County, the Bishop has initiated several requirements for all churches in the Diocese of Olympia:
Diocesan Guidance for COVID-19
This is current as of Thursday, March 5, 2020.
The use of the common cup in the Eucharist is suspended until further notice. Communion will be distributed by the priest only. Priests must wash or sanitize hands directly prior to administering the sacrament. (Insert giving up communion wine for Lent jokes as necessary.)
The Peace must be exchanged without touching. The bishop recommended “Practice bowing, making a prayerful sign to the other person, looking at them lovingly and offering the Peace, but then moving on without touching.”
Holy “water fonts and stoups must be emptied. (Luckily our practice in Lent is to do just that.) If you need holy water from Church of the Redeemer, please make a request of Fr. Jed.
There is to be no passing of the offering plate. (Again not an issue for us at Redeemer.) The plate will continue to be placed on the offering table at the back of the nave (congregational seating area) as you enter.
There will be no food at coffee hour until further notice. There will still be coffee. (We are not barbarians.)
Additional steps for COVID-19 at Church of the Redeemer
In addition to the above steps from the Diocese, Church of the Redeemer is taking additional steps regarding COVID-19 as of March 5, 2020:
All classes, including Adult Education, Deepening Faith, Godly Play, and Building Faith Brick by Brick, are cancelled for this Sunday, March 5, 2020. Further updates will continue next week as to if further cancellations will be necessary.
All commonly touched surfaces will be wiped down with a bleach solution Thursday and Friday, March 5 and 6, as well as by our janitorial service on Saturday. All rental groups will be required to do the same at the end of their meetings, if they happen at all.
Most importantly…
Public Health—Seattle and King County has requested that all people over the age of 60, as well as all people with underlying health conditions, refrain from attending gatherings of 10 or more. Yes, the 8:00 am service has is more than 10 people.
Please use your best judgement as to whether you attend church this Sunday. If you are sick in any way, please, do not come to church. God will understand.
Virtual Church
We are working to find digital means to include those who choose not to be apart of the physical gathering of church on Sunday by other means, such as posting sermons and creating liturgies that can be prayed in solidarity at a distance. Please continue to visit the website and our social media platforms for more updates about distance and virtual parish participation, as well as updates as this situation progresses.
Be not a-feared
It is difficult not to succumb to fear and anxiety when the whole world seems to be awash in it. But, when we feel these feelings, we must remember that God is more powerful and knowing even than the coronavirus and cares for us and will see us through this as well.
The Almighty Lord, who is a strong tower to all who impart their trust, to whom all things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth bow and obey: Be now and evermore your defense, and make you know and feel that the only Name under heaven given for health and salvation is the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
For more information
For more information about COVID-19, see the following:
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
Funeral for the Rev. Canon John Fergueson, Saturday, March 2, 2026, at 10:00 am in Church of the Redeemer. Additional parking available at The Vine Church across 181st Street from Redeemer.
The 6th Sunday of Easter (Year A), May 10, 2026. Services at 8:00 am (no music) and 10:30 (music). Xristos Kuxwoo-digoot! Xegaa-kux Kuxwoo-digoot!
