July 28, 2021
Samson of Dol
Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord.
I’m writing to let you know about some up-coming changes in our online educational opportunities. Most of these changes will involve St Thomas School, but they will also have an impact on The Fall Theological Seminar and The Pascha Book Study.
Throughout the recent public health crisis, a few hard-working volunteers have made it possible for us to offer an online option for each of those groups. However, the reality is that those volunteers now need a break. Also, since we re-started Fellowship Hour in May, and we will do the same with Church School in September, it’s time for us to get back to meeting face to face for adult education. So, to facilitate those transitions, starting September 1, we will be adopting new guidelines for online participation in those three groups (The Thursday Night Bible Study will not be effected by these new arrangements):
If you live in Austin, Pflugerville, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Jonestown, Liberty Hill, or Georgetown, we will be asking you to get in the car, drive to the parish, and attend the group meetings in person. This will make it possible for all of us to get to know each other better; it will facilitate actual discussion (which tends to be minimal during online meetings), and, on Saturday, it will allow folks to participate in Great Vespers following St Thomas School.
If you live in Bastrop/Elgin, Kerrville/Marble Falls/Burnet, Killeen/Harker Heights/Temple/Jarrell then you will be eligible to participate in these groups online. However, each week, you will need to reserve an online slot at least 48 hours prior to the meeting: All you will need to do is send an email to remote.meetings@theforerunner.org, by Monday evening for the Wednesday night meetings, and by Thursday evening for the Saturday afternoon meetings. This will require you to plan ahead, but it will make it possible for us to know who will be attending the meeting online and whether or not we will need any of our tech volunteers to be available.
If you will be participating online, we will be asking that you be prepared to turn on your camera and allow the other members of the group to actually see you. Talking to a blank screen is just not very conducive to healthy interaction.
If you live within easy driving distance of the parish, but participating online is easier for you due to age, health concerns, or any other issues, just get in touch with me, and we will be happy to work something out.
Change is never easy, but we’ve been through a whole lot of changes in the past year and a half, so we should be able to make all this work without too much trouble. After all, our goal is to enhance life in our community and to allow the members of our parish to get closer to one another and to the Most Holy Trinity.
Just let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks to each of you, and May the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bless you all.
an unworthy priest
aidan