An email from Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons went out to all Southwest Conference church moderators and treasurers of record. The topics may be of interest to other church leaders.

We're grateful to the SWC chaplains for their work and dedication to their ministries. On March 18, we had a Zoom conversation with our chaplains. You may watch the recorded video HERE. Some informal notes that include a list of contacts for chaplains at local area hospitals and other communities are available HERE.

As our conference churches navigate new ways of being the church during the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing, they will need helpful tools to accomplish online worship and online giving. We’ll add to this post as we become aware of additional tools. Feel free to email Wende with your favorites.

The Southwest Conference staff are working from home. During their deployment here are some things we thought you’d like to know.

On Tuesday, March 17, the Conference office hosted a Zoom conversation around creative worship during COVID-19. The call generated some great conversation on best practices for Live streaming, ways to encourage and engage people throughout the week and to be community while maintaining some physical distance. We were not able to record the call, so Genevieve put together this list of some great resources to help office guidance on moving to digital platforms for worship.

United Church of Christ leaders are sharing information with each other, listening to the latest data from world health organizations and taking directives from their local health departments to discern how best to take precautions as the coronavirus COVID-19 spreads across United States.

Borrowing from the Rev. Kaji Douša, senior pastor of the Park Avenue Christian Church in New York City, the UCC is taking "a posture of awareness, not panic."

As we look at how we are responsive to the health needs of our local communities, many churches are making the decision whether to host worship together in person; or virtually to have connection digitally if not possible in person. Congregations are looking towards what their county health officials and local school districts are deciding, and often following suit.

This document serves as a resource for faithful tips and considerations for congregations.

From Conference Minister Rev. Dr. Bill Lyons:

Okay, I admit it. I’ve had a difficult time knowing when to fist bump, elbow touch, shake a hand extended to me, or accept a hug during my visits to our churches these last couple of weeks. It’s just plain hard to maintain a calm, non-anxious presence these days. And so I’ve found myself often needing to intentionally taking a deep breath and let it out, take another deep breath and let it out, in order to remind myself to “cast all your anxiety on God because God cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)