The Session of Burke Presbyterian Church met in late July to discuss next steps with regards to the global pandemic and its impact particularly on in-person, indoor gatherings. It made the very hard decision to continue online worship through at least Ash Wednesday of 2021 (February 17). The formal action notes that if the public health situation changes such that large, in-person worship gatherings can be conducted with minimal risk for COVID-19 transmission, Session may modify the policy. Other churches within our National Capital Presbytery have made similar calls in recent weeks.

At the same time, the Session adopted policy and procedures guidelines for outdoor gatherings on site at BPC, and the worship team is developing plans for worship opportunities in the outdoor chapel and elsewhere on the grounds.

Meanwhile, the “Widen the Circle” construction project is drawing close to completion. While the pandemic has slowed many aspects of the project since March, we believe the building will be complete by the end of August. We are developing procedures for safely touring the space when it is open, and for gathering small groups for brief meetings inside as well.

Attached to this email is the latest letter from Pastor David, which outlines in more detail some of what we describe here. We will provide a version of a New Leaf newsletter later in the summer, with more details about all of the plans described above.

For now, we ask for your prayers, patience, and creative thinking caps as we navigate these strange waters. Let us see where the Spirit leads us.

And please hold the entire community in your prayers. Indeed, given the global nature of this pandemic, we lift prayers for the world: for those who are ill and their families, for leaders everywhere facing difficult decisions, for health-care workers, and for front-line responders. God is with us.