Ordaining and Installing Elders in a Pandemic

St. John Presbyterian Church in Tampa ordained and installed new leaders during virtual worship

Rev. Ginny Ellis, Transitional Pastor at St. John, writes:

We gathered hand-prints of 21 elders and ministers from St. John church and from our presbytery. We made capes of felt in Presbyterian blue and placed handprints on each, the prints in reds, oranges and yellows of the Holy Spirit’s flame. Our new elders had been trained, examined and approved by the Session, and they had answered the Constitutional questions. On Pentecost, in our almost empty sanctuary, during a live-streamed worship service we placed these handprint mantles on the shoulders of Cheryl and Angela, as they bowed for the ordination prayer. It was a powerful and prayerful moment, as we acknowledged the presence of the Holy Spirit in our worship and in the laying on of handprints.