The nation’s top doctor urged faith leaders to follow federal guidelines and partner with local health officials as they learn new ways to lead congregants coping with the coronavirus pandemic.

“What can you do as faith and community leaders?” asked U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams in a videotaped address for the COVID-19 Church Online Summit that opened Thursday (March 26). “Well, first, follow the guidance from your local health department and find ways to partner with them. Second, develop your plan to protect your employees and the people you serve.”

Evangelical and humanitarian assistance leaders offered pointers and encouragement to church leaders in the first day of a two-day summit by releasing videos on topics ranging from advocacy for the vulnerable to crisis communications.

“We are certainly in a crisis,” said the Rev. Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, speaking through a headset. “This pandemic has gripped the world. And we’re all groping for opportunities to have some perspective.”

The evangelical association partnered with Wheaton College’s Humanitarian Disaster Institute to present the summit. It was sponsored by more than a dozen other groups and is offering free information to registrants through Easter.

In an interview with Marcus Coleman, a former official of the Department of Homeland Security’s center that worked with faith-based groups, Jamie Aten, a psychologist and founder of the institute, asked what local churches should know about available assistance in the midst of the pandemic.

“I think the best resource that’s available that churches should be seeking is accurate and validated information, at this point,” Coleman said, pointing to elected officials, and local and state governments. “They are providing some of the immediate sources of information on different relief packages, not just for people within your congregation but for the communities that you serve.”

The summit pointed registrants — close to 4,000, with 3,600 video views as of 1 p.m. Central on Thursday — to other resources for use after watching the videos.

Adams noted online suggestions for religious and community leaders from the Health and Human Services Partnership Center. He said it is offering advice such as using phone trees to reach congregants, keeping well-stocked pantries and “engaging with stigmatized groups and speaking out against the negative behaviors to help counter stigma and discrimination.”

The Humanitarian Disaster Institute has produced church preparedness manuals for English-, Spanish- and French-speaking congregations, as well as churches in Canada.

Other topics covered in separate videos released on Thursday included tips from an infectious disease expert, insights from global church leaders and advice on addressing needs of the elderly, refugees and immigrants.

Theon Hill, a professor of communication at Wheaton College, cautioned that faith leaders need to speak about the crisis in ways that inform all, and not just a subset, of people affected by the crisis.

“Make sure you’re communicating about the virus, and what your church’s response to the virus will be, in ways that aren’t limiting — many things we’re asking people to do assume middle-class sensibilities,” reads a featured quote from Hill on the summit’s website.

Topics expected to be covered in additional videos that are scheduled to be released on Friday include pastoring fledgling churches, caring for students and addressing giving and financial health during the pandemic.

Despite its socially distant manner of convening, the summit featured traditional aspects of a religious conference such as worship music and devotional time to focus on scriptural lessons.

Michael Tait, formerly of the Christian group dcTalk and now lead vocalist with Newsboys, spoke from a couch after his March tour dates with the Newboys had been postponed. Accompanied by guitarist Adam Agee, he sang the Newsboys’ song, “We Believe.” It started with the words: “In this time of desperation/When all we know is doubt and fear/There is only one foundation/We believe, we believe.”

Philip Yancey holds up the first edition of his book “Where Is God When It Hurts” while giving a Day One opening devotional for the COVID-19 Church Online Summit. Video screengrab

Philip Yancey, author of the 1977 book “Where Is God When It Hurts” and others about suffering, spoke from his Colorado basement office for Thursday’s “opening devotional” video.

After noting that he could look outside his window at a foot of new springtime snow, Yancey read from a chapter of the New Testament book 2 Corinthians that described God as “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.”

Yancey urged faith leaders not to forget to be compassionate during the pandemic, even as it presents dilemmas for how they seek to care for others.

“This particular pestilence is tricky because, on the one hand, we want to be cautious,” Yancey said. “We have the rightful fear of not going out, not banding together socially and, on the other hand, we don’t want to feed any kind of hysteria and fear and anxiety. People are going to be looking to you as leaders in knowing how to find that balance.”

Source: Religion News Service

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As multiple governors issue orders to curb large gatherings and implore residents to stay home in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, at least a half-dozen states have exempted some level of religious activity.

