Returning to Singing

It seems like we are so close to many Covid restrictions being a thing of the past, and yet there are still so many unknowns including when some of them can be removed. While cases have remained low here, and more New Mexico counties are moving to green and then turquoise, we are seeing a fourth wave in other states, some of which had been bellwethers for increases around the country.

But, the good news is that vaccination numbers continue to increase, which, based on guidance we are receiving, impacts what we are able to do in worship. The Hymn Society still recommends against singing inside during worship because singing has been a super-spreader. What they have recently announced is that singing shouldn’t return until we are approaching or have reached “herd-immunity” by vaccination. According to the CDC, as of this morning, 21% of people in Los Alamos County are vaccinated, which includes nearly 50% of those over 65. Those numbers are slightly ahead of national figures. According to the Hymn Society we should be near, or above, 80% to return to singing.

I know that’s not what some of you want to hear, and believe me I understand. It’s nice to see people in worship, but I really missed booming voices singing out on Easter Sunday. But, I would rather err on the side of caution than make a mistake that can’t be undone. Linda is still dealing with the after effects of her Covid case. So we can perhaps see the light, but it’s still a ways off.

That also emphasizes the importance of getting vaccinated. Linda and I had our second shot the Friday before Palm Sunday, and I had my first meeting yesterday with others who were also vaccinated and so could do it without masks on, which was nice. I know there are concerns for some people, but if you have not yet registered to be vaccinated and plan to be, don’t delay. And if you need assistance in navigating the state’s site, or even access to a computer, please contact us and we will help. I can report that all of the church staff and most of the Ark staff have been vaccinated.

Which leads to one more issue that has been raised and that is returning to in-person meetings, including Sunday school. At the last One Board meeting we did discuss that as a possibility, but we made the decision to go at least one more month because we didn’t know what would happen with cases after spring break and Easter. So far, they have stayed down and we have had only five cases in April. (And I so “only” against the reality that we had 165 cases in January) The One Board will be discussing this again at our April meeting.

But, for those leading, or involved, in some of these groups, you should also begin to think about and talk about what this would mean for your group as there will still be some people who will not feel comfortable meeting in person, as well as for those that I know of who don’t live in Los Alamos but have been participating in some of these groups. Are you going to only stay online even if you can come back? Are you going to do a hybrid and how would that work? Will you only do in-person, and what does that mean? And there are probably some other special considerations for your group.

Walter Brueggemann, who is a theologian and Hebrew scripture scholar, sought to try and explain the life cycle of the Israelites, which is really about all of our lives, and so he postulated the idea of orientation, disorientation and reorientation. Orientation is really what we consider “normal”, whatever that might be. But, that doesn’t last forever. Something happens and we have disorientation, but that too won’t last forever, leading into reorientation which is us coming back to orientation and the new normal. There is no question that we have been disoriented in the past year, and so now the question is where we sit on this scale and what our new normal will look like.

I know it’s hard to keep doing some of the same things when the light at the end of the tunnel seems so close, but we also don’t want to ruin the progress we have made and slip backwards. So, to paraphrase Paul, we wait for the new normal with patience, and I thank you for your patience and understanding as we have sought to make the right decisions that will not only help us find a new normal but also to keep one another safe.