Our Finest Hour Stories
Our Finest Hour: How ADNE Leaders are Embodying God's Presence During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Bishop Andrew said this situation presents us with an “extraordinary opportunity to reach out in love and care for our neighbors. This can only happen if we press into His presence and are able to lead and serve out of His strength, peace, compassion and love. Our calling is to live in such a way that we reduce fear, increase in faith, and allow the Spirit to turn us from self-preservation to loving and serving others. “
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Here are some ways churches and leaders have been embodying Christ’s presence:
April 6, 2020
Awesome creative idea from Rev. Canon Tim Clayton, rector of Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church.
He explains, "a fair number of people walk the sidewalk in front of our house. We took the big cross we made for the wedding and put it out front with a sign blessing people and asking them to send prayer requests."
Pray for him and his wife Cheryl as they so simply embody salt and light in their neighborhood.
March 31, 2020
"I am "visiting" West Hartford Health and Rehabilitation on Tuesdays at ten with a different setup! The director set me up outside with a headset and microphone and had visitors waiting on the other side of the sliding glass doors. I brought the tablecloth and cross that I usually have for services and created a sacred space on the patio.
We held our hands up to the glass and prayed together. Then I read the Beatitudes to each of them, reminding them that THEY were the salt and light in the facility and had been commissioned by God to the heralds of Christ and to be the prayer warriors.
We sang a few songs, my pentecostal sisters caused my heart to dance, as they broke out in shouts of praise and thanksgiving without reserve. Each of my friends prayed over me and my family, thanking God for our work, and begging protection while I go about the work. I could almost feel a coat of protection covering me. I prayed Psalm 20 over them all.
As my last visit was ending, my friend broke into her prayer language, and I begged God to give me the gift of interpretation, but he did not... so I joined her, and the angels prayed through us over the other; she on one side of the glass, and me on the other, with all the Host of Heaven in agreement." - Rev. Bryan Bywater
March 29, 2020
Women from All Saints’ Amesbury are sewing facemasks for the health workers on the front lines of the war against COVID-19.
The effort was organized by a college friend of Ann Conte’s, Elizabeth Berthoud of Rowley. During this lull in her business, Elizabeth, owner of “sac A main” handbag company, recruited twelve friends, including some All Saints’ women, to begin sewing facemasks for local medical facilities and for Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport.
Elizabeth cuts the fabric in her shop and then distributes the “kits” to her team of sewers. The fabric has come through donations around the North Shore, including from Joann Fabrics.
So far the corps of women has made over 800 facemasks.
March 29, 2020
Yesterday's Update from the Street Church in Hartford, CT: Church was open today (ish).
I loaded up 25 sandwich bags with a bottle of water, some snacks, and a verse as well as some consecrated communion in sandwiches bags and headed downtown... The city is dead. Everything is closed.
Still, there were a few guys out walking and I ran into the ones the Lord wanted me to. I left verses and notes on the sidewalk, and drew a chalk line six feet from my truck. Everyone understood. Nobody wants to get sick. I wore gloves and kept a good distance
Danielle was thrilled to tell me she got an apartment, and almost ripped her pocket off pulling her keys out to show me. We have a custom of praying over apartment keys at the Street Church and she wanted me to bless hers...thankfully, the Holy Spirits power is not hindered by social distancing!
Nick walked past and it was all I could do not to hug him. He's been at our church since day one. He filled me in on a lot. He has a place but gets lots of assistance. After his rent, he gets $74 in food stamps for the month. This guy is trying hard and he's staying clean. I learned that IRC and other places have closed so folks don't have access to mental health care. I need to look into that one.
Food pantries and meals are cutting back too. "They don't want us to congregate, so everyplace is handing out bagged meals and moves us along. It's like it's their job, and they've got no kindness behind it.” I was done right there; our entire church is based on how we serve not what we serve.
March 28, 2020
A sign of hope for the Amesbury community.
Well done All Saints!
March 23, 2020
On Sunday Bishop Andrew was invited by Canon Tim Clayton to preach at the virtual morning services from Christ the Redeemer, Danvers, MA.
