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Covid Sabbath - June 13 to 25


Dear Friends,

Back in March, the Bishops and Standing Committee of our diocese sent all the churches a letter urging us to take a "Covid Sabbath". You can read their letter HERE. While they asked us to take a couple weeks off in the first half of 2022, we knew we couldn't do so until Lent, Holy week, Easter, the Institution, the Confirmation, and Barb and Anna's services were planned and held. So we planned to take 13 days off the day after Confirmation. Our Covid Sabbath will run from June 13th-June 25th.

So what will Covid Sabbath mean for us? The letter suggests giving all clergy and church employees two weeks off to rest from two years of Covid pivoting. As such, Katy and I will be taking those 13 days away from all church work. Lynn does not feel she needs a Covid Sabbath as she is relatively new to St. Paul's, so she will be in the office 10 hours a week to field any messages that come our way. We will not have a vestry meeting in June, and we urge all of our volunteers and lay leaders to take some time to rest. Take a nap, read a novel, or go kayaking when you might normally be in a meeting or answering church email. Each group that might be scheduled to meet between June 13-25 should decide amongst themselves what the most life-giving thing to do is.

A couple teams will be very much "on" during the Covid Sabbath. Our Healing Prayer Team, led by Valerie Gaines, will be offering a healing service at 10am on Sunday June 19th at our regular worship time. I am deeply grateful to them for providing this balm to the souls of those who come to church that day. Members of our anti-racism group will be hopping on a bus on June 18th to go to the Poor People's Campaign March in Washington DC. For these teams, we encourage folks to find another time to step away for Sabbath. "To everything there is a time and a purpose under heaven"; it just doesn't always align with everyone else's time!

I want to acknowledge two points of imperfection in this Covid Sabbath. First, I know many of you have exhausting work that you have engaged every bit as deeply as Katy and I have engaged our work here during the pandemic. Many of you have been on (or closer to) the front lines of Covid, working in healthcare, schools, mental health, and various other emotionally/spiritually/mentally/physically draining vocations throughout these past couple years. You deserve Covid Sabbath too, and that may or may not be a forthcoming reality for you. If there is anything we can do to help you find Sabbath, please let us know. Secondly, Katy and I have unexpectedly been a bit absent from church these past couple weeks already as we have both been infected with Covid after having dodged it for two years. For about five minutes I considered rethinking the Covid Sabbath due to this unexpected set back, but I know that we need it and I know that St. Paul's will neither lose love nor momentum in this lull in activity.

I pray each of you can take some time to breathe, turn off your alarm clocks, follow your spirit through the day, inhale the ocean, nap in the sun, and know yourself to be beloved as a state of being completely separate from what you give, do, produce, or tackle in this life you live. Thank you for giving us this time to recharge and prepare ourselves for the exciting work ahead in a new season of ministry with you.

Yours in Christ,

becky-signature_71


Tags: Events / Rector's Reflections

The Rev. Becky Gettel
Rector

    The Rev. Becky Gettel

    Rector

    The Rev. Becky Gettel joined us in March 2020 as Rector of St. Paul’s. Raised in RI, Becky went to Rhode Island College for her degree in Art Education, but detoured to Togo, West Africa to volunteer with the Peace Corps before launching into her teaching career. When she returned, she taught art for a short time, but ultimately became a Director of Christian Formation which led her to seminary. She attended the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge and received her Masters in Divinity in 2012, the same year that she began an eight year long ministry as Associate Rector of Trinity Church in Concord. Becky is delighted to have found St. Paul’s and to live in Natick now, in our rectory, with her trumpet-playing husband, Greg, and their two children. When not on Zoom, the Gettels are having a great time getting to know Natick by bike, foot, and kayak.

    Sermons

    • Mar 6 | The Rev. Becky Gettel
      Wilderness: Lent 1
    • Jan 9 | The Rev. Becky Gettel
      Baptism: Go With the Flow
    • Jan 2 | The Rev. Becky Gettel
      Epiphany
    • Dec 24 | The Rev. Becky Gettel
      Christmas Eve
    • Dec 12 | The Rev. Becky Gettel
      Dear John

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    39 East Central Street · Natick, MA 01760
    (508) 655-5880
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    Service Times

    9:00 a.m. In-person & Live-Streamed Service:

    Join with the community of St. Paul's Natick as we gather for our Sunday morning Eucharistic Liturgy. During the months of July and August we gather at 9:00 a.m. in our lower church Sherrill Hall space - where it's cooler! This service runs about an hour long. Masks are currently required. As an added bonus, we are able to sing together because we are masked.


    Our in-person service is available to attend virtually as a Zoom webinar and is also live-streamed to both our YouTube and Facebook pages so that you have a choice of platforms!

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    St. Paul's Episcopal Church
    39 East Central Street
    Natick, MA 01760

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