The divergent treatment of faith in some states’ pandemic-fighting orders comes as a few houses of worship across the nation continue to greet people in person, despite federal public health guidance to avoid gatherings larger than 10 people and decisions by most religious leaders to shift services online. While the pandemic has heightened political tensions, the states including religious exceptions in their orders designed to combat the pandemic are led by governors in both parties.

In Michigan, for instance, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a stay-at-home order on Monday that banned all gatherings outside of individual households. Guidance on the order noted that “a place of religious worship, when used for religious worship, is not subject to penalty” for violating it, a standard that the state had applied to its previous order curbing gatherings.

In Tennessee, where Republican Gov. Bill Lee issued a Sunday order limiting gatherings to 10 people, Pastor Greg Locke said he plans to keep having service at Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet. Locke said that he plans to be in touch with attorneys about remaining open, and that he is providing essential services to locals still recovering from tornadoes that slammed the state earlier this month.

“I don’t think a church staying open in days of chaos, when people need hope—I don’t think that should be controversial,” said Locke, describing himself as “shocked” by the degree of public pushback he received for continuing to hold services.

Religious gatherings were exempted from Ohio’s stay-at-home order, issued Sunday by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. Solid Rock, an Ohio megachurch whose Cincinnati location hosted an event for evangelical supporters of President Donald Trump last month, held an in-person service on Sunday and said on its website that it would exert a constitutional right to continue meeting.

“We do believe that it is important for our doors to remain open for whomever to come to worship and pray during this time of great challenge in our country,” the church stated, noting that it wants to “help keep people safe.”

DeWine posted a Sunday warning on his Twitter account, asking “religious leaders to think about their congregations” as they weigh state guidelines crafted for public health reasons.

“We did not order religious organizations to close, but my message to EVERYONE is that this is serious. When you are coming together, whether in a church or wherever – this is dangerous,” DeWine tweeted.

Another pastor who took heat for holding in-person service on Sunday, Tom Walters of Pennsylvania’s Word of Life Church, posted an apology on the church’s Facebook page and said he would move to online-only worship amid the virus.

“Please believe me when I say that it was not out of arrogance or defiance” that the church met, Walters wrote, “but solely for the purpose of praying for our churches, communities, and nation.”

Other states declining to force closures of places of worship include Pennsylvania, where the list of essential businesses permitted to keep operating includes “religious organizations,” and New York, where all nonessential businesses across the state were ordered closed as of Sunday night. Guidance accompanying that order said that “houses of worship are not ordered closed,” but “it is strongly recommended no congregate services be held and social distance maintained.”

Tony Suarez, executive vice president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and a member of President Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory board during the 2016 campaign, tweeted on Tuesday that he was “thankful” to see the number of states “listing churches as ‘essential services’.”

States that did not exempt religious activity in their pandemic-related shutdown orders include Oregon, whose Democratic governor moved to prohibit nonessential gatherings on Monday, and Maryland, whose Republican governor’s list of activities limited to 10 people on Monday included the “spiritual (and) religious.”

California’s stay-at-home order, by contrast, classified ”faith based services that are provided through streaming or other technology” as an essential function.

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To support its response to the COVID-19 crisis, including the 10 Million Meals campaign, relief ministry Convoy of Hope has enlisted Australian Christian music duo For KING & COUNTRY and other well-known Christian performers for a live-stream benefit concert tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central.

According to MusicRow, The TOGETHER: A Night of Hope event will include split-screen performances from the respective homes of For King and Country’s Joel and Luke Smallbone and their six band members. MusicRow also reported that the concert will include the premiere of a new song by for the Grammy-Award-winning duo.

The show will also include appearances by Christian music artist Kirk Franklin and actor and television personality Kathie Lee Gifford, MusicRow reported.

Visit bandsintown.com for information on where to watch the concert. Convoy of Hope’s Facebook page will live-stream tonight’s concert.

Convoy of Hope launched the 10 Million Meals campaign on March 25 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a news release from the Springfield, Mo., non-profit said.

Hal Donaldson, president of Convoy of Hope, announced the initiative in a video on the agency’s website.

“We have already been meeting needs in big ways across the country,” the news release said. The agency said it is already “delivering dozens of loads and serving tens of thousands of people in need” as a result of widespread disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: Christian Headlines

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ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) — As COVID-19 cases continue to increase in the United States, many medical facilities have faced shortages of masks and other protective gear. In response, Southern Baptists have donated more than 228,000 sets of protective equipment to hospitals and healthcare workers in different states.

