May 8, 2020
Dear East Tennessee Friends,
In St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus declares that loving God fully and loving our neighbors as ourselves are the two great commandments. Everything else we do as followers of Jesus builds on these calls to love.
The Diocesan COVID-19 Task Force is releasing today Guidelines and Questions that will assist all of us in discerning when and how best to return to some form of in-person, public worship. As you read and study their work, please do so prayerfully, remembering that the call to love God and neighbor is always our first priority.
For some time going forward, how we gather will require creativity, imagination, and flexibility. Whether online or in-person, we gather not simply for ourselves. We gather as a school of prayer, to learn to live differently. We live for others, not for ourselves.
I remain grateful for the COVID-19 Task Force and their good work.
Peace,
+ Brian