May 31, 2020

Dear People of God at St. Paul’s by-the-Lake,

I am pleased to announce that Bishop Lee is allowing a phased process of reentering our church building beginning June 1. As I write this, there are a number of details still forthcoming from the Diocese, and I am in conversation with the Wardens and Vestry regarding how to implement these guidelines at St. Paul’s.

Unfortunately, there is very little I can say at this stage, not because I (or anyone else) want to keep people in the dark, but because so much is up in the air and, frankly, will continue to be touch-and-go even after June 1. I think it is safe to announce the following:

· Beginning Trinity Sunday (6/7), Sunday Masses will be celebrated and live-streamed from the church building. However, these services will not be open to the public.

· At some point in the future, we will be allowed to have small gatherings (10 people or fewer) for liturgies and meetings.

· Further down the line, we will be permitted to hold services for up to 50 people.

· Only when we have reached Phase 5 of the State of Illinois’ reopening plan will we be able to dispense with attendance limits for services and events.

· The timeframe for all of this will be contingent on the directions of State, City, and Diocesan officials. For this reason, no dates have been set beyond June 7.

· Even as we (slowly!) return to the building, we will have to observe standards of social distancing, facial covering, hygiene, and cleaning.

The realization is growing on all of us that we are not simply “returning to normal” any time in the foreseeable future, but that we will have to rethink and reevaluate much of how we live our daily lives. How we hold worship, fellowship, and outreach is no exception. Expect some things to be different, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable at each stage of the church re-entry process. I understand that this is not just a matter of things being different from our personal preferences. I know from speaking to many of you that there is a deep longing to return to church as a source of solace and stability during this time, and it grieves me that we cannot do that in a simple or straightforward manner.

We will continue to update you on this reentry process as we move along, and as more becomes clearer. As we continue this difficult and unprecedented journey together, may God’s grace abound in using it to form us more and more into the image of Christ.

Faithfully,
Fr. Kemp+