Covid-19

On May 20 Bishop Cathleen Bascom issued updated Covid-related guidelines for parishes across the diocese. Unlike previous guidance, which was uniform across the 44 churches of the diocese, these new guidelines offer just four requirements, while empowering local discretion in relaxing other previous Covid-related safety restrictions, based on local contexts. The bishop said that this …

On May 15 Bishop Cathleen Bascom issued the following guidance:  In light of the CDC and diocesan relaxation of mask requirements for vaccinated adults, building use and worship decisions continue to be at the discretion of clergy. As possible, clergy are to be in conversation with lay leaders when making decisions about moving through this …

On May 14 Bishop Cathleen Bascom issued the following statement in response to the latest guidelines on mask-wearing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Yesterday, the CDC released new guidelines concerning masks, stating that vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks indoors or outdoors. With this in mind, and after consulting with medical advisors, …

On May 6 Bishop Cathleen Bascom issued new guidelines that relaxed some Covid-related restrictions that had been in place for indoor, in-person worship. Beginning on May 15, indoor singing is permitted for congregations as well as ensembles, with everyone masked. Fully vaccinated people may sit closer together than 6 feet, while provisions must remain for …

In a message sent to the diocese on March 12, Bishop Cathleen Bascom reiterated some existing guidelines on how churches can gather while staying safe from the Covid-19 virus, and she also offered new options for feeding ministries and coffee hour, as well as for gatherings of fully vaccinated people. Indoor activities, including worship, will …

On Jan. 21 Bishop Cathleen Bascom effectively transferred her guidance about Christmas services, from her letter of Dec. 7, to services on Ash Wednesday. For churches in a county that shows “double red” on the diocesan Covid-tracker spreadsheet, she will allow one in-person service, lasting no more than 30 minutes and with a maximum of 25 …

On Jan. 5 Bishop Cathleen Bascom reiterated guidelines regarding indoor activities and worship that she had earlier provided in a Dec. 7 letter to the diocese. Through Palm Sunday, March 28,  indoor worship and activities will be governed by the level of virus spread in each county within the diocese, as tracked on a spreadsheet posted every …

Diane Kruger, an emergency department nurse in Wichita and deacon at Trinity Episcopal Church in nearby El Dorado, on Dec. 14 was among the first 100 people in the state of Kansas to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19. Kruger works at the St. Francis campus of the Ascension Via Christi hospitals, where the vaccinations …

On Dec. 7 Bishop Cathleen Bascom continued her moratorium on indoor, in-person worship and activities for all churches across the diocese until Epiphany, Jan. 6, 2021, with all her previous guidance on how activities must be conducted also continuing. She did make one exception to the moratorium: churches may have one indoor, in-person service on …

On Nov. 12 Bishop Bascom placed a moratorium on indoor in-person worship and other indoor gatherings until Sunday, Dec. 13. Outdoor worship and activities still are permitted. Her letter to clergy and lay leaders also provided guidelines on when churches must suspend indoor activities for the period from Dec. 13 through Easter, based on Covid-related …