To Meet Or Not To Meet, Pastoral Letter by Gordie

TO MEET OR NOT TO MEET? VEV Pastoral Letter, July 8, 2021

Like some of you, I was surprised at the news that our BC health authority has lifted all restrictions for all indoor church and religious gatherings as part of the BC Reopening Plan, Phase 3, effective July 1. I found this puzzling as some restrictions remain in place for other indoor gatherings and I wonder if our health authorities were simply fatigued by the small but noisy cohort of people in our province who were incessantly complaining about so-called “religious persecution,” even though concerts, sports venues and banquet halls were all under the same restrictions. I hope that is not the reason. To quote one of our congregants who grew up under religious persecution in formerly communist Czechoslovakia, “This is not persecution!”

It’s Up to You!

It seems that the health authority is putting this decision back into the hands of religious leaders to make the decision based on their own settings and the best information they have at the time, trusting that they will do their due diligence in the care and welfare of their congregations.

I’ve noticed that a lot of churches have enthusiastically announced that “it’s back to church as normal with no restrictions!” including masks being optional and no distancing. There is good reason for optimism as case counts, new cases and deaths from Covid-19 are nearly at rock bottom in BC and in all of Canada, and the BC state of emergency has just been lifted. Yet, there are also good reasons for us as a church to exercise caution and to move slowly in our plan to return to in-person indoor gatherings. These reasons include the following:

1. We are now in a pandemic “transition period,” and there is currently much concern, locally, nationally and internationally, over a highly contagious “delta variant,” strain of Covid-19 that is still wreaking havoc in communities through localized outbreaks.

2. Health officials are warning that the most vulnerable to the delta variant are the unvaccinated, and even those who have only had one dose. The variant has been moving rapidly through child-care settings and then spreading to unvaccinated adults. There are other variants too, one called the “gamma variant” that has caused an outbreak in the Yukon, which up to this point had avoided Covid-19 outbreaks.

3. Moving too quickly to reopening could result in a setback that could again overwhelm the health care system, resulting in the need to revert to previous restrictions, something none of us want. Nor do we want any new infections in our congregants.

In light of this latest information, and the limitations of our worship space at St. David’s, we have made the decision not to gather for in-person worship indoors for the duration of the summer, as we continue to monitor the situation week-to-week. For the most part, we will continue our online presence, and look for opportunities to gather outdoors, and we encourage this in informal ways too. In general, we advise that if you are going indoors for any reason, whether for shopping, cafes, etc., to continue to practice similar protocols of wearing masks and distancing.

Watching Out for Hardness of Heart

Scripture speaks of a condition called, “hardness of heart,” that occurs by a lack of being together (Hebrews 3:13 cf. 10:25), and we are mindful of this danger. In Mark for Everyone, N.T. Wright defines hardness of heart as, “the inability to have one’s heart in tune with and to God’s best intention and plan.” I have no doubt that this hardening of the heart has occurred in me and in all of us, as we have settled into a comfortable routine of not having to make the effort of getting out to meet others. This hardening of the heart will doubtless have to be overcome for many of us as we “break the ice” of false comfort, so to speak, especially those of us who are introverts. We encourage you to creatively and proactively do so by working within our current limitations and taking advantage of the summer weather, getting together for smaller outdoor gatherings, kids play dates, picnics, walks, etc.

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?

As a child, I remember being vaccinated for polio. Printed indelibly on my mind was the memory of the father of my friend, sitting in a wheelchair, having lost both his legs to polio. For us, vaccination was never a question with a disease like polio as it was literally a life and death decision and thanks to vaccines, polio is virtually non-existent today. Covid-19 in comparison, seems less harmful, hence the perceived freedom for more conjecture such as “plandemic” and other speculative theories. While not as severe in general, Covid-19’s sheer stealth and contagiousness can quickly overwhelm a healthcare system, hence the urgency for Covid-19 vaccination. While Covid-19 vaccines are not a 100 percent guarantee against infection, the chance of Covid-19 infection after the second vaccination is extremely rare, and when it does occur, symptoms are much less severe.

Another reason for exercising caution towards in-person gatherings is that it is still unknown as to whether the vaccinated can be asymptomatic carriers of Covid-19 to others. Yes, so many unknowns. Science is not God, but tries to convey accurately the best choices to make in light of the latest information. I suspect that some of the reaction to science we have seen through this pandemic, has been due to people expecting scientists to be “God” and they feel let down, so they go to the opposite extreme and debunk science altogether. Only God is God and, in the end, God is the One who we trust to bring us through this crisis, not vaccinations, doctors or science. However, we recognize that doctors and science can be instruments of God’s grace, and that to, “trust the science,” is not antithetical to faith but a true expression of our faith in God’s good provision through embodiment and common grace.

How Long oh Lord? We May Just Have a Date!

Based on our current information, the best time for us to begin to gather again in person is when at least 70 percent of our general population has had their second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Not everyone will be vaccinated and there are various reasons for that, including anti-vaccination theories as mentioned, vaccine hesitancy, and health risks (we will not judge), but we are seeking what’s called a “herd immunity” where a significant proportion (no exact number here) of the population has been vaccinated, and Covid-19 is less risky to overwhelm the health care system. Currently, over 70 percent of the populace has received their first dose which was one of the criteria for entry into phase 3, and about 30 percent have received their second dose. No doubt this has impacted the downward trend in cases.

All of this will likely coincide with the implementation of Phase 4 of BC’s Reopening Plan, right now projected for September 7, 2021. This would mean that our first public worship event is tentatively being planned for Sunday, September 12, 2021 if current trends continue. Yes, we actually have a date! We will pray and plan towards that end, including providing a continued live-streaming option for those not able to attend in person, and keep you all updated. We look forward to this with great hope anticipation. Selah!

In God’s abundant grace,

Gordie