Bread of Life Charismatic Episcopal Church (CEC)

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Weekly Mass Times:
Sunday 9:45 a.m., Wednesday at Noon

The New Wisconsin Mask Order is in effect. Masks are required indoors in all public places. BOL will comply as long as the order remains in place. Masks and hand sanitizer are available at the entrances.

THIS WEEK at BREAD OF LIFE: August 9-16

UPDATE ON BREAD OF LIFE - July/August 2020
The New Wisconsin Mask Order and Bread of Life

Dear Bread of Life Family,

As you are probably aware, the Governor of Wisconsin has issued a mandatory mask order for the entire State of Wisconsin beginning Saturday, August 1, 2020. Masks are required indoors in all public places. While we may not like this requirement, the Bible calls us to be "subject to our governing authorities" unless the matter goes against the morality and teachings of our faith (Romans Chapter 13). Therefore, while this order is in place, I request that all persons attending Bread of Life wear a face mask covering your mouth and nose while in the building.
While there are exceptions to this order, it does not appear that churches have any special exemptions. The only specific thing mentioning churches stated in the order is that those leading worship were not required to wear a mask if appropriate social distancing is maintained. Other exemptions including medical conditions are also included. The order is available for you to read, and the State has also issued a document explaining the order with questions and answers. You can see these documents on many news sources and at the State of Wisconsin web site (wisconsin.gov).
Again, as this is not a moral issue, it behooves us to follow this mandate when possible for a number of reasons. Here are a few of the reasons to do this:
1) People in our congregation are not all of one mind with regard to this. We know that some have greater concerns and more serious health issues, so we comply out of respect for fellow members of our BOL family. You may not have personal health issues and concerns about catching this virus, but look around you as you sit at BOL. For others in the congregation, catching this virus could be tragic.
2) Penalties of up to $200 per violation are possible for those in violation of the order. I really do not expect Health Officials, Village Officials or Police to show up at our church, but if that did happen, it would be unfortunate to have citations issued and to deal with authorities in that way. If this were a moral issue, it would be a different story. If they come after me someday for preaching a pro-life message, so be it. This however, doesn't seem to be our "line in the sand" moment.
3) Statistics are clear that the Corona virus is spreading rapidly in Wisconsin. God calls us to prayer and faithfulness as we pray for the abatement of this pandemic. He will heal us and He can heal this land. But along with our faith, God also calls us to responsible action. It is not a lack of faith which causes us to comply with this, but more so an act of respect and prudence. Remember that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We have always brushed our teeth and washed our hands knowing that it stops the spread of disease, so we can do this, too.
If you have concerns about wearing a mask, catching or spreading Corona Virus (or the flu, or anything else) or do not feel well, please stay home and take care of yourself. Remember that you can watch us on line. We will continue to live stream our services on Facebook.
Finally, if you do attend church in person, know that we have masks and hand sanitizer available, and we will continue to practice social distancing as we have been doing. There may be some additional adjustments to our liturgy as we work through this situation.
I appreciate your cooperation and understanding through all of this, but more than anything else I appreciate your prayers. Know that you are all in my prayers as well.
Faithfully in His service,
Fr. Chris