We are writing today with a special announcement. After what we know has been a long and at times difficult six months of waiting, we are very pleased to announce that we have received permission from our diocesan church to begin re-opening our parish’s buildings for in-person Sunday services. This is a truly joyous development after our long and tiring journey through the pandemic, and we give thanks to God for the opportunities that we will soon have to safely gather again in our church buildings for worship.

As a result of this development, all previously scheduled outdoor services for the month of July are now cancelled. This coming Sunday, July 11th, all churches in the Parish of the Valley will be observing a “Sabbath Sunday” to mark our transition from the Red to the Amber stage of our diocesan COVID-19 plan, in keeping with a pastoral request from Bishop Shane Parker. Virtual worship for Sunday July 11th will continue to be available through YourTV and also online from St. Barnabas, Deep River. More details about this week’s virtual services will be forthcoming in our regular Friday e-newsletter.

Then, beginning Sunday, July 18th, many of our churches across the Parish of the Valley will begin re-opening for in-person services. Please carefully review the schedule at the bottom of this email for a full listing of local re-opening dates and service times. Some services will be celebrations of the Holy Eucharist, while others will be Morning Prayer. As was the case last autumn, a number of adaptations to our usual worship patterns will be in place because of the pandemic. The wearing of face coverings will remain mandatory for all in attendance, including for those among us who are fortunate enough to now be fully vaccinated. There will continue to be no communal singing, and communion will be in one kind (bread only). Physical distancing will also still be required between members of different households, and all attendees at worship will be asked to provide their names and contact information for the purposes of contact tracing.

In an important change, our parish will not be requiring worshipers to pre-register to attend services at any of our church buildings at this time. Total attendance at each service is limited by the Province of Ontario to 25% of building capacity, however given summer attendance patterns your clergy team is confident that we will have adequate space to accommodate all worshippers. We hope that not having to pre-register to attend services each week will make it easier to rejoin us in-person, and we encourage all members of the parish to please plan to arrive for worship at least 15 minutes in advance of services to assist our volunteers with signing you in and seating you.

While the re-opening of our church buildings is definitely a reason for us to celebrate, we also know that some members of our parish may not feel comfortable returning to worship in-person just yet. This is very understandable given the many risks that continue to be created by the pandemic, and for this reason services recorded in-person at Holy Trinity Pembroke will continue to be broadcast on YouTube and on YourTV Ottawa Valley with a one week delay for the foreseeable future. We hope these service recordings will offer those worshipping from home an opportunity to stay connected with our parish in prayer as we begin to re-open our buildings.

While some of our parish churches will be re-opening on Sunday July 18th, others will not be re-opening until Sunday July 25th, and some not until even later in the summer. A full listing of re-opening dates, services times, and maximum building capacities follows. Please share this information as widely as possible, and especially with members of our parish who do not have access to email.

Should you have any questions about our parish’s re-opening plans please feel free to contact any member of your clergy team, our main office at Holy Trinity Pembroke, or your local churchwardens. We are all looking forward to seeing you again for worship very soon!

Parish of the Valley Re-opening Dates, Summer Service Times and Maximum Building Capacities (25%)

Beginning Sunday July 18th

Holy Trinity Pembroke — 9am Service — 62 people maximum

St. Stephen’s Micksburg — 9am Service — 19 people maximum

St. John’s Tramore — 9am Service — 16 people maximum

St. George’s South Alice — 9:30am Service — 20 people maximum

St. John’s Eganville — 11am Service — 27 people maximum

Epiphany Barry’s Bay — 11am Service — 16 people maximum

All Saints Petawawa — 11:15am Service — 25 people maximum

St. Augustine’s Beachburg — 7pm Service — 22 people maximum

Beginning Sunday July 25th

St. Paul’s Cobden — 11am Service — 21 people maximum

Beginning Sunday September 5th

St. Anthony’s Whitney — 9am Service — 22 people maximum