from Southwest Conference Minister, Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons:
Beloved members of the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ,
Peace be with you.
Fred Taylor, Director of Special Programs and Community Engagement for the AZ Attorney General’s office wrote to faith leaders last night encouraging us to ask church members to avoid any gatherings of 10 or more people. New Mexico Governor Michelle Grisham imposed restrictions on houses of worship, including limiting the numbers of people at religious gatherings. El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego issued a sweeping stay-at-home order on Nov. 11. The daily reported new cases of COVID19 and daily deaths from the disease are at their highest rates since the pandemic began in the U.S. Medical authorities agree that the best response to this moment of exponential virus spread is to avoid gathering with anyone outside your household. Being at church in this moment is not essential, and is dangerous for everyone, even in small numbers with safety protocols in place.
Conversations the last 2 days with judicatory leaders in Arizona and New Mexico included news that COVID is spreading in churches even when congregations are following recommended safety protocols. One Arizona judicatory leader is now quarantining (along with other people) because a church musician was diagnosed with COVID where they last visited. Another Arizona judicatory leader has been diagnosed with COVID and is seriously ill. Worship leaders/musicians and a member at one UCC congregation have been diagnosed with COVID forcing shutdown and quarantining. Several other clergy in ours and other denominations have been exposed to, are being tested for, or have become ill from the coronavirus. ALL of these situations included social distancing and mask-wearing and still people have become ill. Communications I’ve received from chaplains and medical professionals have confirmed that the numbers are rising exponentially and have urged me to ask everyone in our churches to stay home for their own wellbeing, and for the wellbeing of our frontline medical workers.
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Cor. 4:8-9)
How can that be? Because we still have hope! Rabbi Jonathon Sacks wrote:
“Optimism is the belief that things will get better. Hope is the belief that, together, we can make things better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope an active one. It takes no courage to be an optimist, but it takes a great deal of courage to have hope.”
I am not optimistic about the pandemic ending. I am hopeful. I believe that together we can end it. Each one of us, through the small actions we can take, can contribute to stopping the spread of the virus, reducing the number of daily new cases, and saving lives. Please use your agency and courage to do everything possible to stop COVID19. Stay home. If you must go out for essential reasons, wear a mask without exception. Wash your hands for 30 seconds or more, often. This is a moment to live into our hope for the pandemic to end. Our courage and our agency can end it. I write to invite you to hope. I write to encourage all of our Conference members to stay home, especially from church, for the next 2 weeks at least. That is the safest thing for all of us to do right now. May the grace of Jesus our brother, the love of God, and the companionship of God’s Spirit be with all of us.
If you've already been doing all of this, thank you!
Bill