by Mary Frances

First, let me just preface this post by saying very clearly and emphatically that this is NOT a political post.  Second, let me lay out a scenario that may feel quite familiar to you.  You are on a Zoom meeting with your congregational leadership team (council, vestry, whatever you call them).  The topic is going back to in-person gatherings – worship, meetings, Sunday School, choir, etc.  Half your team is pushing for the doors to be wide open.  The other half is expressing more caution, a desire to wait a bit longer.  You feel caught in the middle.

It’s not hard to feel caught these days.  Information and misinformation is flying everywhere and changing on a daily basis.  Last week, Tucker Carlson declared that we should shame people for wearing masks in public and if you see a child wearing a mask in a store, you should call the police to report child abuse (yes, this is true, you can look it up).  Then the next day, the CDC said it would be okay for vaccinated people to gather outdoors without masks with social distancing.  The people in your congregation are, most likely, watching one side of this or other but probably not both.  Now your pro-gathering crew is pushing harder.  Now your cautious group is vacillating.  “What if we have gatherings only for vaccinated people?,” they ask.  You go back to your opening devotion about loving your neighbor and welcoming all.  How on earth do you navigate this maze of craziness that you couldn’t have even imagined just over a year ago?  This is definitely NOT anything you were taught in seminary.