On Thursday (March 26), the U.S. surpassed China as the nation with the most confirmed cases of the virus.

Southern Baptist donations include more than 172,000 N95 masks and more than 56,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPEs) given to help protect medical workers serving on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis.

Send Relief donated 30,100 masks and 45,520 PPEs to hospitals. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) teams from across the nation are donating about 142,000 masks and 11,100 suits to local hospitals and medical facilities.

“Medical personnel need the masks greatly right now,” said Richard Brunson, who leads North Carolina Baptists On Mission. “Besides, they didn’t belong to us anyway, they belonged to God! God just let us hold on to them for a little while until He could use them to bless others.”

Baptists On Mission, of which the state’s SBDR team is a part, donated 30,000 masks to various hospitals in their state. The masks are typically used in disaster responses, such as in flood recovery when harmful mold can build up in submerged homes, and in rebuilds.

“Southern Baptists have been so generous in donating during this time,” said Bryant Wright, president of Send Relief. “Really, it’s not that we’re unusual as a people. It’s just that we are extremely grateful that Jesus Christ gave His life for us, and we want to be giving to our fellow man in a time of need.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended SBDR, as one of the nation’s largest providers of disaster relief, to several different state emergency management agencies as an organization that can provide wrap-around services, such as food preparation and delivery and spiritual and emotional care.

As Southern Baptists respond to the current crisis, they are doing so on a more localized, community-based level for the time being.

Tennessee and Arkansas disaster relief teams have been supporting food delivery and distribution in several cities in their states.

Source: Baptist Press

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I have the opportunity to work with 1,600 church leaders at Church Answers on an ongoing basis. They are an incredible blessing to me. I mentor 30 of those leaders in one-on-one meetings.

Justin Gatlin is the pastor of Alvin Missionary Baptist Church in Alvin, Texas. He is one of the 30 men I mentor personally. He sent me an update on his church’s proactive work to address the pandemic. It is a great example of one leader tackling these challenging times with both faith and works.

His church has an average attendance of 200. They only had 115 the week before they canceled worship services. With one exception, I am including the totality of his email with his permission. The only area I did not include was the church’s financial contingency plans.

Hey Dr. Rainer,

I just wanted to touch base on the coronavirus response I am working through and looking for your feedback. We have currently canceled the next two weeks of services (we have two confirmed cases in our town of 27,000, and the county has only performed 15 tests, 8 of which are pending, so we are anticipating a lot more).

Our mayor has declared a state of emergency and banned gatherings of over 50, with a $2,000 fine. Our city secretary told me that we could meet as long as we stayed below 50% capacity (what they are recommending for restaurants), but I think for the time being it is a bad witness and unwise. We will reevaluate in April.

For worship: I am obviously doing live streams. A member of our church secured watchambc.com for me, which gives us something simple to run on our signs. We are simulcasting to Youtube and Facebook Live. For Sunday evening and Wednesday night, I am streaming it from my office.

I am trying to be creative and take advantage of the format. Next Sunday night, I will be interviewing a couple that just got back from a mission trip in Belize, and tonight I am doing an “Ask Me Anything” discussion.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Thom S. Rainer

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Dear Chuck,

Many of the young people in my Bible Study are frightened of the coronavirus and the threat to their families. I understand their fear. But, as an older American, I’m also concerned about their economic well-being in the aftermath of this crisis. What kind of financial advice can I offer them?

Sheltered in The Storm

Dear Sheltered in the Storm,

We have two crises happening now and you have properly identified a third one. First, the virus has created a very real health crisis. Second, the shutdown of the economy has created a very present economic crisis and third, the government bailout will put us at risk of a future debt crisis and threat to the global economy.

As Thomas Sewell said about our current challenges, “We do not have good choices, we simply have trade offs.”

Living on the Edge

The Coronavirus has revealed the financial unpreparedness of millions of citizens. Aaron Zitner, at the Wall Street Journal reports: “Some 15% of Americans have used, or plan to use, either short-term loans or credit cards that they don’t know they can repay in order to buy emergency goods to deal with the outbreak, a survey by NORC at the University of Chicago found.” He says others rely on savings or plan to divert money set aside for other things.

