As churches, worshiping communities and their leaders continue to grapple with the spread of COVID-19, some are finding ways to live into their commitment to the Matthew 25 invitation.
Now that the Office of the General Assembly has issued a new advisory opinion from the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), saying that churches can hold online or virtual communion during an emergency/pandemic, the church’s Office of Theology and Worship has released the statement, “Celebrating the Sacraments in a Time of Emergency/Pandemic.”
For decades, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has stood ready to respond to domestic and international disasters — even a crisis on the monumental scale of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He drives up the Philadelphia Turnpike for his semi-annual appointment with the allergist, and sneezes. Not unusual for this time of year. Should he, a senior, be nervous? He’s not anxiety-prone, but with the advancing virus constantly in the news, how can he not have dying at the back of his mind?
“Am I as ready as I can be for whatever comes?” he ponders.
Fear, exhaustion and grief came through as the primary emotions as a group of mid council leaders gathered on a Zoom call last week. The group was brought together by the Presbyterian Mission Agency to listen to their concerns and learn how the Church might best help mid councils and congregations during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Each day brings new changes to daily life that would have been unthinkable a month ago, a week ago or even yesterday. In ordinary times, about half of us… Read more »
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America church planter and author the Rev. Emily Scott, leader of an ELCA new church project, Dreams and Visions, and the founder of St. Lydia’s Dinner Church in New York City, will be the featured guest on a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 1001 New Worshiping Communities Zoom conversation at noon Eastern Time on Thursday.
