Breathe Go and Do
Image courtesy of Red Letter Christians
Happy Eastertide! After an Easter Sunday of live-streamed worship, I’m glad we have 49 more days to proclaim that Christ is risen and ponder the implications of the Resurrection for our time. Given the ongoing events of the coronavirus pandemic, we’ll need all the encouragement we can get. As the Red Letter Christians' Rev. Oreon Trickey advises, sometimes we should just stop and breathe (see poster above).
PPP Good for W-2 Staff Only
There’s unhappy news if your church plans to apply for a forgivable loan under the Payment Protection Program (PPP) Act: only the salaries and wages of staff with a W-2 tax status under IRS rules are eligible to be included in calculations for a loan request, according to the journal Inside Charity. Churches often have “independent contractors” working as custodians, childcare workers, kitchen staff, and the like. These workers typically file taxes using the IRS 1099 form for independent contractors.
Calling PPP a “nonprofit nightmare,” Inside Charity reports:
“W-2 employees vs 1099 independent contractor confusion has finally been sorted out. PPP loan amounts will be calculated based on W-2 PAYROLL ONLY (1099 employee pay cannot be included.)
“1099 independent contractor loan application process opened on Friday, April 10th. Like small businesses owners, independent contractors will apply for relief using their banks, credit unions and SBA 7(a) approved lenders.
“Overwhelming demand, exacerbated by the April 10th expansion of the PPP program to include independent contractors, is creating concern that the $349 billion will run out.”
The United Methodist General Council on Finance and Administration and Wespath, the pension and benefits agency, are both keeping tabs on the PPP. They offer assistance to churches contemplating PPP loans through a joint press release.
Uncertain answers to three questions
An unexpected resource for churches and church-related ministries, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists highlights three questions about the coronavirus that science hasn’t answered with certainty which could shape future policies on social distancing and potential gatherings :
- Will the virus go away in summer?
- Should we wear masks?
- Can we catch coronavirus from food (important for traditional potlucks)?
As the headline suggests, current answers to these questions about coronavirus transmission are:
- Maybe, but maybe not.
- Probably yes; a mask will protect others more than those who wear them;
- Probably not, but it could be transmitted if someone who hasn’t washed their hands touches the food.
The Bulletin (yes, these are the folks who keep The Doomsday Clock about nuclear war) advises that measures to contain coronavirus remain the same: Stay home. Wash your hands often. Wear a mask if you go out.
The Bulletin's report reminds us to keep up with any reliable news sources, because this plague isn't going away soon and research into COVID-19 is uncovering new information almost daily. Giovanni Russonello reported in the New York Times April 13 “On Politics” newsletter: “The United States has now recorded more deaths from the coronavirus than any other country: over 22,000 as of Sunday night.” Like many publications, the Times is making its coronavirus coverage free to visitors. Click here to check it out.
A reliable source on coronavirus
I must confess my "sin" before the congregation: I have the biggest crush on Dr. Anthony Fauci. For those of you who’ve been off-planet for the past five weeks, Dr. Fauci is head of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases and has become one of the most trusted U.S. experts on the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, Dr. Fauci has been so devoted to getting out the latest information on COVID-19 that he’s sometimes hoarse from all the TV, radio and online interviews he's doing.
Dr. Fauci has a word for students everywhere: you may be spreading coronavirus even if you don’t have symptoms right now. Listen to a recording of his radio interview with UMC-related Duke University’s Coach K, where they discussed “the future of the pandemic and how young people may be responsible for its current spread,” reports the Duke Chronicle.
Hope amid an apocalypse
Dean of American religion historians, Dr. Martin Marty has an encouraging perspective, “Hope in the Midst of Apocalypse,” in a column for “Sightings” newsletter published by his namesake Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He writes:
“The devastating effects of the coronavirus, among other such ‘evils,’ place demands on people of faith which will keep them busy during and beyond however long it lasts. Most believers within the Christian world and other ‘theistic’ traditions have maintained their belief in the face of such horrors, even while wrestling with the paradoxes and puzzlement of theodicy [why God allows evil], and we have every reason to believe this will be the case now. But there are also stories we should not miss of the faithful offering hospitality (with appropriate social distance, of course), investing in research, caregiving, manifesting empathy, and living graciously in the midst of all this. It might be true that the ‘end of the world’ is at hand, or at least the end of the world that we knew, and yet, against all odds, we might find measures of hope in the midst of this present apocalypse.”
So where do you see faith and hope alive in your community? Send your stories to United Methodist Insight.
Media Mentions as of April 13, 2020
United Methodists Fight COVID-19 Around the Globe – UM News
Churches makes, donates more than 1800 face masks – WCTI12.com
While physically separated by COVID-19 pandemic, faith leaders call for unity, service – Evansville Courier & Press
Unity in separation: Social media initiative puts crosses online as services stay virtual for Easter in ... – Sumter Item
United Methodists host combined Easter service – Dover Post
On Easter Sunday, Christians remember: ‘We will rise out of the dust’ – The New York Times *
DOJ says to ‘expect action’ next week on social distancing regulation and religious services – CNN
Top conservatives voice concerns over restrictions on religious gatherings due to COVID-19 – The Hill
Kansas’ high court rules for governor on religious services – The Associated Press
Judge allows drive-in Louisville church services, says mayor ‘criminalized the communal celebration of Easter’ – The Washington Post *
Tampa pastor live-streams sermon as coronavirus forces Americans to worship differently on Easter Sunday – The Washington Post *
The stimulus package will cover clergy salaries. Some say the government has gone too far – The Washington Post *
In cities across the world, a different Easter, lonelier and live-streamed – The Washington Post *
Pope Francis says the coronavirus is ‘testing our whole human family’ – The New York Times *
Archbishop of Canterbury warns of dangers of inequality after coronavirus – The Guardian
In India, coronavirus fans religious hatred – The New York Times *
Congo marks somber Easter while battling COVID-19 and Ebola – The Associated Press
Finding community among the ashes: How faith reaches across distance – NPR
The timeless lessons of Easter are more timely than ever – The Atlantic *
The loneliest Holy Week ever – The New Yorker *
Their calling was to lay hands on the sick. Then came the coronavirus – The New York Times *
Who is my COVID-19 neighbor? – Christianity Today *
COVID-19 May Be Silently Spreading Across Rural Counties, University of Texas Researchers Believe – Texas Monthly (usually behind a paywall, the magazine is giving free access to all visitors for the remainder of 2020).
Houston religious leaders share the role of faith during coronavirus pandemic – KPRC Click2Houston
* Paid subscription may be required.
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.