Dear Friends of Saints James and Andrew,
The Vestry recently met to discuss our remaining local Covid-19 era protocols; all diocesan protocols having previously been rescinded. It was concluded that we will rescind such protocols, but we want to invite the community to reflect on the practice of communion. We will no longer require windows and doors to be open for worship. When the weather allows, we will open them for fresh air to circulate. Ushers will collaborate with the Rector on Sunday mornings, or the Wardens, in her absence. We will continue to use a Flexible Masking Policy as a way to reduce respiratory virus transmission. While the policy was created as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic, we’ve learned it's a healthy practice in general. With regard to masks, the Celebrant and Lay Eucharistic Ministers will no longer be required to mask for distribution of communion and healing prayers. Moving forward it will be a personal decision for each person. With regard to communion: The Church has long held that if you take only one form of Communion (either the bread or the wine) you are fully communed; thus no one should ever feel pressured to receive the wine. For those who would like to receive the wine, there have historically been two ways: drinking from the common cup and intinction (the dipping of the bread into the common cup). When we resumed communion in 2022, drinking from the common cup was permitted, but intinction was not. Effective immediately, we will permit intinction, though the practice is discouraged for two reasons. First, intinction has a complex social and theological history. Here is a brief history of intinction, largely gathered from Daniel Sack’s Whitebread Protestants: Food and Religion in American Culture:
Second, science has much to tell us about the common cup and the practice of intinction. The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts summarized this science well in a letter from Bishop Gates, found here:
We would like to invite each of us to reflect on our own practice of receiving communion. Why do we abstain, intinct, or drink from the common cup? Is it because a caregiver or priest once told us ‘this is the way’? What practice draws us closer to God and the community we worship alongside? What helps us to grow in faith? There is no ‘wrong’ answer, particularly if we are making our decision with intention and care. We welcome your reflections and thoughts. Please do not hesitate to be in touch with our clergy and vestry leaders. Peace, Rev. Heather J. Blais, Rector On behalf of Saints James and Andrew Vestry Dear Friends of Saints James and Andrew,
I am delighted to introduce two familiar faces, who will be serving our community in new ways. Effective March 1, the Rev. Ted Thornton and the Rev. Dr. Molly Scherm will be serving Saints James and Andrew as Priest Associates. What is a Priest Associate? These are clergy who serve in the ministry of the parish at the discretion of the Rector in a non-stipendiary role. They donate their time and talent, as their life and interests allow, to support parish life by sharing their unique gifts. The Rector will typically ask these priests to serve as supply in her absence, and to support special liturgies or educational opportunities. In the instance of the Rev. Ted Thornton, this new title acknowledges an important ministry that already exists. Rev. Ted administers communion on the second Sunday of the month, to allow me to offer healing prayers. He has offered supply at Sunday worship and a funeral for a longtime member in my absence. He shares his particular gift of teaching through one or two teaching sermons each year, and in a gathering this fall he offered an opportunity for the parish to further understand the unfolding events in the Middle East. In the instance of the Rev. Dr. Molly Scherm, this new title acknowledges a new chapter in her role with our parish. After serving as our Associate Rector (a one third time, paid position), Rev. Molly retired from that role to serve in an even more part time role at St. Mary’s in the Mountains in Wilmington, Vermont. She will continue to serve as their Priest-in-Charge until such time she may choose to retire or serve another community. Rev. Molly serving as Priest Associate means that we are her home parish, the community she worships with when she is not serving elsewhere. You may recall we had an intentional period of separation, to help all of us acclimate to this shift in clergy leadership. We will now begin to see Rev. Molly for some special worship services, such as Holy Tuesday, for occasional Sunday supply in my absence (in May), and with time she may offer her teaching gifts with our parish in ways we will discern in the months to come. She has remained the compensated facilitator of the Caregiver Support Group, and she will continue in this role. While both of these priests might be occasionally able to aid in a pastoral emergency, they are not part of the regular pastoral care ministry. Should you have a pastoral concern, please contact Kathryn Aubry-McAvoy, our Pastoral Care Chair, or myself. Our new Priest Associates serve as an act of love for this community, and as a way of living into their ordained ministry during this chapter of their lives. We are blessed by their experience, wisdom, and unique gifts for teaching. They love this community, and I know we love them. I hope you will give them a warm welcome as you see them in these new roles. