St. John's Episcopal Church

Guidance for Our In-Person Worship

Dear Brothers and Sisters-

In light of some of the news with regard to Covid-19 and the spread of the Delta variant, I thought it might be helpful to provide guidance with regard to those choosing to attend our in-person Sunday services. Our goal remains the same: to protect the vulnerable, flatten the curve with respect to those who may need to seek medical and hospital care, and follow the guidelines of our federal, state and local public health officials.

The current CDC guidelines indicate the following:

If you are fully vaccinated, you can participate in many of the activities that you did before the pandemic.

To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

Wearing a mask is most important if you have a weakened immune system or if, because of your age or an underlying medical condition, you are at increased risk for severe disease, or if someone in your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is unvaccinated. If this applies to you or your household, you might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission in your area.

You should continue to wear a mask where required by laws, rules, regulations, or local guidance.

As of Thursday, July 29th, Placer County is considered to be an area of high transmission (more than 100 cases have been reported over the past 7 days). In light of this, at the time of this writing, the Placer County Public Health Officer is recommending, not mandating, that those who have been vaccinated wear a mask while indoors in a public location.

Given this guidance, I am doing the same. I am recommending, not mandating, that people wear masks, as they see fit, during our services. The choice is yours, and all are encouraged to assess their own level of comfort and confidence as we gather for worship. With whatever choice people make, I am asking that all of us refrain from judging others, and simply attend to our own needs and level of desired precaution. Please note that I will be choosing to wear a mask when I am greeting people at the door, distributing communion at the altar rail, and conversing with you as you leave the sanctuary at the end of the service.

Should the guidance from the public health officer change, we will alter our guidance as well.

I am confident that we will all continue to experience and share the transforming love of Jesus Christ. We do this best when we create space for others to grow and flourish.

Let us continue to walk the way of love together.

In Faith, Hope and Love,

Fr Cliff