We recognize that congregational worship has high risk of spreading COVID-19 and could jeopardize the safety and well being of our congregants and our clergy members. All of our traditions prioritize the care of the most vulnerable as a cornerstone of our values. We are ever grateful for the right to freely worship and know that with it comes the responsibility to safeguard the greater good. We yearn to be worshiping together in our traditional worship space, but that time has not come.
We therefore resolve to continue our essential work from the safety of remote worship in combination with a slow, incremental and cautious reopening for public worship. We recommend this caution out of concern for our own faith communities and the broader community given the CDC guidelines.
We are proud of the creativity and commitment of our faith leaders who have not let social distancing be spiritually alienating. We commit to continue our worship in these innovative ways and go forward with our plans for a slower reopening in concert with the guidelines provided by our individual movements and faith traditions.
We are grateful to Governor Raimondo and her staff for their judicious and meticulous use of medical science and data to drive their decision making processes while reopening Rhode Island. We are thankful for her trust in us as faith leaders and look forward to our continued partnership for the greater good of our state.
In faith and hope,
Rev. James Hazelwood
Bishop, New England Synod, ELCA Lutheran
Rev. Marilyn B. Kendrix,
Bridge Conference Minister, Southern New England Conference, UCC
The Right Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island
Rabbi Sarah Mack
President, Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island
Rev. Elizabeth Lerner Maclay
Minister, the First Unitarian Church of Providence
Rev. Don Remick
Bridge Conference Minister, Southern New England Conference, UCC
Rev. Kent Siladi,
Bridge Conference Minister, Southern New England Conference, UCC
Rev. Chontell Washington
Interim Executive Minister, Rhode Island State Council of Churches
Rev. Dr. Tom Wiles
Executive Minister, American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island
