The black church in America is older than the country itself. The first black churches were formed in this country in the early 1770s, some as early as 1773. Since that time, the black church has endured and eventually overcome every crisis that this country has seen.

The COVID-19 crisis is different.

For the first time, the black church finds itself facing a major crisis that affects not only its membership, but also every person on the planet. And the church is facing this crisis without one of the most essential and enduring parts of its legacy – the ability of its people to gather, fellowship, pray and worship together.

The entire world is facing a health crisis, and as a result we are experiencing sweeping social, political, cultural and economic change. People all over the world are advised, and in some cases, mandated, to shelter in place and keep their social distance from their fellow man to stop the spread of the virus.

How is the black church dealing with the fallout from this crisis?

Pastors and church leaders around the country are scrambling to figure out how they are going to weather this storm.

On March 9, Rev. Vincent E. James, Sr., pastor of the Elim Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, decided to cancel all services for his church indefinitely. James was one of the first pastors in the city to decide to suspend worship services. This was two days before Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear urged churches across the state to cancel worship services to help prevent the spread of the virus.

“I made the decision based upon the information that I had,” James said. He is also the chief of community building for the city of Louisville. As a member of the mayor’s cabinet, James was well aware of the potential ramifications of the pandemic if proper measures were not taken immediately. “After the governor’s announcement, I called the president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Coalition and he called together the membership and I was able to present to about 75 pastors and give them the information that I had.”

James was joined in his presentation to the group by councilwoman Keisha Dorsey, who has a background in public health. “After councilwoman Dorsey and I gave them all of the facts that we had, I said to them that the faith is not in staying open, the faith is trusting the people to continue to figure out creative ways for us to stay connected.”

Most of the pastors who were interviewed for this story are using social media and streaming platforms to bridge the gap between their worship services and Bible studies and their congregations until it is safe to gather in groups again.

Rev. Elect John Ray Jr., minister of worship arts for Light of the World Christian Church in Indianapolis, is preparing for the new normal of worship without a congregation. “We are playing catch-up like many other organizations, including the government [in trying to deal with this],” he said. “Last Sunday we streamed a previously recorded service on UStream with a live remote introduction and also a live greeting at the end. That’s the format that we are using right now until we can figure out how to move forward.”

Others are struggling with the decision to completely shut their doors. Rev. Victor J. Grigsby, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, is trying to find the right balance between virtual and live worship, especially for the upcoming Holy Week, April 5-11.

“The real stress for us is coming around Palm Sunday and Easter here in the next two weeks,” he said. “Those are the hallmark Sundays in Christian worship and we are trying to figure out how we do this without violating what the CDC suggests are best health practices.”

For the time being, he has decided to go with the previous recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to avoid gatherings of groups larger than 50 people. They are going to stream their services but will have a small group there to lead the services. “We’ve asked for leadership – deacons, deaconesses, trustees, ministers and ministers’ spouses and our band and a praise team along with our media staff to attend,” he said. “That’s about 50 people. We have sent out notices letting everyone know that this is what we are doing. We can’t stop people from coming in the door, so hopefully people will decide to stay home.”

Billy Thompson, former NCAA and NBA champion and chaplain for the Miami Heat, is the founding and lead pastor of Jesus People Proclaim International Church in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He has decided to go about business as usual.

JESUS PEOPLE PROCLAIM INTERNATIONAL

“We are able to still function in Deerfield Beach because our mayor has not put any curfews or restrictions on gatherings,” he said. “The CDC has suggested that gatherings be restricted to no more that 50 and then 10 people, but that is a suggestion, not a requirement by law. So, being a church, I am going to be there preaching. I’m going to be there praying for people, because at times like this the church is necessary. So, we’re telling our people that if you want to come to church, know that other people will be there and if you want to shake hands, you can shake hands. It’s according to your faith. If anyone doesn’t want to come, then you can watch us online.”

For Thompson, getting through this crisis and ministering to those who may have the virus is a matter of faith. “Of course, we are telling people if they are not feeling well or have flu-like symptoms, that they should definitely stay home,” he said. “But, also I’ve been telling people that if they have the virus and they need someone to pray for them, to call the church and I will call them and pray for them over the phone and if they need me and really want me to come and pray with them, I will come and pray with them and touch them. Because that’s where my faith is.”

While social media and streaming can help to deliver Bible study and worship services to parishioners, one major concern for many pastors is what they will do about funerals. Not necessarily for people who may die due to the coronavirus, but for any member who dies during this time, especially the elderly.

“People will pass away and we will not be able to celebrate them in our traditional custom,” said Janae Pitts-Murdock, interim pastor of Light of the World. “One of the greatest moments in a believer’s life, especially for the family, is the ability for them to come together to celebrate the life of their loved one who has transitioned. It worries me that we as a congregation won’t be able to perform those rituals like we are accustomed to.”

