Winthrop Congregational Church,
United Church of Christ
No matter who you are. No matter where you are on life's journey. You are welcome here!
Wash Your Hands, Call Each other, and Keep Praying: Our Christian Response to COVID-19
Our church community endeavors to accept and embrace all who enter here. We welcome individuals of every race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, family structure, marital standing, socio-economic status, age, physical and mental ability to join us in the ministry of our church. All are invited to participate in worship, fellowship, and leadership
**Update as of September 21st, 2021**
In response to the realities of the on-going delta surge in our state, here are our plans for gathering over the next month:
Beloveds in Christ,
How is your spirit these days? I have a hunch that it might be heavy. Given the on-going rise is Covid cases in Maine, mostly due to the delta variant's quick spread among unvaccinated folks, the complexity of returning to school that is affecting so many members of our church, news of disasters both natural and human-made across the world, plus the regular old difficulties of life, things are hard and many people are weary. We have had so many changes within the congregation lately, many of them good (congratulations to all of you who are starting new jobs), some of them more challenging. The on-going nature of the pandemic has meant that many people have been straining to make coping mechanisms that helped in the short run work for much longer than is actually useful. I recently read something that said "The emergency phase has now become chronic." Making decisions in a chronic emergency can feel impossible. The church council and I want to update you on some decisions we've made regarding worship in hopes that this information will help give you just a little more room to make healthy and hopeful decisions for yourself and your families.
Here are some of the realities that are shaping our decision to continue hybrid worship through October 10th:
Given all of these realities of the present moment, the church council has decided:
I am so grateful to be church with you, especially in these hard times. I know that I was hoping that it would be safer and easier to gather in person come fall, but the delta variant has proven to be a significant issue. I am grateful for the work of the church council in trying to make decisions that reflect both the hope in which we ground our faith and the reality of the present moment. We will update the church about worship and gathering in the building after our October 14th church coucil meeting.
Ever on the journey with you,
Pastor Chrissy
**Update as of September 21st, 2021**
In response to the realities of the on-going delta surge in our state, here are our plans for gathering over the next month:
Beloveds in Christ,
How is your spirit these days? I have a hunch that it might be heavy. Given the on-going rise is Covid cases in Maine, mostly due to the delta variant's quick spread among unvaccinated folks, the complexity of returning to school that is affecting so many members of our church, news of disasters both natural and human-made across the world, plus the regular old difficulties of life, things are hard and many people are weary. We have had so many changes within the congregation lately, many of them good (congratulations to all of you who are starting new jobs), some of them more challenging. The on-going nature of the pandemic has meant that many people have been straining to make coping mechanisms that helped in the short run work for much longer than is actually useful. I recently read something that said "The emergency phase has now become chronic." Making decisions in a chronic emergency can feel impossible. The church council and I want to update you on some decisions we've made regarding worship in hopes that this information will help give you just a little more room to make healthy and hopeful decisions for yourself and your families.
Here are some of the realities that are shaping our decision to continue hybrid worship through October 10th:
- A significant number of regular attendees at church, the elementary aged children, are not yet eligible for vaccination. We also have a small number of adults who are not able to be vaccinated and we can never assume that visitors to church are vaccinated. We need to plan as though unvaccinated people are present and tend to the safety of those most at risk.
- Kennebec County has a higher vaccination rate than a lot of places in the country and world, at around 58% of the eligible population being fully vaccinated, but still short of the 70-80% vaccination rate that public health folks hope will give communities a measure of herd immunity.
- Four mitigation strategies are easiest for most people to do. These strategies are also what public health professionals are recommending. It is best if we can do 2 of the 4 most of the time: be vaccinated, wear masks, be outside, and/or maintain physical distancing.
- From early July through early September, we've been averaging about 12 people at in person worship (both when we've gathered outside and gathered inside). Between 10 and 20 folks have been attending regularly via zoom.
- We are in the midst of a rise in Covid cases. In some parts of the country, some places that are as vaccinated as we are, are just now seeing a leveling off of the current surge. I am particularly interested to see what the next two weeks of cases look like in Maine.
Given all of these realities of the present moment, the church council has decided:
- We are continuing hybrid worship through October 10th. AA will continue to meet once per week and a group of adults and kids will also be using the fellowship hall for play practice for a local community group.
- If we are gathering in the building, we will be masked. Universal masking is the best way to prevent breakthrough cases among the vaccinated and to guard the well-being of the unvaccinated.
- We will continue to have the option to attend worship via zoom for the foreseeable future.
- Small trios and quartets of vaccinated singers and folks playing wind instruments will be able to sing or play outside. Inside, however, we will continue to use recorded singing and/or instrumental music from non-wind instruments.
- We will continue to mail out copies of sermons and updates to those who do not have access to the internet and do not worship in person.
I am so grateful to be church with you, especially in these hard times. I know that I was hoping that it would be safer and easier to gather in person come fall, but the delta variant has proven to be a significant issue. I am grateful for the work of the church council in trying to make decisions that reflect both the hope in which we ground our faith and the reality of the present moment. We will update the church about worship and gathering in the building after our October 14th church coucil meeting.
Ever on the journey with you,
Pastor Chrissy
We are now gathering in person with a ZOOM Hybrid Service for Worship.
See you at 10 AM on Sunday mornings.
See you at 10 AM on Sunday mornings.
|
We are an Open and Affirming Church.
What does that mean? No matter who you are... No matter what your occupation... No matter what your race or ethnicity... No matter what your age... No matter where you live... No matter what your sexuality or gender identity... No matter where you are on life's journey… You are God's child and you are welcome here. When do we worship together? We currently conduct Worship Services in person and on ZOOM Sunday, 10:00 am Where are we located? 10 Bowdoin Street, Winthrop, ME 04364 [on the corner of Main and Bowdoin streets] Click here for map. How can you reach us? Tel: (207) 377-2063 or Leave a message at (207) 358-9343 E-mail: wccucc@fairpoint.net Webpage: www.wccucc.org |
Church Office Hours
Tuesday & Thursday: 9 am - 1 pm Mobility issues? Each floor of our church is accessible via elevator. |
Click the icon below and visit us on Facebook or email us with a question.
Minister: Pastor Chrissy Cataldo ~ Office Administrator: Cyndi Hall
Our church is part of the United Church of Christ. For more information on The United Church of Christ (UCC), go to www.ucc.org.
More information on the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ can be found at www.maineucc.org.
More information on the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ can be found at www.maineucc.org.
