Living the Connection: The Continuing United Methodist Church

Preparing your Church for COVID-19

posted on March 11

How is your church preparing for COVID-19?

Dear Friends,

We in your District Office join you in concerns for health and well-being during this flu season and in this time of uncertainty about the COVID-19 virus. Our Conference and District Offices are practicing some reasonable precautions, and we invite you to do the same in your local churches. 

Here are some of the precautions we are taking:

  • Encouraging use of hand sanitizer and making it available as possible
  • Encouraging everyone to wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds
  • Providing and encouraging use of cleaning wipes on common use surfaces
  • Providing and encouraging use of cleaning wipes periodically on keyboards, phones, computer mouse, and other office equipment.
  • If employees or employee household members seem unwell, asking employees to please err on the side of caution and all remain at home until free of fever (100.4° F or higher), signs of fever and other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom altering medicines.
  • Encouraging everyone to avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth as much as humanly possible.

We also point you to a helpful and sensitive article from the Christian Century, which reminds us of our opportunities to be heralds of good news and hope always.

Take care of yourself, and in your compassion, take care of others. 

Blessings, 
Bev

 

Here are some other resource links with helpful information:

  • Check out this helpful guide from ResourceUMC and United Methodist Communications. The article also includes links to other great resources like a preparedness checklist for Faith-Based organizations, a tutorial on how to use Facebook Live to stream church services and much more.
  • Wespath has created a resource page that they are updating that provides links to all of Wespath's COVID-19/Coronavirus materials including a letter from the General Secretary to Wespath Benefits and Investments Participants, a letter and video from Wespath's Chief Investment Officer, health resources, congregational health information, links to important websites and more.
  • The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has a Coronavirus COVID-19 resource page with links to lots of information.

Preparing your Church for COVID19