A LETTER FROM FR. JOSEPH ALSAY
Dear Members and Friends of St. Augustine’s,
On May 15th, our Diocesan Bishop, Bishop Ed Konieczny, sent out a video announcement to the Diocese in which he outlined the safety precautions and guidelines that churches should put in place in preparation for reopening. He has given permission for churches which have met the guidelines and wish to re-open to resume offering in-person worship on June 14th.
The Bishop was also clear to note that no church must open on June 14th—even if they comply with the guidelines—if that local community feels for any reason that they are not ready to do so.
With that in mind, a COVID-19 Committee has been formed at St. Augustine’s to look at the issues surrounding our re-opening. This committee is made up of a cross-section of members who serve in various capacities within the life of our community, as well as some who work in the health care field. The committee is tasked with the duty of developing a comprehensive plan, implementing safety procedures and detailing the ways in which we can adhere to not only the guidelines from the Diocese, but also any other recommendations or best practices that would suit our particular space and situation. After this committee has met, they will present their recommendations to me and our Senior Warden Marian Moon and then to the Vestry for a final decision on when and how to re-open. We will be keeping you informed as this process unfolds.
As we continue our discernment, it is incumbent upon all of us to move forward with tempered wisdom and Christian care. We recognize that many long to be together again. Still others are anxious during this time of uncertainty. It is out of that knowledge, that we must continue to affirm that all souls are precious in God’s sight.
As we seek to love our neighbor as ourselves, know first and foremost, our decisions will be made with your safety in mind.
In the meantime, we welcome your input. So, please feel free to offer your comments to either me (405-365-3226 or josephalsay@gmail.com.) or Marian (405-826-9343 or SeniorWarden@sac-okc.org).
The following is a link to the guidelines set out by the Diocese:
Guidelines for Church Reopening
If you know of anyone who does not frequently use their email or is unaware of what is going on please feel free to pass this information along.
Blessings,
JCA+
On May 15th, our Diocesan Bishop, Bishop Ed Konieczny, sent out a video announcement to the Diocese in which he outlined the safety precautions and guidelines that churches should put in place in preparation for reopening. He has given permission for churches which have met the guidelines and wish to re-open to resume offering in-person worship on June 14th.
The Bishop was also clear to note that no church must open on June 14th—even if they comply with the guidelines—if that local community feels for any reason that they are not ready to do so.
With that in mind, a COVID-19 Committee has been formed at St. Augustine’s to look at the issues surrounding our re-opening. This committee is made up of a cross-section of members who serve in various capacities within the life of our community, as well as some who work in the health care field. The committee is tasked with the duty of developing a comprehensive plan, implementing safety procedures and detailing the ways in which we can adhere to not only the guidelines from the Diocese, but also any other recommendations or best practices that would suit our particular space and situation. After this committee has met, they will present their recommendations to me and our Senior Warden Marian Moon and then to the Vestry for a final decision on when and how to re-open. We will be keeping you informed as this process unfolds.
As we continue our discernment, it is incumbent upon all of us to move forward with tempered wisdom and Christian care. We recognize that many long to be together again. Still others are anxious during this time of uncertainty. It is out of that knowledge, that we must continue to affirm that all souls are precious in God’s sight.
As we seek to love our neighbor as ourselves, know first and foremost, our decisions will be made with your safety in mind.
In the meantime, we welcome your input. So, please feel free to offer your comments to either me (405-365-3226 or josephalsay@gmail.com.) or Marian (405-826-9343 or SeniorWarden@sac-okc.org).
The following is a link to the guidelines set out by the Diocese:
Guidelines for Church Reopening
If you know of anyone who does not frequently use their email or is unaware of what is going on please feel free to pass this information along.
Blessings,
JCA+
RESOURCES FOR YOU DURING COVID-19
Groceries
Instacart (instacart.com) offers grocery delivery for a small fee. Your first delivery from several stores is free.
Shipt (shipt.com) will also deliver groceries.
