The leadership and clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth are responding in grace-filled and creative ways to physical distancing and suspension of in-person worship services in response to the coronavirus Covid 19 crisis. These include Drive-in Worship, Holy Communion Drive-Thru, live streamed Eucharists, and live streamed Morning Prayer services, as well as non-worship offerings such as the daily reading of children’s stories by the Rev. Bradley Dyche, rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Stephenville.
“The church buildings may be closed, but we are very clear the Church is still open. In-person worship is suspended, but worship is continuing, albeit in new ways. We are doing Church differently, but we are still coming together to worship our loving, liberating, life-giving God even as we love our neighbors by staying apart,” said Bishop Scott Mayer.
Diocesan Morning Prayer
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is offering Morning Prayer at 10 am each Sunday live streamed through Facebook Live at this address: Facebook.com/DioFW. The livestream will start at 9:55 am with music. You do not need a Facebook account. Morning Prayer BCP final 03.22.2020 (1).docx. Or use the Online Book of Common Prayer. The Rev. Karen Calafat of St. Luke’s-in-the-Meadow, Fort Worth, and the Rev. Kevin Johnson, St. Alban’s Theatre Arlington, will offer the services.
All Saints’ Holy Communion Drive-Thru
All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, will be offering Holy Communion Drive-Thru this Sunday at 10 to 11 am at two locations, one at the west door of the church building in the circular drive; the other at the corner of Dexter and Penticost by All Saints’ Community Garden.
The Rev. Christopher Jambor, rector of All Saints’, wrote, “The centuries-old tradition of taking Holy Communion to what has been called ‘shut ins’ has been a part of the ministry of All Saints’ Episcopal Church since her inception. In addition to clergy, specially licensed Lay Eucharistic Visitors weekly take Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament to those confined to residences and institutions. The parish now has not a handful of ‘shut ins’ but nigh unto 2,000 parishioners who are ‘shut in’, although these folks, for the most part, are quite able to get out and drive.”
The service will be a podcast with only The Liturgy of the Word – a reading of three pieces of scripture, one from the Jewish Scriptures, and two from Christian Scriptures.
Here are the directions: “The clergy will administer the consecrated hosts having, of course, carefully washed their hands ahead of time. As usual, there will be one host per person in the car. However, we will distribute each family’s hosts to the person seated in the passenger side who can then distribute the hosts to all the car’s occupants. If you want or need to take Communion to someone not in the car, then simply defer eating your Bread until you see that person. Then break your Bread in half and give it to him or her and yourself.”
All Saints’ is asking that everyone please, remain in their vehicles to maintain the required physical distancing.
“We are not to encourage gatherings as you know, so if a lot of you get out and schmooze, we will likely will not be able to continue this way of administering Communion,” the church cautioned on their website.
All Saint’s Lent 4 Liturgy of the Word will be available on their online worship page from about 7:00 a.m. onward.
All Saints’ also suggests that people order the Book of Common Prayer, which is available from Church Publishing. The online Book of Common Prayer is also an option.
Good Shepherd, Granbury, Drive-In Worship
The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Granbury, is planning a drive-in worship service on at 9:30 am Sunday, March 22. Bishop Scott Mayer has called the diocese into a Lenten Fast from in-person worship for the time being in response to the coronavirus Covid 19 crisis. Good Shepherd’s innovation is one example of the creative ways Episcopal clergy and congregation leaders are keeping in touch with their congregations. Read more about the service.
St Christopher Online Monastery and Drive-In Worship/Holy Communion
The Rev. Bill Stanford, rector of St. Christopher Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, is streaming Morning Prayer at 9 am and Evening Prayer at 6 pm Monday through Saturday on Facebook Live and Zoom.
The church will livestream Eucharist at 10 am on Sunday, with distribution of communion (bread only) to people remaining in their cars after the Eucharistic Prayer. If people would like to join on Zoom, they can send email address to rector at stchrisfw.org or use Zoom #926 091 3073 to join.
Trinity Episcopal Church, Fort Worth
St. Elisabeth/Christ the King Episcopal Church, Fort Worth
St. Elisabeth/Christ the King will be making use of the various online resources for Sunday worship, including but not limited to the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth Morning Prayer service via Facebook Live at Facebook.com/DioFW and the National Cathedral stream. The Rev. Sandi Michels is available to parishioners for pastoral care.
St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller
St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller, will post a video recording of The Service of the Word & Sermon from St. Martin’s beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and continuing. People will be able to view the video at any time.
The website invitation to worship says, “We suggest that you subscribe to our YouTube channel, as well as our Facebook page, so that you don’t miss a service. The video will also be available through our website.”
The Service of the Word is the portion of the Service of Holy Eucharist up to the Offertory. It begins on page 355 of The Book of Common Prayer. Online Book of Common Prayer
Download the order of service, complete with all prayers and readings.
Morning and Evening Prayers with music are posted every day of the week on the Unapologetically Episcopalian Facebook page.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Stephenville
St. Luke’s, Stephenville, will offer Morning Prayer at 10 am streamed through their Facebook page. If you are unable to be there at 10 AM, the Video will still be there or on the YouTube Channel for St. Luke’s.
Noonday Prayers are offered at 12:00 noon Monday through Friday via Facebook Live. Simply go to St. Luke’s Facebook Page. You can find the prayers in the Book of Common Prayer on page 103 or in the Online Book of Common Prayer.
The Rev. Bradley Dyche, rector, is doing Children’s Book Reading with Fr. Brad at 10:30 am Monday–Friday via Facebook Live at St. Luke’s Facebook Page.
St. Luke’s Food Pantry will operate as a Drive-Thru on Tuesday, March 24, from 9 am to noon.
The Episcopal Church of Wichita Falls
The Episcopal Church of Wichita Falls will make use of the various online resources for Sunday worship, including but not limited to the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth Morning Prayer service via Facebook Live at Facebook.com/DioFW and the National Cathedral stream. The building remains closed but the Rev. Christopher Rodgers is available to anyone at any time for pastoral care. All parishioners have been and will be contacted personally by him via telephone on an ongoing basis.