Regathering changes approved by Vestry

The clergy, vestry, and health advisory officers of Eastern Shore Chapel met on Tuesday, May 25 to determine protocol for public worship and other aspects of parish life since the recent loosening of restrictions by both Governor Northam and Bishop Susan Haynes. Below is a list of procedural items agreed upon by the group. This protocol is effective beginning Sunday, May 28.

General

1. Reservations for services are no longer needed.
2. Taking temperatures of individuals will be discontinued.
3. Disinfection will be done between the 8am and 10:30 am services. (Reminder: 8 AM Rite I services begin on Sunday, June 6)
4. Hand sanitizers will be available at entrances.

Distancing

1. Exchange of the Peace will be without contact (no handshaking, hugging)
2. Entrance and egress doors will be by personal choice
3. Transepts will be designated for those preferring more distancing. 
4. The bell choir will move to the balcony effective Thursday, May 27.
5. Communion will continue in the pews with individually packaged kits.
6. No coffee hour, or summer breakfast cooking for now.
7. All serving, distribution and collection functions will be performed
8. with mask and gloves.
9. Offering collection will continue as is.
10. Children’s summer service program (on 1st and 3rd Sundays) will be outdoors when possible.
11. Protocol for Christian Formation activities will be determined in the near future.

Masks

1. Masks are optional for all.
2. Those who are not immunized are advised to wear a mask.
3. Parents make the mask decision for their children.
4. Wearing of masks does not imply lack of immunization.

Singing

1. No congregational singing will be permitted at the 8 am Rite I service. 
2. Congregational and choir singing at the 10:30 AM Rite II service
3. will be “masks optional,” as an individual choice.

Corporate Worship Restrictions Lifted

Following a meeting with health advisers this past Monday, Bishop Susan Haynes has lifted most all pandemic-related restrictions and returned decision making to the rectors and vestries of the Diocese of Southern Virginia. Eastern Shore Chapel’s vestry and clergy will meet on Tuesday, May 25 to determine new, long term policies for public worship after this Sunday, May 23.

For Pentecost Sunday, May 23 only, the following temporary guidelines will apply:

1. No registration is required. Please arrive early to ensure available seating in the sanctuary.
2. Masks will be required.
3. Physical distancing will not be mandated.
4. Congregational singing is not yet permitted.
5. The parish hall will be open for live stream viewing for those who are uncomfortable being in less than 6 feet proximity to others in the sanctuary.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during an uncharted time of transition. Details about the new policies for public worship will be conveyed to the parish following next Tuesday’s vestry meeting.

In the meantime, please know that we will return once again to an 8 AM Rite I Eucharist (in addition to the current 10:30 AM Rite II service) each Sunday morning, beginning Sunday, June 6.

Again, thanks and blessings for your patience and faithfulness.

Cameron

The Rev. Cameron Randle, Rector

Seminarian to Join ESC Staff

We are very pleased to announce that seminarian Anne Zobel will be joining us for the next two years as a part of her professional Field Education placement. Anne has been assigned to us by Bishop Haynes for ministry development and mentorship. She will be incorporated into the ESC community starting in the Fall of 2021.

Anne and her husband Dave met and were married at Eastern Shore Chapel and she is thrilled to get to reconnect with her former faith family at ESC. Anne is in the process of completing her first year of graduate studies at Bexley Seabury Seminary in Chicago, IL. Bexley Seabury offers a hybrid method of seminary education with a blend of online coursework interspersed with weekends in Chicago. (The Rev. Melody Perdue is a recent graduate of Bexley Seabury.)

 

Anne is pursuing a new model of ministry called the bi-vocational priesthood. God willing, she hopes to continue in her private practice as an LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) while serving parishes that may not be able to afford a full-time rector. Her work at ESC will be supervised by The Rev. Cameron Randle.

 

Welcome Anne!

All Aboard for Adult Confirmation

Our gospel reading from St. John for this coming Sunday portrays Jesus as the true vine, with God the Father described as the vinegrower. A chief characteristic of the divine vinegrower is to prune the branches (churches, parishes, individuals?) to enable the unfettered production of fruit.

If you are interested in experiencing a more productive and rewarding spiritual life, it may be that formally and publicly aligning oneself with the teachings of Jesus is a step in that direction. Any adults interested in exploring Confirmation (confirming the essence of baptism and a profession of faith in Jesus as Christ and Savior) are invited to prepare by joining in a series of conversations to be held in May and June.

