September 8, 2020
Dear members of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania,
There is a phrase that we hear in Eucharistic Prayer B that resonates with me today: it is, “in the fullness of time.” (BCP pg. 369)
This phrase comes originally from the writing of Saint Paul in his letter to the Galatians when he references the birth of Jesus, God’s act of the incarnation, as having taken place in the “fullness of time.” (Galatians 4:4). The author of the letter to the Ephesians picks up the phrase and, writing about the consummation of time, says it is in the “fullness of time to gather up all things in him, things in heaven, and things on earth.” (Ephesians 1:10). In the Book of Revelation, we hear about a vision of those end times; the author John of Patmos writes with vivid detail about what is to come. There is a sense of urgency in his voice as he opens, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place…”. But, alas, today, in September 2020, we are still waiting.
God’s time is God’s time.
Since March, we have struggled to become accustomed to a new pattern of time. Some quip that “COVID-tide” is the season that we are living in the church today. “Coronavirus-time” is fluid, stretched, and undefined. Weeks melt into weekends, Mondays come again, and, on occasion, we get confused. I have had to look at my calendar more than once in a day to make sure I was “on the right day.” Sunday Church- a favorite grounding space and time in our week- has been altered and, with the luxury of pre-recorded videos, we can now worship at our convenience participating, if we like, in several services on a Sunday, toggling between YouTube and Zoom and Facebook Live. For some of us, this time has enriched our spirituality and opened us to new and exciting ways of being in community. For others, this has been a time of loneliness, isolation and, theologically speaking, a wilderness journey. We do not know when this will end. We do not know when we will be able to resume our usual practices. We have some influence over that (Wear a mask! Wash your hands!) but even as we do all the right things, we still need to wait.
One thing that was clear to me early on in the pandemic is that the safety of our congregations, clergy and diocesan staff has got to come first. I have been heartened by the care with which congregations have structured their worship to ensure safety, and I am so grateful for the spirit of cooperation in adhering to new measures of mask wearing, receiving communion in one kind, and sacrificing communal singing for the welfare of all. Thank you.
In spite of our efforts, we are not yet ready to resume services with large groups of congregants and some of the fleshy, hands-on, incarnational actions that our tradition values- sipping from a common cup, sharing a handshake or hug of peace, gathering in large groups to witness confirmations or ordinations- cannot be safely practiced. Not now. Not yet. I have asked our Task Force on Operations to reconvene and discuss how the original set of guidelines issued in April have worked in their implementation and if there are any changes that the task force would recommend as we approach the seasons of Advent and Christmas.
And with the advice of the Standing Committee, I have elected to postpone any Sunday visitations until the virus abates. My assistant Carolyn Patterson is re-working the current schedule with a tentative re-start date of January 2021. We hope to be able to get me back on the road as soon as possible. Carolyn will be sending the new schedule out very soon and, as January approaches, we will see if we can implement it safely.
In the meantime, I will be offering ministry in these ways:
- I will be available to “video-preach” on Sundays by submitting a pre-recorded sermon or by joining you, live, as a virtual guest preacher. Congregational Clergy: please contact Carolyn for available dates and to get on the calendar.
- I will be offering, again, short videos every Friday morning, posted on our diocesan website.
- I will continue my monthly blog posted on the diocesan website every first Friday.
- I will be beginning a weeknight Zoom Q&A Gathering in the month of October for drop-in visits with me and one of my staff members for conversation and fellowship. This will be the “Bishop out of the Box” event for 4 weeknights in October and will continue on a monthly basis after that.
- I will be hosting two “Confirmation Conferences” on Zoom- one for youth and one for adult confirmation candidates whose preparation is underway but whose confirmation liturgies will be postponed until a later date. The dates for these conferences will be announced shortly.
All of this is in an effort to be present to you, to hear how you are doing, and to offer prayers and words of hope until we can be together again.
Our diocesan staff will be similarly “sheltering” until the new year, but also available to parishes by phone, email and zoom. If the clergy of your congregation would like one of our Canons, Dan, Chris and/or Robyn, to virtually guest preach, please contact them directly at [email protected], [email protected], [email protected].
I pray that by these efforts we can stay connected, strong in our faith, and encouraged as God’s people living in the Way of Love.
I am grateful for all of you, and in the name of our Lord Jesus, pray every good blessing upon you.
In the Way of Love,
The Rt. Rev. Audrey C. Scanlan
XI Bishop
