COVID's out of control again.... So now what?
Dear Friends in Faith,
As you know, the rapidly growing COVID infection rate in the weeks leading into Christmas forced us to make the difficult decision to move back to online-only worship beginning on Christmas eve. I sent the congregation a letter Christmas week detailing that decision and the rationale undergirding it.
Since that time, conditions have worsened significantly, both nationally and locally. COVID cases in Illinois, which last week were the highest they’d been for a year at 10,000-12,000 per day, have grown to more than 30,386 per day – the most we’ve seen since the beginning of the pandemic. (By comparison, there were approximately 300 cases per day being reported when Trinity reopened on July 4.) Many public health authorities expect the Omicron spike to continue to gain momentum in the midst of this holiday season, as many people travel and gather together with friends and family increasing the risk of exposure and subsequent community spread.
When we made the call last week to move Trinity’s services back to an exclusively online format, we had in hand information from the CDC, IDPH and new guidance from the city of Evanston urging people not to gather in groups indoors, citing rapidly deteriorating conditions. The day after we sent the letter, the Village of Skokie issued new guidance including direction for various business and entities. That guidance included a new proof of vaccination order for certain establishments and other safeguards by which all entities were asked to abide. That same day, the Metro Chicago Synod sent new guidance. While they were at pains not to tell congregations what they must do, the essence of the guidance was a recommendation to return to prior protocols.
The letter that was sent to the congregation last week noted that we would be in touch shortly with some more information regarding our move to all-virtual worship again. Given the explosive spread of COVID in the short time since then, as well as the expected near-term negative impact of holiday travel and gatherings and all that means for increased transmission, it will clearly not be prudent to gather for worship and Sunday School in person again in the near-term.
Accordingly, we are planning to remain in “virtual-only” mode at least through the end of January. We will hope and pray that this huge wave of infection abates as rapidly as it has come upon us, and that it won’t be too long before we will be able once again gather in-person to more fully celebrate the connections by which the love and the blessings of God are shared.
I know that you share in my disappointment at this setback. After more than a year of gathering online, it was such a wondrous thing to see one another again when we re-opened this summer. In the 6 months since then, our ministry has been steadily picking up steam again with folks gathering for service projects, Bible studies, Sunday School, confirmation, choirs and, of course, worship…and then this terrible resurgence.
Until we can gather again in person, I invite you to join us for worship virtually on Facebook. I further invite you to join me in prayer for our congregation and for all faith communities so disrupted by the virus as well as those who have fallen ill, their family members, and the fatigued health care workers who care for them.
There is an undeniable darkness about these times of unrelenting pandemic, but there is also a source of unquenchable hope that pierces even the deepest darkness. May we hold tightly to the Gospel promise made in John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
Pr. Brown
tim.brown@trinityevanston.org
www.trinityevanston.org