Bishop Andrew commented, “Canon Tim and Michael Pritzel have developed a very elegant and simple process - thoughtfully repurposing an iPad, a tripod and some pre-existing lighting. The service plan was, again, simple but extremely beautiful. They did a superb job of bringing warmth and sincerity in their worship that was seamlessly streamed via facebook. I would strongly recommend their virtual worship model in terms of both liturgical structure and elegant technical solution to any of our churches. Most importantly, there was no doubt that we were engaged in a piece of spirit-led worship. The Holy Spirit was clearly present.”
The service was streamed live and then posted on the ADNE Facebook page. It received over 900 views in less than 12 hours. "I am so proud of us as a Diocese. Exactly this kind of Spirit-led creativity and ingenuity is going on all across our collective church family from Maine to Connecticut. One of my favorite parts of the morning was to see people arrive online and greet one another. There was deep joy in being able to worship together. We were not in the same physical space, but we were one in the Spirit.”
March 23, 2020
From Rev. Amos Kimera, Rector at St. Peter’s Belmont - a faithful Ugandan Anglican Congregation:
“I just don't know how to thank God today. We had three services. Children Church, Main Church, and Teen's Church.... I moved by the way children and the teens are missing church. They requested that I set a zoom call within the week.”
March 22, 2020
Imago Dei Anglican Church offered “communion at the curb” in several locations thoughout their region of central and downeast Maine. Parishioners could stop by within a window of time to receive sanitary pre-wrapped reserve Sacrament (bread only) and a lay leader or clergyman was present to both share Communion with them and pray over them and their household.
In one location, Christians of various denominations in the neighborhood were touched to be invited to stop by and pray at a safe distance. The peace and reassuring comfort of the Spirit was present to wash over anxiety as tears flowed: “this was exactly what we needed.”
March 21, 2020
Update on The Street Church: Rev. Bryan was able to drop off some supplies for those that are in downtown Hartford. Because they cannot gather as The Street Church on Saturdays, he has taped Scripture, prayers, and encouragement to lampposts for his parishioners to read.
He also led a zoom service for 20 volunteers, most of whom are in Cru at the University of Connecticut. Together they went through the readings and prayed for their friendships and the leaders in the street. "It was lovely. God is good." - Rev. Bryan
March 19, 2020
Tonight something truly miraculous took place: by the grace of technology, over 100 people from across the Diocese (and beyond) joined in fervent prayer for a suffering and frightened world... and heaven broke in.
I am so proud of you all - I delight to see the glory of God manifest in your lives. As we finished our time together, a saint who had been a part of our virtual gathering texted me to say, “That was refreshing. As we prayed the Litany, and during the last song, I found myself desiring to continue gathering to pray like this until this is over— and imagining the scale continuing to grow.” To which we all say, "Amen." All praise and glory to you, Lord Jesus. - Bishop Andrew
March 16, 2020
Incarnation Anglican Church was planning to move into a new space in April, but instead they will use this time as the gift of time to tend to the needs of our neighbors, invest in relationships and prepare for the new season.
During the break Incarnation will be offering mid-week times for prayer and connection. They are also planning to provide a short liturgy for the church family to use for home worship, as well as giving a time to be in prayer together on Sunday mornings via Zoom. Reverend Piper encouraged her church family, “I believe every one of us is being invited to a new encounter. Be brave. Ask Jesus what to do. And then do it - because you need to experience his righteous right hand, his presence beyond your expectations, and his love for you. This is what is about to happen. Are you ready for it?”
March 14, 2020
Concerns around the COVID-19 virus on the South Shore have led Reverend Leah Turner and her congregation at Grace Anglican Church, Bridgewater to do a live Facebook morning prayer worship on Sundays. They have also mobilized the Church’s vestry and leadership to call someone on their parish list once a week to check in on them and identify and serve local needs as they arise.
March 12, 2020
In the wake of a lot of fear and uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, Rev. Len Cowan and his wife Hallie led the way to be salt and light in their neighborhood. The Abbey of the Way hosted the local community in a Q&A session with doctors and medical experts who also lived locally and who were able to provide a balanced and reasonable account of the health crisis. “Like the Celtic houses of prayer and hospitality, The Abbey of the Way is a refuge.” Commented Rev. Len, “It was a good opportunity to serve the neighborhood with reliable medical testimony and for us to assure residents that, as followers of Jesus, we are praying for them.”