What day is it?
published in the Seattle Times reports on the phenomenon:
“Among the stranger consequences of the coronavirus pandemic is how, by unmooring the daily lives of tens of millions of people, it has made time itself feel distorted. Psychologists say the sensation is a result of losing social anchors, chronic stress and anxiety, and drastic changes to normal routines.
“… And some psychologists have compared the coronavirus’ effects to the aftermath of a natural disaster, except the disaster is moving in slow motion, taking place everywhere and has no end in sight.”
So how do we cope with this sense of coming “unstuck in time,” as the protagonist Billy Pilgrim said in Kurt Vonnegut’s classic novel “Slaughterhouse Five”? By setting some boundaries for ourselves in our new situations, say psychologists.
For those of us at St. Stephen UMC in Mesquite, Texas, United Methodist Insight’s sponsoring congregation, we’ve found that participating in daily prayer via Zoom and Facebook has both lifted our spirits and given us some markers to guide each day. We observe Morning Prayer at 9 a.m. and Evening Prayer, or Compline, at 9 p.m. We use the book “Celtic Daily Prayer” from the Northumbria Community, with readings that change daily.
Speaking of habits, regular Insight contributor Jack Shitama had this recommendation in his April 14 “Two for Tuesday” email:
"Microsteps: The Big Idea That’s Too Small to Fail by Arianna Huffington. Establishing new routines is a major challenge with sheltering in place. If you read my book on habit formation, you know I'm a huge fan of microsteps. This article not only backs this up, it makes some great suggestions for sleep, focus, nutrition, movement and work/life balance. They may need to be adjusted slightly for the current reality, but they're helpful nonetheless.”
Of course, one doesn’t have to conduct community prayers to set up good habits. A daily schedule – including regular prayer, we hope – will give these trying days some shape. That is, until things open up again, when we’ll go back to some familiar routines and life will be weird for a while once more.
How long, O Lord?
So when will voluntary shelter-in-place and involuntary lockdowns against coronavirus last? The Atlantic magazine offers some sobering scenarios in an article, “The Four Possible Timelines for Life Returning to Normal” by Joe Pinsker. Like many other publications, The Atlantic is making its coronavirus coverage free to all visitors. Mr. Pinsker writes:
“The answer is simple, if not exactly satisfying: when enough of the population—possibly 60 or 80 percent of people—is resistant to COVID-19 to stifle the disease’s spread from person to person. That is the end goal, although no one knows exactly how long it will take to get there.” Most timelines indicate that it could take 18 months to two years for the pandemic to work itself out, and much of that time could be spent sheltering at home.”
More prayers, please
Given the likelihood of a long-term sheltering, Jim Winkler, a United Methodist layman who serves as the top executive of the National Council of Churches, has issued an invitation for more people to send prayers and reflections for the NCC’s daily meditations during the coronavirus pandemic. He writes in an April 14 message:
“Each morning since March 20, the National Council of Churches has emailed prayers and reflections related to the COVID-19 pandemic and scripture readings for spiritual reflection and encouragement.
“… This crisis will be with us for some time yet and we desire to continue sharing your prayers and thoughts with the ecumenical community so please send more to me at jim.winkler@nationalcouncilofchurches.us.
Desert Southwest 2020 session to be adapted
Bishop Bob Hoshibata announced April 14 that the Desert Southwest Annual Conference won’t be meeting in person as planned because the City of Mesa, Ariz., has closed the Mesa Convention Center where conference was to be held. In addition, Bishop Hoshibata said Desert Southwest folks won’t meet in person at all this year. Instead, an “alternate plan” is being developed for the conference to handle essential business during its scheduled time June 11-14, 2020. Details will be forthcoming on the conference website.
Mainstream UMC Town Hall set
Mainstream UMC Town Hall
Since General Conference won’t begin on May 5 as planned, Mainstream UMC will host a virtual town hall instead at 2 p.m. CDT on that date. The ad hoc advocacy group says “we need to continue to work together to move the church forward…with grace. The Town Hall will:
- “Give a brief background of where we are
- “Issue a Call for Grace
- “Answer as many questions of yours as we can.”
A registration link will be forthcoming.
Understanding Virtual Worship Attendance Reporting
As churches explore more digital ministry options, the General Council on Finance and Administration has developed some guidance on reporting and counting the number of viewers of your online worship and Bible study attendance. For details, download the PDF.
GCFA also is offering a series of webinars to help with all kinds of digital work during the coronavirus shutdown. The most recent episode is “. Wednesday Workshop: Live Streaming Church with the Equipment You Have. You can watch previous workshops on GCFA’s YouTube Channel, and tune in every Wednesday on Facebook to @GCFAUMC at 3 CT.
Media Mentions as of April 14, 2020
Cross Lanes church among those serving through social media channels – Charleston Gazette-Mail
Pastors sue California governor over coronavirus restrictions on church gatherings – CNN
Virginia bishop who vowed to keep preaching ‘unless I’m in jail or the hospital’ dies of COVID-19 – USA Today
Pandemic raises the stakes in U.S.’ partisan religious divide – CNN
Staying home from church to protect public health is a Christian tradition – The Washington Post *
We need to respect the choice not to die of COVID-19 alone – Religion News Service
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011. Send your coronavirus updates to United Methodist Insight.