St. Lawrence Episcopal Church - 125 West Church St., Libertyville, Illinois 60048 - 847.362.2110
Worship with Us
Hybrid Worship Sundays at 9:00am
We are pleased to announce that beginning May 2, 2021 at 9:00am St. Lawrence Episcopal Church will pilot a hybrid service offering both in-person and Zoom worship opportunities.
As we move cautiously to in-person worship, the Outdoor Worship team has had three priorities: Keep it safe. Keep it simple. Keep it portable.
You can choose:
- To come in person to a simple outdoor Eucharist.
- To attend the service on Zoom live-streamed from a designated parishioner’s phone.
Please Join Us:
June 13, 2021 at 9:00am
Century Park
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Those attending the outdoor worship, please bring your own folding chair or picnic blanket. Consider arriving by 8:55am so there is gracious time for everyone to set up their household spot before worship starts.
Reminder: the church building remains closed.
Zoom links will be live 10 mins before the service. Click here to join.
Click here to view the June13, 2021 Order of Worship
Online Prayer Group
This online group receives a list of prayer requests every Tuesday morning to pray whatever way you pray.
Prayers may be sent throughout the week. Prayers are shared as they are written.
To be added to the list, ask a question, or add a prayer request, email prayergroup@stlawrencechurch.org.
June update on the reopening of St. Lawrence
Anybody feeling a bit anxious? Impatient? Worried? Grumpy about how other people are doing things? You’re not alone! The path out of the pandemic is leaving most all of us a mix of emotions ranging from fearful to resentful, from hopeful to rebellious, from sluggish to restless, and those emotions can even all be inside the same person, depending on the time of day! Our congregation’s leaders, with guidance from our diocesan leaders, are doing the best they can to make decisions to honor people’s varying needs for safety and connection. Things are changing quickly, so it’s not easy to do. Please know that for some, our plan at St. Lawrence will seem too fast, and for some, too slow. But we’ll come out on the other side. God promises that.
Here’s a bit of an update on re-opening at St. Lawrence, including worship. The Re-opening Task Force has been hard at work, as well as staff, the Outdoors worship team, and the Rector Search Committee – all at the same time! Coordinating among these various groups is part of the challenge. Thank these folks: send them a text or a note if you can.
Here’s a timeline, for those of us for whom timelines help us feel some sense of control.
- June 6. Hybrid worship (outdoors or Zoom) at 9 AM in Mundelein.
- June 5 and 12. Rector Search Committee (exclusively) is using the Sanctuary on weekends under St. Lawrence Phase 1 reopening plan.
- June 11. Governor Pritzker expected to announce the next step for our state, with the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago expected to announce the next step for our diocese shortly afterwards.
- June 9 and 16. The Sanctuary and Columbarium are open for private devotions these two Wednesdays from 2 – 6 PM.
- June 13. Hybrid worship (outdoors or Zoom) at 9 AM at Century Park in Vernon Hills.
- June 15. St. Lawrence vestry expected to approve St. Lawrence Phase 2 plan developed by the Reopening Task Force, to bring us back into the building for worship.
- June 17. Phase 2 Reopening plan to be announced by eBlast Together Connected. (to sign up for eBlast click here)
- June 20. Sunday worship (9 AM only) will be held for the first time back in the building under St. Lawrence Phase 2 plan. Expect a simple Eucharist service, similar to what we’ve been doing outdoors since May 2, with an option to Zoom in.
If you have questions, concerns, or are willing to help in this process, please click on my blue name below to send me a confidential email. Keep the faith, everyone!
Interim Rector
St. Lawrence Reopens for Small, Pastoral Services March 15
As the State of Illinois lifted more restrictions in February for all regions of state, the St. Lawrence Reopening Task Force (Susie Brock, Daphne Cody, Susan Fink, Chris Heier, and Tom Simpson) developed a Phase 1 plan for reopening, for small pastoral services only. “Small pastoral services” include weddings, funerals, and other pastoral rites. The task force used a checklist supplied by the Diocese of Chicago to develop the plan, which was approved by the vestry on February 20, 2021. The plan was submitted to Courtney Reid, the Director of Operations for the diocese, on February 25, 2021.
Having a Phase 1 plan (small pastoral services) will, first and foremost, give parishioners the ability to bury loved ones, say their marriage vows, and other life transition rites, which have otherwise been put on hold by the pandemic. It will also give clergy, staff, and other leaders a dry run for reopening in a fuller way (Phase 2) in the coming months.
To see the Phase 1 plan, CLICK HERE.
Due to the inability to assure health and safety in our worship space, St. Lawrence is not yet ready to be open for regular public worship. However, the Reopening Task Force will begin its work toward that goal this coming month. It’s likely that the first services of regular public worship will be held outdoors this spring when the weather gets warmer. Please understand that everything is changing week to week, and all plans remain subject to change.
Here are some hallmarks of the St. Lawrence Reopening Phase 1:
- Small pastoral services (such as weddings or funerals) can be requested by contacting the parish office, and requests will be granted at the discretion of the priest.
- In order to maintain social distancing, a maximum number of 25 people can attend the service in person. Everyone inside the building must maintain six feet of distance and wear face coverings over the mouth and nose at all times, regardless of vaccination status.
- Only specific rooms in the building will be used in Phase 1. These are listed in the plan. Only one entrance (the glass doors on Church Street) will be used.
It’s great news for us to offer this first step, and we thank everyone for their continued patience and diligent cooperation.
St. Lawrence Together
In accordance with Bishop Lee’s direction, and Governor Pritzker’s orders, our operations at St. Lawrence have been reduced to the bare minimum. Our wonderful administrative and finance team is working almost entirely remotely, and the building has been secured and the (many) thermostats turned down. We’ll still be worshiping together virtually, receiving mail, including pledge payments, and paying all vendors.
The HOPE food pantry continues to operate, under revised procedures, to serve our neighbors in need.
You can still call the church office at 847-362-2110 or send an email to office@stlawrencechurch.org.
Online Resources
