Church Reopening Procedure – PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY

Ekhristos Anesti – Alithos AnestiChrist is Risen – Truly He is Risenالمسيح قام – بالحقيقة قام  

Dear beloved members of the congregation of the Church of St. Anthony Coptic Orthodox Church in Medford, NJ

The peace and love of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.

We, the church clergy hope this letter finds you and your family well and in good health.  Our church community has been through a lot over the last few months, and we are all looking forward to returning to a sense of normalcy.  We know that all of you have been awaiting the resumption of services in our beloved church. While many things have changed, some things remain the same: our faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, our firm belief in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and our undying love for one another. 

Many of you have been waiting for further details regarding the gradual resumption of liturgical services. For your safety, H.G. Bishop David, in unison with the church priests of the Archdiocese in New Jersey and the New York and New England Diocese have asked each church to adhere strictly to the CDC recommendation, as well as regulations and guidelines of state and local authorities.  We also continue to follow these agencies so that we are up to date with any changes that may be issued.

Great care went into facilitating the opening of our church, including the time and frequency of the liturgy to ensure the safety of every single member of the congregation.

God willing, when liturgies resume on Sunday June 7 and you may see some changes as explained in the attached protocol which we kindly ask you to read and follow thoroughly.

We look forward to celebrating the liturgy with you again and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you and your family safe. The circumstances under which we must celebrate for the foreseeable future are not ideal and are difficult to work around. But we trust in our Lord that “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28).

We want to thank each one of you for your continuous prayers for our beloved church and our beloved shepherd H.G. Bishop David.

More information to follow. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Your Servant,

Fr. John