September 19, 2020
With close personal contact still a health-threatening endeavor, our church music groups are still not able to gather together for weekly rehearsals. And, though we are beginning in-person worship sessions this month, much of the normal congregational participation will not be happening, and there will be no opportunities for the typical before and after worship fellowship.
In a typical summer, I spend a good deal of time planning the music for the Advent and Christmas celebrations that are coming. Given that our typical Advent Dinner and Christmas at Peace in-person formats will not likely be possible, trying to decide what to do has been an extra challenge.
The decision that seems most likely is that our church musicians will attempt to put together a virtual Christmas music concert that we will make available online or via DVD by the second week in December. Our hope is that this virtual music concert can be the centerpiece of small, in-home Advent Dinner celebrations that faith community participants will plan, either as individual families or together with a few other families. My hope is that I will also be able to schedule a couple of Zoom Christmas Caroling sessions that people can schedule into their in-home Advent Dinner celebrations. These will most likely be on two of the Advent Sunday evenings (November 29, December 6, 13, 20). More specifics on all of this will be coming later.