Spring Greetings from the Chapel,
When we wrote to you last spring, we were in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Little did we know the heartache and hardships the next twelve months would bring. It has been a long, hard year for so many. However, Easter has arrived and Christ is risen. Finally, it feels like spring is in the air and life is starting to return to something that resembles normalcy. Based on newsletters from merchants, restaurants, local government, and our Chamber of Commerce, there are hopes for a good but different summer in Wellfleet.
Although we were unable to open the Chapel for worship last summer, your generosity allowed us to continue to provide over $30,000 of much needed financial support to 12 health and human service organizations that serve year-round residents and seasonal workers on the Outer Cape. That is something to celebrate indeed!
Today we are pleased to announce that, after months of conversations and hard work, and with the increased availability of vaccines, the Vestry has determined that we will have a summer season of worship and fellowship at the Chapel. Although the details are still subject to change due to compliance with evolving state and diocesan COVID safety regulations, we will gather for worship on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am from June 27 through September 5.
Unfortunately, health and safety regulations, in-between service cleaning, and volunteer staffing requirements will prevent us from having a 7:30 service, patio conversation or coffee hour with our traditional punch and Oreos. But, who knows what will change between now and the end of June?
One of Tracey’s beloved cathedral parishioners used to proclaim: “Blessed are the flexible for they shall not get bent out of shape.” That being said, we will see some changes in worship, we will need more volunteers, and we will require flexibility and adaptability. To help facilitate all of this, we are working on a new website, which we hope will be online by the time the season starts.
We are excited about this coming summer. We’ve got some great preachers lined up (please see the back of this letter). The Smith Family is returning to offer worship music, albeit without congregational singing. We’ve even carefully cleared a few trees on the hillside so you can actually see the Chapel steeple from the road and beyond. We look forward to seeing you in a few months.
The Very Rev. Tracey Lind
Priest-in-Charge
Darcy Hackert
Warden