Worship Survey
A message from our Rector, the Rev. Philip DeVaul:
Friends,
This pandemic has caused us all to reflect on our priorities and think extensively about what we want our lives to look like in the days to come. Many of us have done this on a personal level, but of course whole organizations and communities are doing this work as well. The last year and a half has been a time of profound discernment for the Church of the Redeemer, and as we begin to regather and move back towards each other, we want to use this opportunity not to get back to normal, but to forge a new normal that helps us live more fully into our Vision of what Church of the Redeemer can be.
To that end, now is the time for us to shift Sunday worship so that our Rite II and Banquet services happen at different times. Simultaneous services been beneficial in some important ways, and this change will bring with it some grieving. But the pre-pandemic worship schedule had the capacity to feel harried and overly-busy. Many of us noticed a sense of competition developing between the services, as well as some confusion and inaccessibility for newcomers trying to enter the community. Our Banquet and Rite II services are comparable to one another in size, and neither should be treated as less central to our shared life than the other. The Vestry and clergy are in unanimous consensus that this change offers both services the best chance to continue in their spiritual growth, and that now is the time to act.
Your input is essential to how we move forward with this decision. While we have agreed that the service times need to change, we have not made decisions yet about what those times need to be, nor have we finalized what programming around worship will look like. We have constructed a survey on your thoughts about potential service times and order (see button below). I ask that each adult in your household prayerfully complete it. In the next week, we will have two Worship Forums – one in-person and one on Zoom – so that you’ll have a place to gather more information, process this decision, and give feedback beyond the survey.
Your friend and brother in Christ Jesus,
Philip Hart DeVaul
This survey is now closed. Use the link below to see the results. Watch for information on our fall worship schedule to come out next week in our Church of the Redeemer eNews.
Join us for one or both of these two Worship Forums.
Thursday, July 29
6:30 pm
on Zoom
OR
Sunday, August 1
10:00 am
Great Hall
