Emmanuel Rector Recommends Putting Others First

Emmanuel Rector Recommends Putting Others First

Reverend Gene LeCouteur at a recent Blessing of the Animals.

By Emma Boyce

On a sweltering Sunday in July, Reverend Gene LeCouteur gathered his parishioners outside the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg to hold the first in-person church service since the rise of COVID-19.

It was a different atmosphere, one without handshakes or hugging; even Holy Communion was held for another day. Though not your usual service, nothing demonstrated the Biblical adage “love thy neighbor as thyself ” more than donning masks and maintaining a Reverend Gene LeCouteur at a careful distance. recent Blessing of the Animals.

“In a lot of ways we think about going to church for healing, at least in a spiritual sense, and certainly getting COVID-19 would not be a very healing experience,” said Rev. LeCouteur, who has been experimenting with virtual services, usually shot from his phone, since the church shut its physical doors at the start of quarantine.

“Like anyone, we want to give hugs and shake hands and get close to people that we care about and we can’t. It will be hard, but we’re going to be in this for a while, so we need to cultivate patience.

“It’s about thinking of others before ourselves and our selfish wants and desires. Jesus said love your neighbor as yourself, which today translates into, I don’t want to get sick so I’m going to do whatever I can to not make you sick.”

Rev. LeCouteur hasn’t always been a man of the cloth. He’s worked in gourmet food service, made electric guitars, attended business school. Even in seminary school, he never envisioned himself as a priest until his professors, noticing his penchant for academia, urged him to obtain a Masters of Divinity.

Before graduating, he completed a non-parish teaching internship at Virginia Commonwealth University and a parish internship at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Richmond, one of the largest parishes in the Episcopal Church. That soon turned into the job that would eventually lead him to the priesthood.

“It was a great place for me to stretch myself and learn from a lot of smart people,” said. Rev LeCouteur, one of six priests at St. Stephens. “I was able to take this experience to Middleburg and see what works in a smaller setting.”

In 2017, after serving nine years at St. Stephens, Rev. LeCouteur moved to Emmanuel on All Saints Day. Downsizing from a congregation of 4,500 to about 120, the change has allowed him not only to be more creative in his work, but also to form closer relationships with his parishioners.

“I was really impressed by the quality of the people here and how dedicated they were to the community that surrounds the church,” he said. “This isn’t just a chapel of convenience for them.”

With the help of his parishioners, Rev. LeCouteur established “First Fridays.”In a pre-COVID world, a group of parishioners would gather the first Friday of each month to make food and write cards for the homebound, ill or the others in need, both in and outside the church.

Problematic pockets of isolation that existed before COVID have only been made worse by quarantine. Rev LeCouteur encourages people to find safe ways to keep in touch with friends and family, from face-time to the antiquated written letter.

“Maybe it’s like that television show, Home Improvement,” he said. “Sit in your backyard and talk to your neighbor through the fence. Check in with people. If you know someone who is really isolated give them a call, stick a note on their door, let people know you’re thinking about them. Stop thinking about COVID, and start enjoying the breeze or the flowers in your backyard. Or take a walk with your mask on.”