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12/22/2020 03:32 PMIn response to social distancing policies resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak, the following Clinton, Old Saybrook, and Wesbtrook religious groups and organizations have either temporarily closed and shifted to virtual worship services or have reopened and modified onsite services to conform to safety guidelines. To report a change in worship services, contact zip06@shorepublishing.com.
Clinton
• First Church of Christ, 55 Church Road, Clinton. In-person Sunday worship service has resumed at 11 a.m. outdoors, weather permitting. Bulletins and weekly sermons and messages from the pastor are posted online. For the Christmas season, an outdoor Christmas Eve candlelight service will take place on Thursday, Dec. 24 at 4 p.m. For more information, including the weekly sermons and messages, visit firstchurchclinton.org/home.
• Signal Church, 4 Heritage Park Road, Clinton. The church has resumed in-person Sunday morning worship indoors at 9 and 10:45 a.m. with strict physical distancing and 25% capacity limit. Online reservations are required to attend either service. There will be a limited number of tickets reserved for walk-up/first-time guests. All staff, volunteers, and guests are required to wear a face mask. Online sermons remain available via the church website. Note that Christmas Eve services will be held in person on Thursday, Dec. 24 at 4 (livestreamed) and 5:30 p.m. Reservations are required for these in-person services. For more information, including the safety guidelines for indoor worship, links to online worship, or reservations for the Christmas Eve services, visit signal.church.
• St. Alexis Orthodox Christian Church, 108 East Main Street, Clinton. The church has reopened in accordance with Phase 1, Stage 1 as outlined in the Synodal Directives. Divine liturgies are now held in-person, even as services are livestreamed and available online. Archived podcasts of sermons and short reflections on the orthodox Christian faith are available at stalexischurch.org/podcasts. Zoom links to morning prayers, Vespers, and other services are posted in the calendar on the church website. For more information, including the Zoom links and readings, visit stalexischurch.org and click on the calendar of services link on the left menu.
• St. Mary Church of the Visitation, 54 Grove Street, Clinton. Masses have resumed at their normal weekday and weekend schedules. Weekday are offered on weekdays at 9 a.m. Weekend Masses are celebrated on Saturday at 4 and 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 7:30, 9, and 11:30 a.m. The dispensation from the Sunday obligation has been extended until further notice. Those in high-risk categories are encouraged to continue staying home, even as people begin to return to Mass. For more information, including guidelines to attend Masses, visit stmarysclinton.org.
• United Methodist Church of Clinton, 12 Commerce Street. In-person Sunday services have been suspended again following the rise in COVID-19 cases. The Sunday service at 10 a.m. will continue to be posted on YouTube and televised for cable subscribers in the local area. In addition, Christmas services will be online. Links to the Christmas services will be sent by email to those in the church mailing list. For more information, including links for Sunday worship, visit clintonctumc.wixsite.com/clintonumc.
Old Saybrook
• Emmanuel Baptist Church, 195 Old Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook. Sunday services have resumed in person at 9:45 a.m. with strict protocols. Livestream Sunday service at 11 a.m. is accessible via Facebook; archived sermons are also available online. In addition to the Facebook link, recordings of the previous Sunday service will air on Valley Shore Community Television on Sundays at 5 p.m. To watch it on TV, tune to Comcast Xfinity Channel 19 and 1070 or on Frontier TV Channel 6089. To join the Sunday service, visit facebook.com/ebcsaybrook. For more information, including the archived sermons, visit ebcsaybrook.com.
• Grace Episcopal Church, 336 Main Street, Old Saybrook. Regular services have resumed, with COVID-19 precautions and social distancing measures. The regular Sunday services are at 8 a.m. with Holy Eucharist, Rite I and at 10 a.m. with Holy Eucharist, Rite II. The worship service that was offered outdoors on Saturdays has moved indoors with a new schedule at 4 p.m. Livestream Sunday worship is still available at 10 a.m. via Facebook or YouTube. Note that the church will have services on Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec 24 at 4 p.m. (livestreamed) and 6 p.m., with carol singing in the parking lot at 5:15 p.m. On Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25, the church will have an in-person service at 10 a.m. The number of parishioners for each service will be capped between 25 and 35. Reservations are required for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. To make a reservation, contact Liz Keirstead at the church office, 860-388-0895 or gracechurcholdsaybrook@gmail.com. For more information, including links to the online service as well as safety protocols for in-person service, visit graceoldsaybrook.org.
• St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 161 Main Street, Old Saybrook. Masses and confessions at both St. John and St. Mark Churches have resumed at their normal weekday and weekend schedules. Weekday Masses at St. John Catholic Church are offered on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 7:15 a.m. Weekend Masses are celebrated on Saturday at 4 p.m. and on Sunday at 7:30, 9:15, and 11 a.m. Note that St. John Church will also celebrate Masses on Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24 at 4 p.m. and on Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25 at midnight, 9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. Parishioners are required to follow several safety protocols, including wearing masks and maintaining the regular six-feet social distancing policy. Note too that the dispensation from the Sunday obligation has been extended until further notice. Those in high-risk categories are encouraged to continue staying home, even as people begin to return to Mass. For more information, including guidelines to attend Masses, visit stjohnstmark.org.
• Valley Shore Assembly of God, 36 Great Hammock Road, Old Saybrook. In-person Sunday services at 10 a.m. have resumed. Podcasts of sermons are available at valleyshore.org/media/podcast for those who are unable to attend in-person services. The services are also available at facebook.com/www.valleyshore.org. For more information, visit valleyshore.org.
Westbrook
• First Congregational Church of Westbrook, 1166 Boston Post Road. Due to a rise in the COVID-19 cases, in-person worship services have been temporarily suspended. Livestream Sunday worship services at 9:45 a.m. and midday prayers from Monday through Saturday at 11:45 a.m. can be accessed on Facebook and Zoom. For more information, including a link to the services, visit westcongchurch.org and click on COVID-19 Worship Information link under the Worship tab on the top menu.
• St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, 222 McVeagh Road, Westbrook. Masses and confessions at both St. John and St. Mark Churches have resumed their normal weekday and weekend schedules. Weekday Masses at St. Mark Catholic Church are offered on Tuesday and Friday at 7:15 a.m. Weekend Masses are celebrated on Saturday at 5 p.m. and on Sunday at 7:45 a.m., 10:15 a.m., and 7 p.m. Note that St. Mark Church will also celebrate Masses on Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24 at 5 p.m. and Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25 at 7:45 and 10:15 a.m. Parishioners are required to follow several safety protocols, including wearing masks and maintaining the regular six-feet social distancing policy. The dispensation from the Sunday obligation has been extended until further notice. Those in high-risk categories are encouraged to continue staying home, even as people begin to return to Mass. For more information, including guidelines to attend Masses, visit stjohnstmark.org.
• St. Paul’s Episcopal Westbrook, 53 South Main Street. In-person worship has resumed on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. with strict safety precautions, including the wearing of face masks. The services are also available via Zoom. Details of the Zoom link are posted on Facebook. For more information or to join, visit facebook.com/StPaulsEpiscopalWestbrook.