Re-opening Webinar
As followers of Christ prepare for Pentecost, three major ecumenical groups – Churches Uniting in Christ (CUIC), Christian Churches Together (CCT), and the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) – are offering two webinars to inspire hope in the midst of the pandemic.
A May 14 webinar, “What Communities Need to Know about COVID-19 and Reopening,” will share information about health protocols to follow in returning to in-person gatherings. The webinar will feature representatives from the Centers for Disease Control interacting with ecumenical leaders. Register.
A May 28 webinar, “Pentecost Voices: Reclaiming Hope in the New Normal” will feature leading Christian voices in the United States sharing about how to reclaim hope during and after the pandemic. Register.
A gathering of guidance
Church leaders wondering how to go about worship and other matters during the coronavirus pandemic can check out Ecumenical Protocols for Worship, Fellowship, and Sacramental Practices on Facebook. The ad hoc group is drawing together resources from “denominational, regional body, governmental, and other guidance relative to churches returning to in-person worship,” wrote the Rev. Taylor Burton Edwards on Facebook. Check out the collection. If you’d like to recommend something, send links to worshipsafely@gmail.com. You can follow Twitter conversations with these hashtags: #worshipsafely #backtoworship #COVID19 #umc #tec #ELCA
A chorus of “Hallelujah”
We’ve seen lots of fun homemade videos that use popular songs to parody the coronavirus pandemic. But the “Hallelujah Chorus”?
The clever work of Adam Billingham, the video features members of College Church in Wheaton, Ill., “signing” the lyrics to the “Hallelujah Chorus” with what can only be described as sheer joy in the Resurrection. The video includes quick references to the coronavirus pandemic, reminding us that even in the global catastrophe through which we’re living, God reigns yet. The video is only about four minutes long, but it’s definitely worth those four minutes. A tip o’ the hat to reader Thomas Shanklin for putting us wise to College Church’s effort. Watch the video.
Greater New Jersey to Focus on Food Security
UM News reports: "NEPTUNE, N.J. — Bishop John Schol addressed more than a thousand United Methodist leaders of Greater New Jersey via Zoom and YouTube to discuss a plan to address the realities of COVID-19. "The plan's first step is to turn the church outward during the pandemic by modifying current spending and raising new funds to allocate $500,000 for food security," Schol said. Two Greater New Jersey clergy and more than 100 laity have died because of COVID-19 and more than 600 clergy and laity have been infected with the virus." Read press release
Media Mentions as of May 11, 2020
The Washington Post published May 10 the most comprehensive article on how the novel coronavirus attacks the body. “Doctors keep discovering new ways the coronavirus attacks the body” by Lenny Bernstein and Ariana Eunjung Cha offers an informative – and terrifying – look at the latest findings about COVID-19 from doctors in the field. As the summary says, “Damage to the kidneys, heart, brain — even ‘covid toes’ — prompts reassessment of the disease and how to treat it.” Best of all, this free-to-read article gives all church leaders a solid foundation for explaining to members why rushing to re-open churches for in-person gatherings is a very bad idea.
Coronavirus hampers malaria efforts in Africa – United Methodist News Service
Court halts ban on mass gatherings at Kentucky churches – The Herald Ledger/ The Associated Press
The Law Q&A | Parishioners in pews? No so fast – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
The right to worship: Church and state clash over religious services in the coronavirus era – NBC News
Poll: Most in U.S. back curbing in-person worship amid virus – The Associated Press
Texas churches feel hope again as reopenings transform in-person services – NBC News
Drive-in church is a 1950s throwback — and may be the future of religious practice – The Washington Post *
Small churches are in particularly big trouble right now – Slate
The value of life, during the corona crisis and always – National Review *
*Paid subscription may be required.
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.