JIM BUNTIN

Even though most churches are canceling or curtailing gatherings for their worship services, many are still providing much-needed services for their communities.

Light of the World and Central Baptist are providing meals to go for the community with minimal contact. St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, one of the oldest black Catholic churches in America, is located in the historic Treme neighborhood of New Orleans. Even though the pastor, Rev. John Asare-Dankwah, in following the directives of the archbishop as well as the governor and mayor, has canceled mass indefinitely, he still feels a strong need to serve the community.

“We do have a pantry and we open it every Tuesday and Thursday,” he said. “I have not decided to close that at this time, but I am asking people to take all of the necessary precautions to make it safe.”

Churches are also having to be creative in dealing with the sick and shut-in. Most churches have clergy and laypeople who serve the needs of the infirm, usually in person, but the pandemic is making personal contact with that at-risk population impossible.

“One of our members recently had a stroke,” said JoAnn James, first lady of Elim Baptist Church. “The deacons and ministerial staff couldn’t get to her in the hospital, but we were able to FaceTime with her and her son. We were able to pray for her and let her know that even though we couldn’t be there in person that we were still with her.”

Source: The Undefeated

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Virginia Prodan doesn’t hide the fact that she should be dead. In her book, Saving My Assassin, Virginia shares the incredible story of death staring her in the face, and how she fought back with nothing but the word of God.
 
“I am not a hero, God gave me this mission and I was a tool in God’s hands,” Virginia tells CBN News. 
 
As a 23-year-old human rights attorney, Virginia took the Romanian communist and socialist regime she lived under to court to defend her fellow citizens’ rights to religious freedom, and it almost cost her her life
 
“The government, socialist government, it’s a government who will establish a system where the government is your God, not Christ,” explains Virginia. 
 
Christians Thrown in Jail During Ceauscescu’s Rule

During dictator Nicolae Ceauscescu’s rule in the 1980s, Christians who were found in possession of Bibles or shared Christ with others were thrown in jail, even though the country had religious freedom laws on the books.
 
“I was told in those interrogations that those laws weren’t in the books to protect Romanian freedom of religion and freedom of speech, they were in the law books of Romania for the western civilization to believe that we have freedom,” recalls Virginia.
 
But Virginia proceeded to use those laws to fight the government, anyway.
 
“Later on I found out that when I was in the courtroom facing the judge and the persecutors, behind me there were representatives from America, from France, Israel, all over the western Europe who would take notes and send it to their government,” says Virginia. “For that reason, I’m alive and not dead because God protected me.”

Virginia Catches the Attention of Western Media
 
Virginia caught the attention of western media like Radio Free Europe and Voice of America. 
 
“The government had to let me be present at this, otherwise they had to respond where is she, what is the situation and so forth,” explains Virginia.
 
The Government’s Response: Beating and Torture

Outside the courtroom, however, the government took its revenge by beating and torturing her.
 
“I remember full of blood, full of pain as many of them were hitting me I looked straight up to them and I said I don’t like what you’re doing, but God loves you and I choose to love you, and they had to turn their faces because they were crying,” recounts Virginia.
 
And through it all, Virginia was winning her religious liberty cases – then came her biggest test.
 
“It was so risky that when I received this assignment I said Lord, you give them a chance to actually pick up the gun and kill me,” says Virginia. “I received documents that would prove that the dictator was lying, continuing to lie to America.”
 
Trusting in the Lord – Virginia accepted the risky task of getting the documents to the Americans.
 
“I took the job and later on created a pocket in my suit and I put the documents there with the intention to give it to the American embassy the next day because I had a case and I knew that they would be in the courtroom,” explains Virginia. “They took me and they interrogated me, but that day they forgot to search me.”
 
The Government Sends and Assassin to Her Office

Because of that miraculous oversight, Virginia was able to hand off the documents that eventually made it to President Reagan – infuriating the Romanian dictator.
 
“He decided to send a ‘client’ to my office, the assassin,” details Virginia. “He said to me I’m not your client, I’m here to kill you, and he pointed the gun to me, and I thought ‘I’m going to die’.”
 
As the assassin screamed at her – Virginia fought back the only way she knew how.
 
“I looked at the man, and I started to share the Gospel. He was just a human being like me looking for the truth like I used to look many years ago,” recalls Virginia. “As I shared the Gospel with him I noticed, I looked at the man who screamed a few seconds ago, melting under God’s power.”
 
The Would-Be Assassin Leaves Her Office a New Man

Remarkably, instead of taking Virginia’s life, he accepted Christ.
 
