Update: June 18, 12:04pm

With Covid-19 numbers continuing to rise in Tulsa County,  and particularly with the influx of people expected in the  downtown area this weekend, there is rising concern for the health and well being of our parishioners.

You may have heard Fr. Lee and Mo. Cheryl speaking about the precautions we plan to have in place when we do reopen, such as taking temperatures, requiring masks, and enforcing social distancing in the building. We have also made the decision to seat all congregants for the 9:00am service on one side of the nave and all congregants for the 11:00am service on the other side to help reduce the likelihood of virus spread.  We hope that you will also begin making your preparations for our eventual return by purchasing reusable or disposal face masks, educating yourself on safe social distancing practices, and keeping an eye on the infection rates in our area. If you have concerns that you may have been exposed to the virus, or have any of the symptoms of Covid-19, please make an appointment for free testing at one of the area testing sites. We can all help reduce the spread of this virus by limiting contact with those outside our homes, and by avoiding indoor gatherings. And the slower the spread, the sooner we're together again! As our tentative reopening date gets closer, we are excited to welcome Rev. Chris Cole as a new member of the Trinity family.  Chris's first day with our team will be July 1st, so we are excited that he will be here when we reopen! On July 25th at 11:00am, he will be ordained in to the priesthood, and we'll live stream the ordination on Facebook so the whole parish can take part. Read all about Rev. Chris here. It's been a while since Trinity has had a curate so we're sure some of you are asking "What is a curate?" The simplest explanation is that a curate is a transitional deacon (someone who has been ordained as a deacon on the way to the priesthood) or newly ordained priest. The curate works under the supervision of a seasoned rector, and in churches like Trinity, as part of a clergy and staff team. This two year period provides newly ordained priests the opportunity to hone their skills in ministering to a congregation, explore areas of ministry they may not have experienced yet, and build the skills necessary to take on more responsibility in the next parish. We are looking forward to seeing what our team - parishioners, staff and clergy - can really do once we're all back together again! In the meantime, be well. In Christ, The clergy & staff of Trinity Episcopal Church +