Live Update to Residents-October 27, 2020
Live updates to residents on our in-house TV970 keep us informed and connected on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3 p.m. Beginning next week, Live Updates will move to Thursdays only at 3 p.m. Today’s update featured John Burns, President and CEO; Logan Augustine, Chaplain; and Lynn McClintock, Director Pastoral Care.
The following updates were shared during the briefing.
John Burns
Live Update Schedule Change
As of today, we have held 117 Live Updates. When we started 2020, we did not predict we would be meeting each week in this way. We are grateful we have had this opportunity to connect with you. Thank you so much to our Theater and Public Relations teams who help put on the Updates – Anita Adkins, Jessica Corbitt, Rebecca Hatch, Eric Price and Zach Townsend.
Starting next week, we will reduce our Live Updates to one per week, on Thursdays, at 3 p.m. Please tune in each time to hear the latest updates and answers to questions our team has been hearing from you. If we have additional news for you in between Updates, we will share it on Touchtown, TV971 or in written memos. Please keep connecting with us in digital ways.
COVID-19 Updates
An employee in our Child Development Center tested positive for COVID-19, so our Virtual Learning Classrooms and Toddler Room were closed until today, Tuesday, October 27. They are now reopened.
Last night we learned that a nurse who works the night shift in Assisted Living tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing some symptoms. She last worked on Thursday, October 22. This employee does not have a high level of interaction with residents, so we anticipate that the risk of exposure is minimal. We are actively tracing potential exposures. Those affected will be contacted directly by Assisted Living management. We will share more information about this on Thursday.
Mary Morton Parsons Health Center is undergoing our fifth COVID-19 Focused Infection Control Survey today. Will Blackwell and his team are doing a great job managing the process. We will share the outcome on Thursday.
New cases of COVID-19 are rising in the United States to the highest levels to date. We are beginning to see concerning signs with Virginia, Henrico and Richmond data with positivity and hospitalization rates climbing. Please keep up your guard. Our intent is to keep the community open. We depend on everyone to follow the rules and make good decisions. Please wear your mask, wash your hands and maintain your social distance of six feet or more from visitors and staff. Please ensure that your visitors wear their masks. If you see contractors not wearing a mask, please notify Security or Engineering immediately.
DMV
Resident Services would like you to know that the mobile DMV is not scheduling appointments to outside facilities. The Real ID deadline has been extended to October 1, 2021. We will keep you updated as we have more information.
Bank
We still do not have any updates on our BB&T branch. According to BB&T, there are no plans to reopen the on-campus branch in the near future. For lockbox issues, please contact Peggy at the Lakeside branch. She has been helpful working with residents who need to access their boxes. We will share updates as we have them.
Logan Augustine
Logan Augustine shared the following about her work as Memory Support Chaplain.
I want to take a moment to share my gratitude today. A big part of my work as a chaplain includes providing pastoral care to those living in our memory support community and their families. Thanks to the generous support given to Westminster Canterbury Foundation to support my position as the Memory Support Chaplain, I have the privilege of serving the emotional, social and spiritual needs of our residents living in memory care.
As we deal with the pandemic, I have been reminded of the importance of offering pastoral care and support to residents experiencing isolation and loneliness. Quarantines and lockdown have been important in protecting our residents; however, it can be especially tough for those residents experiencing cognitive changes, for whom social interaction and one-on-one support are so important.
Through navigating this strange time, I have felt blessed to be present with this community, offering one-on-one ministry and support to residents and their families. As it has become safe to do so, I’ve even been able to lead our beloved devotions groups again, where several residents and I gather together to worship, read Scripture, talk and support one another. After one particularly moving group, one resident looked at me and said, “I haven’t felt like this in a long while! I am so happy.” The power of God’s presence, God’s love and community is powerful.
I also feel grateful to be able to offer monthly family support groups via Zoom, which are open to family members of those whose loved ones are living with dementia and other cognitive changes. One benefit of having this group through Zoom is that families from any location can join in. We have created a community where we can support one another as families navigate the challenges of caring for their loved one with dementia in the time of COVID-19.
I could tell so many wonderful stories about the work that I’m privileged to do within the memory support community each day. I am blessed by these residents and their genuine love and care for one another. I am not sure who benefits from this ministry more: these residents or me. I am so grateful for the generosity and goodness of others, which make this unique chaplaincy position possible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Lynn McClintock
Pastoral Care Updates
The West exterior door to the Sanctuary will open to residents with their badges entering from the Tower side of the building. The doors from within the Memorial Garden remain locked to allow the privacy of people praying in the chapel or in small groups in the Jaqueline Room.
This year, our Annual All Saints’ Day service will be broadcast on TV970 on Sunday, November 1, at 4 p.m. It will reair on Friday, November 6, at 3 p.m. Although we are not able to gather in person, we will still gather in the comfort of our homes to remember those who have died since November 2019 and to remember and give thanks for their lives. Bulletins for the service are available at the Tower and Center Desks.
This year’s David F. Peters Lecture, featuring author Heath Hardage Lee, will be prerecorded and will air on TV970 on Veterans’ Day, Wednesday, November 11, at 4 p.m., and Thursday, November 19, at 7:30 p.m.
Heath’s moving book, A League of Wives: The Untold Story of the Women who Took on the U.S. Government to Bring their Husbands Home, chronicles the efforts of wives of U.S. soldiers who were captured or were missing in action during the Vietnam War. Pastoral Care has a few copies of the book in the Spiritual Library. Please call Vanessa Perry at ext. 1502 if you would like to check out a copy. Resident Paul Galanti’s late wife was one of the “league of wives” and is featured in the book. Mr. Galanti will conduct the question and answer period following Heath’s Lecture.
The Sanctuary and the Montague Chapel, located in the Spiritual Center, and the Tower Montague Chapel will be open on Tuesday, November 3, for prayer throughout the day. Residents are invited to stop by to pray for our nation and for those running for elected office.
1 Timothy 2:1-2
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
Prayer
Loving God, creator of this world who is the source of our wisdom and understanding, watch over this nation during this time of election. Help us to see how our faith informs our principles and actions.
Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.
We give thanks for the right to vote. Help us to hold this privilege and responsibility with the care and awareness it merits, realizing that our vote matters and that it is an act of faith.
Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.
Guide us through this election as a nation, state, and community as we vote for people to do work on our behalf and on the behalf of our communities. Help us to vote for people and ballot initiatives that will better our community and our world so it may reflect the values Christ taught us.
Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.
Help us create communities that will build your kingdom here on earth – communities that will protect the poor, stand up for the vulnerable, advocate for those who are not seen and heard, and listen to everyone’s voice.
Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.
We pray for this nation that is deeply divided. May we come together for the common good and do as you have called us to do – to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you through creation.
Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.
Help us act out of love, mercy and justice rather than out of arrogance or fear.
Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.
Lord, continue to guide us as we work for the welfare of this world. We pray for places that are torn by violence, that they may know peace.
Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.
We pray for communities who are struggling with inequality, unrest, and fear. May we all work toward reconciliation with one another and with God.
Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.
Help us to listen in love, work together in peace, and collaborate with one another as we seek the betterment of our community and world.
Intercessor: God, our creator,
People: Guide us in truth and love.
Prayers for the Elections as prepared by Rev. Shannon Kelly, Missioner for Young Adult and Campus Ministries in The Episcopal Church