Friday, January 14, 2022
Dear Family and Friends of St. Philip’s,
It has been a very busy week since I last wrote you on January 5. The Vestry approved all the recommendations offered by the Covid Committee. We are back to phase 1 with no in-
person services for the time being. I hope in February that we will open again. Meanwhile, we
have been hard at work using Zoom and Teleconferencing. I thank Dorothy Holder, Arlene
Jones, Arelia Donaldson, James and Pam Pierce, and Barbara Lee for putting together first the
Epiphany service on January 6 and then last Sunday’s Morning Prayer service. All was on short
notice, but we got it done.
On Sunday there was a Zoom meeting of the newly formed Youth Group. We will meet
on Wednesdays twice each month beginning at 5 pm. This is for all young people in sixth grade
and up. The first meeting will be again on Zoom on January 26.
The Martin Luther King workshop will be this Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm. This is
sponsored by the Union of Black Episcopalians and the Cathedral. The event is free. Covid
restrictions have limited eating to outdoors as hors d’oeuvres.
May Ruth and I were drive-by tested at Walgreen’s on Tuesday. Early this morning we
got our results and both of us tested negative. Next week I will resume my Wednesday/
Thursday workdays at St. Philip’s. Please pray for our parish as we all try to do what we can to
prevent the spread of the virus. Several of our members have tested positive for Covid. Let’s
hope they recover easily. Please, get vaccinations and booster shots as soon as you can.
The Finance Committee met last night and is finalizing the budget for 2022. Pledges
continue to come into the Church. It is looking like a very good year is ahead of us. We are
finding ourselves moving from economics of scarcity into those of abundance—a nice problem
to have!
The Men’s Club met tonight. The banter among some of our members had me in
stitches! This group is ready for Saturday Night Live!
Arelia Donaldson is recovering very well from rotator cuff surgery on her shoulder. Laurie
Johnson is doing really well after back surgery on January 5. Both ladies are up and about and
feeling well. God is good! With my love and best wishes, I remain,
Your brother in Christ,
Jay
P.S. As I posted a week or so on Facebook, this is my oldest grandson, Finley. He is three and
a half years old and living proof that rationalizing behavior comes early in childhood
development. When told to finish his dinner he said, “But my mouth is too small!”
