September 25, 2021
RE: Vaccination Policy at St. James In-Person Events
Dear friends,
After much prayerful consideration, the St. James Parish Council and
wardens have decided to enact a vaccination policy that will require all
persons, born 2009 or earlier, entering the church building to be fully
vaccinated, starting October 1.
Pandemic Covid-19, is spread by inhaling the very small aerosols that
infected people have coughed, sneezed, or otherwise expelled from their
mouths and noses. It is much more infectious than common respiratory
viruses such as colds and influenza. It makes people sick in days and
can last for months. It fills hospitals with people struggling to
breathe.
The vaccines for Covid-19 are spectacularly effective and safe. They
protect both the vaccinated person and those sharing the same airspace.
They protect communities. Witness the vulnerable groups who have not
been able to acquire the vaccines yet in sufficient numbers, and who
have high rates of infection and death. Also witness the devastation in
Long Term Care facilities where staff were slow to be vaccinated.
St. James congregation has vulnerable people. Most of us have already
received two shots against Covid-19. Many of our folks who go to school
or shops or offices are now required to have vaccine documents, as per
Public Health recommendations.
A few people have personal reasons for not taking the vaccine, at least
not yet. They may have had painful experiences in the past with medical
professionals, or procedures. They may be reluctant to concede loss of
autonomy of their persons. They may find it difficult to attend a large
vaccination clinic. They may be just frustrated with the pandemic and
with being told what to do.
Those feelings have been carefully considered in making the St. James
in-person vaccination policy, but safety remains the paramount concern.
Most St James services are currently live-streamed and available 24/7 on
our YouTube channel. Prayer meetings, bible studies and other
gatherings can be joined by Zoom. We encourage you to see the weekly
Friday news bulletins for connection information. The children of our
church have been doing this with great success while waiting for
approved vaccines for their age groups. If you need technical support to
learn how to join online, please email the church office at office@stjameskingston.ca or call the office at 613-548-7254.
We also want to ensure that unvaccinated parishioners have options to
receive the sacraments, including communion. If you, or others you know,
are in this situation you can contact any one of our clergy and
arrangements will be made for the individual or family.
Finally, if anyone has questions about the safety of the vaccines, our
pandemic response coordinator, Dr, Rick Rowland, will be happy to speak
with you on this. He notes that there is a very, very small number of
people who may be exempt from these vaccines: 1) those who had a severe
allergic reaction to this vaccine, and the allergy is confirmed by a
specialty allergist. 2) Those who developed documented cardiomyopathy
after an mRNA vaccine, a rare reaction. To speak with Rick send him an
email by way of the church office.
For other inquiries related to the vaccination policy, please email the Churchwardens at wardens@stjameskingston.ca.
We look forward to worshipping, learning and praying with you in our
in-person or online communities in the weeks and months ahead.
Sincerely,
Mike Lindsey
People’s Warden
Dawn Tate
Rector’s Warden
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear…