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Girl blowing bubbles
Church Service this Sunday, July 12
You wouldn't be reading this if you weren't breathing. And yet, how much were you paying attention to your breathing a few minutes ago? Perhaps more often these days since CoViD-19 can be such a life-threatening lung disease.
Turns out this will be my first time focusing an entire service on breathing. I plan to share some fascinating stories from experience and from the Bible. We will also hear a beautiful song about breathing called "Take Your Spirit In" composed by Jeremy Rose. And I invite you to participate in a guided meditation featuring breathing.
I'm looking forward to this church service, and I hope you can participate either online (see links below) or in person (with appropriate precautions! - see below).
Next Sunday, July 19 - Holy Supper - mainly virtual with an in-person option
That's right. I will host a virtual sacrament of the Holy Supper toward the end of the service next Sunday. I invite you to gather your own supplies at home and join me virtually. I encourage you to plan ahead, and I will remind you next Friday. The quality of the outward elements is not as important as the inward elements of your heart and mind - humility and curiosity.
Also, if you want to take the Holy Supper in the Chapel in person, there will be a small number of stations placed more than 6 feet apart with individual servings on each table. We will observe the guidelines for in-person gathering explained below, removing face coverings only for the time that we are taking the elements of the Holy Supper. Also I will not do any "hands-on"
blessings.
With love and respect and prayers for everyone's well-being, physically and spiritually,
Nathan
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What's the status of Sunrise Chapel's reopening?
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Image from AZ governor's recent press conference
Technically, we are open - with caution - for in-person attendance
I recognize that most people will not attend church services in person, yet, because of the uptick in positive cases of CoViD-19 in our county. I hope that you continue to participate through the livestream option! However, I also welcome anyone to attend in person who feels safe within the guidelines outlined below.
To me, based on the scientific evidence of community transmission of CoViD-19, it is common sense to continue practicing social distancing and wearing face coverings in public gatherings. These are two simple things we can all do proactively to help protect each other. AND I believe following these guidelines is also in keeping with the Golden Rule.
I also encourage you to stay connected through our online meetings, social media, telephone calls and any other effective "remote" methods of maintaining our spiritual community. We are in this together for the long haul, and we need each other to get through this unprecedented challenging time.
If you want an in-person experience of our church services, you are welcome if you practice social distancing before, during, and after AND if you wear a face covering in the building, especially when socializing and singing.
Thank you so much for your cooperation and support.
~Nathan
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Guidelines for "soft" reopening for in-person church activities
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Face covering graphic from the CDC
Here are the current guidelines for in-person gatherings at Sunrise Chapel
With caution, I welcome you to attend in person on Sunday under the guidelines explained below. Based on the current guidelines for maintaining social distance in the Chapel, we have space for at least 15-20 people in the seating area. There are also "overflow" rooms to view the monitors in either the small group room off the lobby or in Friendship Hall.
However, with the rise in CoViD-19 cases in Pima County, and based on our church's demographics, I encourage people over 65 and anyone with compromised health to continue to participate via our livestream option. See the links below or go to sunrisechapel.org and click on one of the livestream links
there.
For me, reopening at Sunrise Chapel is a matter of safe health practices, not political viewpoints. It is also a matter of practicing the Golden Rule - do for others (wear a face covering) just as you would want others to do the same for you.
This Sunday, once again, I will focus primarily on the livestream via our YouTube channel. This new electronic medium is here to stay, and I intend to continue improving it even as we return to in-person church services.
Guidelines for reopening
1. Stay safe while being kind and respectful. If you attend, observe the guidelines. If you are uncomfortable for any reason, please take care of yourself first; feel free to leave without any negative judgments.
2. Do not attend in person if you are sick, or if you are concerned about getting sick, or if you are at high risk. Instead, please continue to participate remotely.
3. As a community of people who love and respect each other, wearing a face covering is a community service to protect each other, especially the vulnerable. Wear a face covering over your nose and mouth. Please bring your own face covering (mask, scarf, bandana, etc). A face covering will be provided if you forget to bring your own.
4. Practice social distancing while on the church property (inside buildings and outside) including friendly no-touch greetings.
5. Current social distancing guidelines from the CDC and FEMA recommend 113 sq ft per person indoors, which means limiting our number of participants in the main seating area of the Chapel to about 15-20. Members of the same family sit together. The service will also be viewable on the TV monitors in the small group room and in Friendship Hall.