“He left my office as a free man, indeed, and as a brother in Christ and our lives will never be the same,” she continued.
 
Virginia goes into greater detail about her inspiring testimony in her book –which even features a chapter written by her would-be assassin on the remarkable transformation that led him into a life of ministry. Virginia currently lives in the United States and is working as a human rights attorney.

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NBA Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns says the coronavirus “should not be taken lightly” and revealed his mother is in a coma due to COVID-19.

“Things went sideways quickly,” the athlete explained in an emotional Instagram video about his mother, Jacqueline Cruz, on Wednesday.

He urged everyone to “please protect your family, your loved ones, your friends, yourself, practice social distancing… it’s deadly.”

Sharing my story in the hopes that everyone stays at home! We need more equipment and we need to help those medical personnel on the front lines. Thank you to the medical staff who are helping my mom. You are all the true heroes! Praying for all of us at this difficult time.

A post shared by Karl-Anthony Towns (@karltowns) on Mar 24, 2020 at 9:48pm PDT

Towns told his 2 million followers that his mother was “deteriorating daily” and every time there seemed to be progress her health would switch and take a turn for the worse. She’s is currently on a ventilator while in a medically induced coma.

“It’s difficult. Very difficult for me and my family to say the least. She’s in a medically induced coma … it’s rough,” Towns said. “Day by day we’re seeing how it goes… I wanted to make this video so people understand the severity of this disease is real. This disease should not be taken lightly.”

Before making the announcement on his mother’s health, Towns donated $100,000 to support Mayo Clinic, which has begun rolling out a test to detect the virus that causes COVID-19.

Source: Christian Post

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ANALYSIS 

The term “apocalypse” is being tossed around these days in connection with the coronavirus pandemic as people seek the right words to express the trauma we’re feeling on a global scale. There’s a ton of fear in our world right now for obvious reasons since this COVID-19 virus is quite contagious, leading to concerns that it could overwhelm our medical system with deadly force. So this question seems to be floating in the air: Is the coronavirus some sort of sign that the end is getting closer? The Bible has quite a bit to say about all this.

Just to start with a little historical perspective, I have a hunch that people enduring the Bubonic Plagues or Hitler’s Nazi death machine were facing some intense evidence that the end of the world might be getting near. Yet, we’re all still here centuries after those plagues and many decades after WWII. To be clear, I’m not belittling our current predicament or what it tells us about the End Times. In fact, when the entire world is literally facing a lockdown, people are dying everywhere and economies are being undermined, I think that’s some serious evidence that God wants us to pay close attention to His Word.

In Luke 21:9-11, Jesus explains that before the end of time, we will see escalations in all types of calamities in our world, including plagues:

“When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.” Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”

Our world has certainly experienced all of those things in some measure, and they seem to be escalating, from tsunamis to massive earthquakes, from wars to global Islamic terrorism, from plagues of locusts and disease to blood moons and other signs from heaven, it’s all been happening around us in recent history.

But several excerpts from that passage caught my eye. Consider the phrase “the end does not follow immediately”. I’m not an expert on eschatology, but to me that phrase means the traumatic events unfolding in our world – including the coronavirus pandemic – indicate that a conclusion is on the horizon, but we can’t read these specific signs to mean that the conclusion will be immediate.

The other phrase that caught my eye was “do not be terrified.” Throughout scripture, God tells us “do not be afraid.” You can find much more about that HERE.

Jesus continues in Luke 21:25-28:

“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Jesus offers true hope by stating, “Your redemption is drawing near.” While plagues are prophesied throughout Scripture and were a part of the traumatic events Jesus predicted would precede His return, mercy is also clearly the heart of our heavenly Father. His desire as a protective Father is to shield His children. 

His people Israel understood that concept quite well. In this passage from ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭20:9‬, the Israelites place their faith in God to protect them from plagues:

“They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.'”‬‬

Another often-cited passage from Chronicles deals with the issue of God’s protection and power to deliver. Most people cite verse 14 of 2 Chronicles 7, but they don’t always mention the portion in verse 13 that talks about plagues.

“(13) If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, (14) and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

God calls us to humility and repentance in order to receive His healing, and now is the perfect time in history for all people to cry out to Him for salvation. If we ask for His forgiveness through Jesus Christ, He will grant it. If we ask for His shelter, He will provide it. Psalm 91 also makes that clear.

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday…

If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.”

Obviously, no one knows when the end will come, or how close we are to Christ’s return, but Jesus made it clear that we can read the signs of the times to know when it’s getting closer. The Word of God ensures us that we can find refuge in Him and freedom from the fear and anxiety that plagues our world in the age of coronavirus and beyond.

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