I am sure you have been following the news about the re-opening of Places of Worship this past week. The restrictions went from no gatherings whatsoever at Places of Worship, to Governor Cuomo allowing gatherings of no more than 10 and Parking Lot gatherings at Places of Worship, to President Trump demanding that all Places of Worship be opened this Sunday for Worship. Last Tuesday, Grace’s Congregation Council determined that Grace would continue to follow the NYForward Plan restrictions established by Governor Cuomo and all best practices given by the State of New York and the CDC. As of now, Governor Cuomo’s restriction to no more than 10 people in a Place of Worship is still in force for New York and Grace will be abiding by this limit until the Governor updates the rule. Even before this roller-coaster ride that Places of Worship were taken on in the last few days, Grace’s Congregation Council and Worship and Music Committee were in the process of planning ahead for how Grace will reopen and gather for worship again once our area of New York is moved to Phase 4 of the NYFoward plan. As of last Tuesday, the Congregation Council was anticipating that, given the NYForward plan’s timetable, the earliest Grace could be gathering for worship would be July 12th if the Mid-Hudson region moves smoothly through Phases 1-3. However, this timetable may been changing – it seems that the only thing certain these days is the uncertainty of things in these days. What will not change in any case, is Grace’s commitment to doing whatever is necessary to provide the safest and most comfortable experience for everyone once we begin gathering again at Grace. This will mean that things will be rather different from when we last gathered at Grace for worship on March 8th – it is almost hard to believe it has been that long! Details about what we can expect and what will be expected of each of us will be coming in the future. Until there is clarity about “when” and “how,” I hope you can stay connected through the online worship opportunities and all the other wonderful means that our technology affords for us to stay in touch virtually. I look forward to seeing you all as soon as we can do so! Stay safe. Stay well. Peace, Pastor Chris |