 

Please contact Fr. Cameron or Rev. Melody if you are drawn to this dialogue. Bishop Susan Haynes will be officiating at a Confirmation service scheduled for Sunday, July 11 at Eastern Shore Chapel. If your faith background is Roman Catholic or Evangelical Lutheran, you would be Received (rather than Confirmed) into the Episcopal Church.

 

For those who are already confirmed Episcopalians, but are seeking a deeper relationship with God and a renewal of commitment to that process, you may wish to Reaffirm your faith when Bishop Haynes visits.

 

To discuss or obtain more information, please contact our clergy at 757-428-6763.

 

“May the Holy Spirit, who has begun a good work in you, direct and uphold you in the service of Christ and his kingdom. Amen.”  (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 419)

Worship Hours Extended Through May

Regathering for collective worship continues at Eastern Shore Chapel, with singular Sunday services at 10:30 AM extended through May 30, 2021. Please join us for Holy Eucharist at 10:30 AM on Sundays, either in person or via livestream on our YouTube channel. For those opting to attend in person, please continue to register in advance of each Sunday service.

Looking forward: Sunday, May 9 is Mother’s Day. Sunday, May 16 is a special Youth Service, planned and conducted by our youth confirmands. Sunday, May 23 is Pentecost, with the sacrament of Holy Baptism. 

 

Communion Kits Go Out This Saturday

 

If you plan to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion at home or elsewhere while viewing our livestream services, please know that members of ESC Altar Guild will be distributing communion kits “to go” this Saturday, April 24, from 9 AM until 11 AM.

Simply drive through the parish parking lot this Saturday morning to receive the consecrated elements for future use. Altar Guild members will be stationed in front of the main entrance. Our thanks to Altar Guild for this extra effort in keeping us all connected!

 

Bishop Haynes To Visit ESC; Adult Confirmands Welcome

Our diocesan bishop, The Rt. Rev. Susan B. Haynes, will pay her first episcopal visit to Eastern Shore Chapel on Sunday, July 11, 2021 at a service time to be announced. Bishop Haynes will join us to officiate at a Eucharist celebrating the sacrament of Confirmation. A number of ESC youth and their mentors have been preparing for Confirmation for several months.

If you are an adult who is interested in knowing more about Confirmation in your own life, and have not been previously confirmed in the Episcopal Church, please contact Rev. Melody or Fr. Cameron for information about the process leading to Confirmation on July 11. (mperdueseasternshorechapel.org or crandle@easternshorechapel.org).

 

During May and June, adult confirmands will explore the implications of Confirmation in a series of flexible and convenient conversations with clergy. If you aren’t formally affiliated with the Episcopal Church, please give prayerful consideration to doing so this summer.

Opportunities for pastoral care training

By Rev. Melody Perdue

Have you ever walked into a situation with someone who is in need and wondered, “What do I say?” or “How do I pray?”

As we open our doors both for worship and ministry, I would like to invite members of Eastern Shore Chapel to join me in a Pastoral Care Training program offered through the School for Christian Faith and Leadership in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. This course is ideal for those interested in Lay Eucharistic Visitation, our healing prayer ministry, our Pastoral Care Response teams, or anyone seeking guidance to better care for others. If you have been trained in Stephen’s Ministry, this is a great refresher course.

This course will be offered on zoom Monday evenings beginning Apr 19th, from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, and will be taught by Rev. Joan Crittenden.

Over this six-week course learn the basic and advanced skills of pastoral care. Care for one another is a calling of the body of Christ. In this biblically grounded training, participants will explore a biblical model of care, basic and advanced skills of pastoral care, guidelines for home and hospital visitations, and the value of prayer.

• Week 1: Biblical Basis for Pastoral Care
• Week 2: Basic Skills for Caring
• Week 3: Advanced Skills for Caring
• Week 4: The Use of the Bible and Guidelines for Home Visitation
• Week 5: Pastoring in the Spirit
• Week 6: Caring for People in Crisis

The Rev. Joan Crittenden is a deacon in the Episcopal Church currently serving at Christ Church in LaPlata, MD and Christ Church in Wayside, MD, a volunteer chaplain at Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center and a palliative care chaplain at SagePoint Senior Living Services. She also serves as an end-of-life doula. Deacon Crittenden is on a mission to help prospective lay caregivers develop good pastoral care skills.

To register, click here or email Rev. Melody at mperdue@easternshorechapel.org