Walmart and Aldi have online ordering capabilities so you can pick up your groceries at the curb.
Restaurant delivery can be obtained from Postmates.com (https://postmat.es/Z5ydTryBW4) Doordash (https://www.doordash.com/), ubereats (https://www.ubereats.com/) also have delivery capabilities.
Entertainment
Metrolibrary https://www.metrolibrary.org/find/download-and-stream#movies-tv-music and Pioneer Library https://pioneerlibrarysystem.org/download both offer electronic books via a free service called OverDrive. There are also Spanish language books available. The settings can be changed to have large print, change fonts, change the brightness, and even has a dyslexic friendly font. Overdrive also offers audiobooks for download.
Movies can be checked out for streaming from Hoopla and Kanopy.
Pandora radio (http://pandora.com/) and spotify (https://www.spotify.com/us/) have free music you can listen to.
Games are available from Facebook and AARP. https://games.aarp.org/
The Oklahoma Board Game Community has an online game board here. https://en.boardgamearena.com/group?id=2880004§ion=recent
Virtual Museum Tours and More
British Museum, London - https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. - https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-gallery-of-art-washington-dc?h1=en
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam - https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/van-gogh-museum?h1=en
The Louvre - https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
The Metropolitan Opera - https://metopera.org
Zoo and Aquarium Webcams
San Diego Zoo - https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos
Smithsonian’s National Zoo - Https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams
Reid Park Zoo Lion Cam in Tucson AZ - https://reidparkzoo.org/cameras/lion-cam/
Polar Bear Cubs Camera - https://explore.org/livecams/polar-bears
Montery Bay Aquarium - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnM5iMGiKsZg-iOlIO2ZkdQ
Georgia Aquarium - https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ocean-voyager/
Staying Active
Going outside is OK, so long as you stay more than 6 feet from other people. Walking and gardening is OK under those conditions.
Audible has free access to several workouts from Aaptiv and Aaptiv has a free trial of the full service. https://aaptiv.com/
Here is a seated exercise video for seniors. https://youtu.be/8BcPHWGQO44
https://youtu.be/GJp7wwqMRKM
https://youtu.be/cdsvYbcs-aM
Socialization
If you are lonely, someone is always available to chat confidentially with you at 7 cups. https://www.7cups.com/
Podcasts
https://www.samshockaday.com/blog/19-best-podcasts-perfect-for-seniors-baby-boomers-and-the-older-generation
AT HOME RESOURCES DURING SOCIAL DISTANCING AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
How to talk to children about Coronavirus:
https://buildfaith.org/coronavirus-anxiety-children-and-the-church/
Talking with your teens about Coronavirus:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/well/family/coronavirus-teenagers-
anxiety.html?fbclid=IwAR3hcfmnEaQAMxO-
Dauyf4PCPhPQpfwGbzdBQh6_sBaS8RBXJsvScN9RZe8
Faith at Home
A lectionary-based devotional resource for families of all shapes and sizes
https://www.dofaithathome.org/
We Wonder Podcast for children
From the creators of the podcast: “We want to invite children into a life of wonder,
engagement, and curiosity about the Bible. Children's spiritual lives are real and vibrant: they
are known and loved by God as they are right now, not just as grownups in training! That's why,
on this podcast, we allow children the space to enter God's good words together, wonder about
them, and talk with God about what we find.”
https://www.wewonderpod.com/
The Bible Project
Videos that help people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus
https://bibleproject.com/
Praying in Color
Using doodling and coloring as a way to pray
Main link to website: https://prayingincolor.com/
Link to page with downloadable color sheets: https://prayingincolor.com/handouts
The Easter Story Lego Challenge
https://www.proverbialhomemaker.com/easter-story-lego-challenge.html
Tucked In: Bedtime Stories with Episcopalians and Others
https://www.facebook.com/episcopaltuckedin/
Instacart (instacart.com) offers grocery delivery for a small fee. Your first delivery from several stores is free.
