March 16, 2020
(Updated on March 25, 2020)

Dear Parishioners of Holy Trinity Inwood,

I write to you with sad news. By order of the Bishop of New York, all public worship in this Diocese is suspended for the next eight weeks, or until further notice. This means that all public worship services and events at Holy Trinity Church Inwood are cancelled until further notice. The Parish Office is also closed until further notice. You may read the Bishop’s order here.

Last week, I directed the Treasurers and Parish Administrator to make contingency plans for operational continuity in case this should happen. We have been steadily moving our accounting and bookkeeping online, and so I am happy to say that we will be able to continue these back-office operations via remote access.

Our worship will continue. First and foremost in our hearts and minds, but also as a community, albeit now necessarily a virtual one. I have appointed a task force to implement a means of offering worship that we can participate in remotely, via a podcast. Details will follow from the task force, but the basic idea is that we’ll “gather” (not in person) Sunday morning at 10:30 and share a time of prayer.

These are troubling times, but God is sovereign over every time and place. Jesus has been crowned Lord of All, including of this virus, of this moment, and of our lives.

At the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:10-11).

March 13, 2020

Dear Parishioners of Holy Trinity Church Inwood,

As we continue to adapt to the impact of Coronavirus / COVID-19 I write to advise of you some additional changes to our Parish response protocol. In addition to the virus itself, we are all dealing with sudden and dramatic changes to our day-to-day lives. I have found Psalm 91 and Psalm 121 to be a comfort.

Our 10:30 a.m. Sunday service will continue. However, if you are sick, have been sick in the past 14 days, or have been in contact with someone who has been sick in the past 14 days, please stay home.

Coffee Hour is cancelled until further notice.

The common cup continues to be suspended until further notice.

Physical contact during the Peace continues to be suspended until further notice.

The vestry meeting scheduled for this Sunday, March 15, is cancelled.

The Governor has asked for assemblies of fewer than 500 people to cut their attendance by half. To implement this, I am asking you to please leave one chair free between you and your fellow Parishioners. (The only exception is for families arriving together. Families arriving together may sit together.) If we reach capacity, I will offer a second service, immediately following.

Fellowship and sermon discussion will take place in the church trailer.

During all of this, please remember to pray for each other and please be in touch with your fellow parishioners. We have many strong bonds in our Parish community and now is the time to lean on them. As always, please be in touch with me for prayer and counsel as you feel the need, or if there is something you think I should know, particularly if you know of someone in need.

We will get through this together.

Faithfully,

J. W. Dell

The Rev. J. W. Dell, Vicar
Holy Trinity Church Inwood
20 Cumming Street, New York, New York 10034
jdell@holytrinityinwood.org
Church Office: 212-567-1177
For pastoral emergencies only, please text or call: 646-483-3553.

February 29, 2020

Dear Parishioners of Holy Trinity Church Inwood,

With the first U.S. death from the Coronavirus now reported, I want to reiterate what our practice is for sharing the common cup and to give you notice of one change.

1. In the Anglican tradition we sip from the cup. Intinction (dipping the wafer) is not part of our tradition and is discouraged.
2. The cup is silver-plate and wiped after each communicant receives. For those of you who receive the cup, this is the most sanitary way of doing so.
3. It is perfectly fine to receive the bread wafer alone. You still have participated fully in the sacrament that way. If you are concerned about passing or being exposed to germs, I recommend you receive the wafer only.
4. If you must receive by intinction, self-intinction will no longer be allowed. I have instructed the chalice bearers to refuse self-intinction. Instead, please leave the wafer in the palm of your hand and the minister will dip the wafer for you and place it on your fully-extended tongue (see attached image).

Please know that both the Vicar and the acolyte both use hand-sanitizer after the Peace and before the bread and the wine are handled.