STATIONS OF THE CROSS On Friday, March 27th at 6:00pm, join us for Stations of the Cross on the church Facebook page.

​SUNDAY MORNINGWORSHIP Join us ONLINE for Morning Prayer this Sunday, March 29th, at 10:45am. Click HERE to get to our YouTube channel. If you tuned into our service on the 22nd, you might have noticed some technical difficulties. We have an updated version of that service on our channel for anyone unable to watch. Our ministry team and staff appreciates everyone's patience during this time. Subscribe to our channel so you can catch our next live service!

LENTEN OUTREACH We are collecting deli meat this week for our Lenten Outreach Project. There is a cooler located at the entrance of the church to protect your donations. 

OFFERING We ask for you remember that your financial commitments are vitally important to the ongoing work of our congregation.  If you are not able to make your offerings in person, you can mail them in or give electronically using our Tithe.ly app. Click HERE for a direct link. If you need any assistance with Tithe.ly or would like someone to personally process your payment email  office@sac-okc.org or memberengagement@sac-okc.org for assistance. 

OFFICE HOURS Our office is currently open from 9:00am - 1:00pm if you have any questions. We will inform you with any changes or updates. We encourage you to stay home and follow the protocols being put in place to keep everyone safe. 
 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, through the earth be moved and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Psalm 46:1-3
Did you know that both our Facebook and Instagram pages are public, and NO ACCOUNT IS NEEDED to follow St. Augustine on social media?
Hop online to watch videos and follow along.

​Dear people of St. Augustine’s,


I have just received a new email from Bishop Ed regarding the corona virus.  Per his mandate, all churches in the Diocese of Oklahoma are to cancel all of their worship services and parish events, effective immediately. It is anticipated that this closure will remain in effect until the Last Sunday in Lent, March 29th. I will keep you apprised of more information as it makes itself available.


Some people have asked me what they can do to help. Here are some concrete steps you can take:

• Call your church friends who do not have regular email access and let them know that we have suspended worship and other church activities for the time being.
• Reach out to your friends, family, and neighbors who may be at heightened riskfrom coronavirus due to age or health concerns. Offer to go grocery shopping, refill their prescriptions, or help with other tasks so that they will not have to go to crowded public places.
• Hold all those affected in your prayers. I hope that you will pray daily.
• Join us online for worship this Sunday via YouTube and/or Facebook Live. A separate communication will be sent out tomorrow with the link to the live-stream address and time of broadcast.
• Remember that our days are in God's hand, and that God will not desert us -- and we will not desert each other.
• Please continue to take safety precautions for yourself and extend compassion and concern to all those around you.

God of the present moment, God who in Jesus stills the storm and soothes the frantic heart; bring hope and courage to all who wait or work in uncertainty. Bring hope that you will make them the equal of whatever lies ahead. Bring them courage to endure what cannot be avoided, for your will is health and wholeness; you are God, and we need you. This we pray in Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
The present moment is full of uncertainty, but in Christ we find hope and courage, and I know that we will weather this crisis together. Please keep our whole church -- and our whole world -- in your prayers.


In the meantime, please continue to check St. Augustine’s social media and web page for further updates.
 
Blessings,
Fr. Joseph+

​Beloved People of St. Augustine, 
As we grapple with the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and all that it entails, each of us will be called to make changes, adjustments, and perhaps difficult decisions in order to protect ourselves and others as best we can. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to enact the best practices we know as we move forward in the days, weeks, and months ahead. Many of the decisions will not be easy.  As your pastor, I am called to look out for the health, safety, and well-being of the people of St. Augustine of Canterbury, with particular concern for the most vulnerable.
In consultation with the Senior Warden, Vestry, Staff, and with recommendations from the Bishop, we are temporarily enacting the following changes in our schedule and practices, until further notice:

• Beginning today, all non-principle worship activities are canceled. This includes the Clue Mystery Social scheduled for this evening, Wednesday Noon Eucharist and Stations of the Cross/Fish Fridays. 
•  WWW for children and youth, and our Lenten study for adults (Wednesday and Sunday) will not meet until further notice. However, Confirmation Classes will be available to the confirmands via facetime.
• The 8:30 am and 10:45 am Sunday services will continue to be held, with the following modifications:

o   Distribution of communion will be made with wafers and host only.  Wine will be sipped only by the clergy symbolically on behalf of the congregation.
o   We will still have our Children’s Moment at the 10:45 service, after which the children will return to their parents/guardians for the remainder of the service.
o   Rather than pass around offering plates, an offering receptacle will be located near the entrance to the Nave for you to make contributions.
o   We ask you to refrain from physical contact before and after services as well as at the Peace.  A smile, wave or kind word can express our Christian love for one another.
o   Sunday Christian Education/Formation classes are canceled.
o   We will observe a “Lenten Fast” with our coffee hours, meals, etc. until the virus passes.
o   Greeters and Ushers will continue with their duties. They will receive special instructions regarding non-contact interaction with worshippers.
o   We will make every effort to continue to live stream and record the 10:45 services for those who cannot attend, assuming our trained video operators are able to attend.   

• The Praise Chorus and the Choir will still meet in preparation for our upcoming Holy Week and Easter celebrations. We will keep you informed as things progress.
•  Lay Eucharistic Visitors’ distribution to the sick and shut-ins will be canceled at this time. Please note: I will be making personal pastoral visits to those who wish to receive communion during this time.

For those who have signed up for coffee hour, volunteered to host the Wednesday evening meals, teach classes, serve in the children’s ministry or any other volunteer position that is being disrupted in the upcoming weeks, please know how much you are appreciated, but it is best for us not to put ourselves or others at risk.
We will seek to maintain contact with the congregation via the use of our social media outlets such as: email, our website (sac-okc.org), YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
I ask for your prayers during this difficult time for those who are sick and shut-in and all who are suffering. I encourage you to remain calm, use your best judgement in making decisions for yourself, be vigilant in adhering to basic hygiene practices outlined by the CDC and do everything you can to foster a safe environment for those you love.
I also ask that you remember that your financial commitments are vitally important to the ongoing work of our congregation.  If you are not able to make your offerings in person, you can mail them in or give electronically using ourTithe.ly app.
Please know that as always, I am available via my cell phone: 405-365-3226 and will be responding to those who decide to stay at home and would like to receive a personal pastoral visit to celebrate communion. As we seek to maintain a semblance of normalcy during this period,
My prayer is that God’s blessings remain with you and yours during this Lenten Season.
Blessings,
Fr. Joseph +