Shipt (shipt.com) will also deliver groceries.
Walmart and Aldi have online ordering capabilities so you can pick up your groceries at the curb.
Restaurant delivery can be obtained from Postmates.com (https://postmat.es/Z5ydTryBW4) Doordash (https://www.doordash.com/), ubereats (https://www.ubereats.com/) also have delivery capabilities.
Entertainment
Metrolibrary https://www.metrolibrary.org/find/download-and-stream#movies-tv-music and Pioneer Library https://pioneerlibrarysystem.org/download both offer electronic books via a free service called OverDrive. There are also Spanish language books available. The settings can be changed to have large print, change fonts, change the brightness, and even has a dyslexic friendly font. Overdrive also offers audiobooks for download.
Movies can be checked out for streaming from Hoopla and Kanopy.
Pandora radio (http://pandora.com/) and spotify (https://www.spotify.com/us/) have free music you can listen to.
Games are available from Facebook and AARP. https://games.aarp.org/
The Oklahoma Board Game Community has an online game board here. https://en.boardgamearena.com/group?id=2880004§ion=recent
Virtual Museum Tours and More
British Museum, London - https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. - https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-gallery-of-art-washington-dc?h1=en
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam - https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/van-gogh-museum?h1=en
The Louvre - https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
The Metropolitan Opera - https://metopera.org
Zoo and Aquarium Webcams
San Diego Zoo - https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos
Smithsonian’s National Zoo - Https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams
Reid Park Zoo Lion Cam in Tucson AZ - https://reidparkzoo.org/cameras/lion-cam/
Polar Bear Cubs Camera - https://explore.org/livecams/polar-bears
Montery Bay Aquarium - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnM5iMGiKsZg-iOlIO2ZkdQ
Georgia Aquarium - https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ocean-voyager/
Staying Active
Going outside is OK, so long as you stay more than 6 feet from other people. Walking and gardening is OK under those conditions.
Audible has free access to several workouts from Aaptiv and Aaptiv has a free trial of the full service. https://aaptiv.com/
Here is a seated exercise video for seniors. https://youtu.be/8BcPHWGQO44
https://youtu.be/GJp7wwqMRKM
https://youtu.be/cdsvYbcs-aM
Socialization
If you are lonely, someone is always available to chat confidentially with you at 7 cups. https://www.7cups.com/
Podcasts
https://www.samshockaday.com/blog/19-best-podcasts-perfect-for-seniors-baby-boomers-and-the-older-generation
AT HOME RESOURCES DURING SOCIAL DISTANCING AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
How to talk to children about Coronavirus:
https://buildfaith.org/coronavirus-anxiety-children-and-the-church/
Talking with your teens about Coronavirus:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/well/family/coronavirus-teenagers-
anxiety.html?fbclid=IwAR3hcfmnEaQAMxO-
Dauyf4PCPhPQpfwGbzdBQh6_sBaS8RBXJsvScN9RZe8
Faith at Home
A lectionary-based devotional resource for families of all shapes and sizes
https://www.dofaithathome.org/
We Wonder Podcast for children
From the creators of the podcast: “We want to invite children into a life of wonder,
engagement, and curiosity about the Bible. Children's spiritual lives are real and vibrant: they
are known and loved by God as they are right now, not just as grownups in training! That's why,
on this podcast, we allow children the space to enter God's good words together, wonder about
them, and talk with God about what we find.”
https://www.wewonderpod.com/
The Bible Project
Videos that help people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus
https://bibleproject.com/
Praying in Color
Using doodling and coloring as a way to pray
Main link to website: https://prayingincolor.com/
Link to page with downloadable color sheets: https://prayingincolor.com/handouts
The Easter Story Lego Challenge
https://www.proverbialhomemaker.com/easter-story-lego-challenge.html
Tucked In: Bedtime Stories with Episcopalians and Others
https://www.facebook.com/episcopaltuckedin/