It is my hope that many Americans have been better prepared for this event after making financial adjustments following the Great Recession, which started in 2008, by paying off debt, increasing savings and living within their means. Either way, here are some practical and spiritual insights for the young people in your Bible study.

Establish Essentials as Priority

Everyone’s situation is different. Let’s help the young people understand how to deal with the current economic crisis, and we will deal with the long-term consequences of the bailout later. Here’s how I would attempt to help those in your Bible study when meeting one-on-one.

Regardless of what’s happening in the world, everyone needs food and shelter. Pay the bills that provide food, home, and necessary utilities. This is a time to sacrifice wants to provide for needs.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Chuck Bentley

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OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) — Two Southern Baptist pastors who participated Thursday (March 26) in a prayer service, broadcast throughout the state of Oklahoma and featuring Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, marveled at the event’s timeliness as well as the boldness of the Gospel message shared.

The hour-long event, titled “Let Hope Rise,” came in conjunction with Stitt’s proclamation of Thursday as a “Statewide Day of Prayer” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was carried by TV and radio stations across the state — including four TV stations in Oklahoma City and three in Tulsa, which preempted regular primetime programming — and featured several evangelical pastors, including Alex Himaya of BattleCreek Church in Tulsa and Doug Melton of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.

“The biggest thing is just, people are praying God will use it and bless it,” Himaya said. “I’ve never heard of all the news stations in the state being commandeered by faith for an hour in primetime — and for free.”

The service grew out of a call Still held last week with faith leaders around Oklahoma. It included video portions of pastors offering prayers and messages and was broadcast from Transformation Church, a nondenominational church in Tulsa.

Charlie Hannema, chief of communications for Stitt, said Stitt and his wife Sarah were honored to participate (the first-term governor is a professed evangelical Christian, though not Southern Baptist).

Himaya read and shared a brief message from Psalm 34. After reading the fourth verse — “I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears” — Himaya expounded: “Notice, He didn’t deliver (David) from all of his enemies. He does that from time to time. But He delivered him from all of his fears.”

Melton followed with a prayer specifically for healthcare professionals. After praying the first three verses of Psalm 103, he asked for God’s protection for healthcare professionals and their families, and asked “for unity in mind and thought” for researchers around the world who are battling to develop treatments and a vaccine for the coronavirus.

Source: Baptist Press

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) — In the last seven years North Carolina has been experiencing a Hispanic church plant boom, with 150 new Hispanic churches. And the growth shows no signs of stopping, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There has been a spiritual awakening that has led to planting of Hispanics churches across the state,” said William Ortega, consultant of Hispanic church planting for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

Julio Arriola, executive director of Hispanic Relations and Mobilization for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, commends North Carolina as a model for other states.

“We applaud the hard work and vision of William and his team,” Arriola said. “The rapid growth of Hispanic population in North Carolina and over all the United States tells us the need for leaders like him, willing to not only pray like it matters but also act like it matters.”

Following governmental social distancing guidelines, Ortega has canceled all in-person training and moved to online meetings through the online meeting platform Zoom.

“There will be changes, but not when it comes to mobilizing Hispanic church planters,” Ortega said.

Ortega, a native of Costa Rica, was a missionary with the International Mission Board in Mexico City before taking on the role at the North Carolina Convention. As part of his job, Ortega created a six-element Hispanic church planting strategy: working in teams, vision-casting, mobilization, spiritual formation/mentoring, church planter trainings and strategic prayer.

The first element creates teams of leaders at the state, regional and local levels who will coordinate and collaborate with pastors, local churches and associations.

“Working with teams will help us to measure the process we are doing in the area of church planting in each region and zone,” he said.

Through an annual church-planting conference, regional church-planting retreats and one-on-one meetings with pastors (which are now held online), Ortega and other leaders are casting the Hispanic church-planting vision. The responsibility of coaching and mentoring also falls to the state, regional and local leaders.

“[We want to] infuse and share the church-planting vision aggressively to local churches within the state,” he said, “… [to] cast God’s vision in a way that motivates, inspires, and encourages others to accomplish God’s purpose in the state for Hispanic work.”

There are currently 25 Hispanic church-planting centers spread across North Carolina. The courses offered are useful for church planters as well as those who are called to be part of a church plant team.

Source: Baptist Press

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