6. On entering and leaving the buildings, wash hands with soap or use hand sanitizer.
In addition, these are procedures we will follow during the church service:
• I will wear a mask before and after the service and while I am singing. I will remove my mask for the children's talk, the readings, and the sermon, with the understanding that the closest participants will be over 8 feet away from me.
• The air conditioning will be turned off just prior to the church service to reduce circulation of airborne particles. With outdoor temps in the 100s this may mean a little temporary discomfort. We will see how it goes.
• Sanitary wipes will be available for individuals to wipe down chairs and surfaces they use.
• Bathroom use will be limited to one person at a time, using only the main bathrooms at the entrance to Friendship Hall.
• We are not handing out printed bulletins or songbooks. Instead, the song lyrics will be projected on the monitor and announcements will either be projected or verbal.
Please, let me know whatever you think. It's good to hear from as many people as possible. I'm doing the best I can, and I don't want to put any volunteers or visitors in any unsafe positions. I appreciate your help and patience!
Looking forward to your participation either in person or online!
Nathan
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Photo: ZOOM logo
After church, Zoom with me at Noon!
If you haven't participated yet, I welcome you. It's a casual time to "check in" with some friends and have informal conversation. Everyone is welcome. It's fun to see each other and say hello. You can pop in for a bit and leave whenever you need to. It's also important to me to get some feedback about the church service and any other aspects of church life.
To join the Zoom meeting, click on this link at NOON
If this link doesn't work for you, go to Zoom.us and enter these credentials for the meeting:
Meeting ID: 949 4617 0443
Password: 05152020 (hint: the numerical date for May 15, 2020)
If you ONLY want to call in (without your computer or video), use one of these phone numbers and follow the prompts. You may have to enter the Meeting ID and the password. You will be able to listen and talk (but you won’t see anyone and no one will see you).
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
Managing Zoom security
For the sake of security, I have enabled the "waiting room" feature for our Zoom call. When you join the meeting, you will enter this "waiting room" until the facilitator "lets you in."
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Photo: laptop + coffee
Weekday Meditation (9:00-9:30 am MT) This is the link for the Monday meditation that I lead, but it is also the same link for the rest of the weekdays, led by other folks. Try it! You might like it!
ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES:
New Church Vineyard (This is a RICH source of KID-ORIENTED content for all sorts of stories from the Bible and the teachings of Swedenborg. Use this for family worship and for "Sunday school" type activities to enhance your spiritual lives at home.)
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Congratulations, everyone!
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We are meeting our budget goals for the end of the fiscal year!
Thank you all!
While fundraising is never our goal, it is a necessary means to continue providing the infrastructure of our local church organization. These are challenging and uncertain times for everyone. Thankfully, because of everyone's continued donations, we will make the budget for the fiscal year which ended on June 30.
Thank you especially to one generous donor!
I am especially grateful to a former member of Sunrise Chapel who now lives in Prescott, AZ. Charles recently contacted me to say he would like to provide a financial gift to Sunrise Chapel. He said he believes that if everyone practiced tithing, the church would not have financial stress. And since he missed tithing annually to Sunrise Chapel for quite a few years, please consider his gift of
$10,000 to help make up for lost time.
His unrestricted gift to the annual general fund will be a huge help in continuing to balance the budget. Thank you, Charles, for your dedication to Sunrise Chapel and your generosity.
This year is a very trying time for many. It's important to be clear:
We DO NOT want anyone to feel pressured to give. For some, this very unique situation of stay-at-home orders and social distancing is creating a very challenging financial situation.
We DO, however, want people to be mindful of our financial picture in order to continue supporting the important work that we are so blessed to offer: worship, small groups, connecting, serving, and creating our beautiful spiritual home together.
If you feel called to make a donation at this time we deeply appreciate it. If you feel called to pledge a planned gift, that would be amazing. All gifts, no matter the amount, help us get to our goal and help support the infrastructure needed for daily and weekly operations.
You can donate virtually through Sunrise Chapel's PayPal account or send a check directly to Sunrise Chapel, C/O William Smith, Treasurer, 8421 E Wrightstown Rd. Tucson, AZ 87515.
Consider setting up a recurring electronic donation through PayPal or by having a check mailed from your bank to the church.
Questions? Ask our Treasurer, Bill Smith william@sunrisechapel.org
Thinking about setting up a planned gift? Talk with our Director of Planned Giving, Mark Wyncoll mark.wyncoll@newchurch.org
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Your church home for partnering with the Lord and each other in the practice of cultivating spiritual growth and choosing heavenly joy
www.sunrisechapel.org
nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245
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