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to be in touch. Peace, Rev. Heather Blais, Rector Dear friends of Saints James and Andrew, Our faith is like a garden, and we are the gardeners. I once read that to be a great gardener, we might take classes or read books about gardening; nurture our soil; pay attention; visit other gardens; plant seeds; and take chances. This same advice applies to a life of faith. If we want to grow in our faith, we need to adopt a growth mindset. A willingness to learn, take chances, and be changed. From May - August, I will be away on a clergy renewal leave (sabbatical) so that I might tend the garden of my faith by reading and studying; nurturing the soil with prayer, retreat, and pilgrimage; visit other places to be inspired; all while the Holy Spirit plants seeds, that when cared for, will enliven my faith. As parish leadership has planned for this sabbatical, it has been equally important to us that parishioners have the opportunity to enliven their faith, and that Rev. Molly has that same opportunity by taking her annual time away at her cottage in Maine. Our hope is that this summer will be a season of mutual growth, so that when we resume our ministry together this September, we will all have had the chance to tend our gardens, grow, and be changed. Who knows what seeds the Holy Spirit may plant in this season. We can only begin to imagine how She will help us to grow in faith. Enlivening our Faith Summer Worship Program To that end, we have planned a rich array of worship services and a set of diverse and fascinating guest preachers that will most certainly offer an opportunity to enliven our faith. It all kicks off on Sunday, April 23, where our liturgy, designed by our Green Team and Youth Group, will focus on Earth Sunday, and feature guest preacher, Episcopal priest, author, retreat leader, and climate activist the Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas. We will hear from three up-and-coming young leaders within the Episcopal Church. Their fresh perspectives will remind us of the ways the Church continues to grow and evolve, inspiring us to do the same. We will welcome seminarian Silas Kotnour on May 14; seminarian Chris Leung on May 21; and newly ordained transitional deacon, the Rev. Deacon Jimmy Pickett, on May 28. We will hear from leaders within the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, each who serve in a unique ministry context that will help us better appreciate the depth and breadth of the Church’s work in the world, encouraging us to take chances and explore new avenues of our faith. This includes: Lay Evangelist and Co-Coordinator of the diocesan Loving the Questions discernment program, Craig Hammond, on June 11; the Chaplain to the College at Williams College, the Rev. Dr. Valerie Bailey Fischer, on July 4; beloved local Episcopal priest and retired Northfield Mount Hermon teacher, the Rev. Ted Thornton, on July 9; diocesan Missioner for Latino / Hispanic Ministries, the Rev. José Reyes, on August 6; diocesan Canon to the Ordinary, the Rev. Dr. Rich Simpson, on August 13; and the Director of Organizing for Episcopal City Mission out of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, the Rev. Edwin Daniel Johnson, on August 27. Working with our lay worship leaders and preaching guild, we have also put together a series of three Summer Lessons & Carols services. The themes for these services are: Creation on June 25; Taize & Peace on July 16; and Gospel & Hope on August 20. These services will offer readings, hymns, and prayers and are based loosely on the format of the familiar Festival of Lessons & Carols put on by King’s College that many of us listen to each Christmas. Changes and Coverage When the Vestry approved this clergy renewal leave, it was with a clear sense that Rev. Molly should remain ⅓ time, instead of asking her to fulfill both of our responsibilities. Given Rev. Molly serves more than ⅓ time for much of the year, it is our arrangement that she takes most of the summer from late June - August to enjoy her camp in Maine, though she remains accessible through email and phone. This is what fills her cup back up, allowing her to return to this parish and engage in our mutual ministry together.
This decision meant that parish leadership needed to make some intentional decisions about which aspects of parish ministry need to continue as is and what could be adapted or laid fallow. To that end the Vestry has determined the following:
As a faith community, it will be important that we adjust our expectations during the summer, and that we be patient and gentle with one another as we adapt to reduced staffing and volunteer lay leaders who are carrying extra responsibilities. Lastly, I want to thank you, the Vestry, the Staff, and Rev. Molly for the gift you are giving me to rest and renew this summer. Know how beloved this community is to me, you will remain in my prayers, and I will look forward to returning in September and continuing our ministry together. In the meantime, let’s spend some time reflecting this summer: Where has our faith grown stagnant? What new experiences might inspire us or plant new seeds? What do we need to pay closer attention to? How might we take new chances? Life is short, and our God of abundant, transformative Love wants to see each of us blossom into the fullness of who we were made to be. This summer, let us together enliven our faith. Faithfully yours, Rev. Heather |
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