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Congregations and sessions are always encouraged to be mindful of the health of members and best practices for preventing the spread of disease. Sessions, pastoral leaders, and members may find the attached resources helpful to both educate themselves and guide discussions for congregational preparedness. Updates and additional resources are shared as they become available; the most-recently shared items and resources with new information are in magenta.
PWV churches offering alternatives to in-person worship
Words from our General Presbyter – March 13, March 26, April 9, April 23, April 28 Letter on Return to In-Person Worship, May 14, May 28, June 25, Aug. 13, Aug. 25, Sept. 10, Sept. 24, Oct. 22, Nov. 12, Dec. 4, Feb. 11, March 11, May 27
May 2o, 2021 Presbytery Meeting educational focus on Covid-19 with Lisa Allgood (recording of presentation)
Pastoral message and pastoral video from J. Herbert Nelson & Diane Moffett
RESOURCES FOR CONGREGATIONS
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GENERAL
- CDC Guidance for Faith-Based Organizations
- PC(USA) COVID-19 Resources for Church Leaders & Members
- Synod of the Trinity resources for congregations including things to do right now, educational bulletin inserts and ways to hold a virtual service
- Care-Filled Worship and Sacramental Life in a Lingering Pandemic (ecumenical guide on worship, fellowship & sacraments protocols)
- CARES Act Payroll Protection Program & Board of Pensions’ member and church assistance
- Update your Manual of Operations for electronic meetings
- Congregational Meetings & Officer Ordinations and Installations in a Pandemic
- Planning a Virtual Congregational Meeting
- A Concise Coronavirus Guide for Churches from Christianity Today
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act by Michael Kirk, PC(USA) General Counsel
- Maintaining Community When You Can’t Gather – And Preparing to Regroup Later (PCUSA Mid-Council newsletter article)
- PC(USA) Advisory Opinion: Church in an emergency/pandemic (the denomination’s virtual meeting policies)
- Regarding Ruling Elders: Ruling Elders in a Pandemic
- Resources for Home Prayer and Worship from the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators
- Step-by-Step Guide to Distance Ministry
- West Virginia Council of Churches pandemic worship survey
RE-OPENING
- FAQ on Covid & Church Building Usage by PC(USA) Legal Services
- Church Opening & Closing Guidelines from First Presbyterian Church of Fort Mitchell, KY
- Where Two or More Are Vaccinated: Advice for Churches in 2021 from Christianity Today
- The Top Five Mistakes We’ll Make “Going Back” from the Presbytery of Cincinnati
- ReopeningYourChurch.com
- 24 Questions Your Church Should Answer Before People Return by Ken Braddy
- Beginning Conversations for Re-Entry into Public Worship from PC(USA)
- Church Music in the Age of COVID-19 by the Wisconsin Council of Churches
- How & When to Return to Worship Safely – Synod of the Trinity
- Pandemic Re-opening & Re-entry Checklist for Faith-Based Organizations by the Faith-Based Information Sharing & Analysis Organization
- Remote Faith Formation for the Long Haul with Guidelines for Re-Entry from the PC(USA) Office of Christian Formation
- Re-opening Your Church Office after the Pandemic by the Insurance Board
- Returning to Church after the Pandemic by the Wisconsin Council of Churches
- So Your Church is Opening Up After COVID-19 Closures? It Won’t Be What You Are Hoping For by The Millennial Pastor
- Theological and Practical Considerations for Returning to Public Worship from PC(USA)
- What are we opening? What COVID-19 and the Great Ends are teaching the church from The Presbyterian Outlook
FAMILY/CHILDREN’S CHRISTIAN EDUCATION/FAITH FORMATION
- For Advent
- Advent, Christmas and Epiphany activity pack for children and families from Church Publishing Incorporated
- #AdventWord global Advent calendar featuring meditations and images
- Antiphons for Advent – 25 short devotionals
- Do Not Be Afraid from Illustrated Ministry
- Free family-friendly resources from Virginia Theological Seminary’s Building Faith
- While It Is Still Dark: An Advent Quiet Morning online retreat with poetry, journaling and guided prayer – 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 11. From Virginia Theological Seminary Lifelong Learning.
- For families to use at home
- The Word @ Home
- Faith @ Home – daily and weekly lectionary-based readings and reflections
- Together at Home – UK-based weekly series featuring lectionary- and non-lectionary-based options tied to a particular theme, as well as periodic Bible character offerings. Packs uploaded by the end of Tuesday each week; the lectionary ones appear to be prepared for the upcoming Sunday.
- Family Faith Formation at Home by former Huntingtonian Becky Davis – usually comes out mid-week
- For Children’s Ministry
- Treasure Box Tuesday – sign up for your choice of free or premium content. See a sample of the premium content as well as older samples of the free content here.
- Flyaway Books offers free resources & activities to go with several of the children’s books it publishes.
- Virtual content pack from Presbyterian Association of Musicians. There are also packs at this link for Christian Formation & Creative Discipleship, Worship & Worship Reflections, and Professional Development for Church Musicians
- For Vacation Bible School
- Cokesbury’s Knights of the North Castle online VBS
- Staycation Bible School 2020: Feet That Follow from The Presbyterian Outlook
- Compassion Camp, a virtual VBS from Illustrated Ministry that can be purchased and used by a church or by individual families
RESOURCES FOR ONLINE WORSHIP
USAGE HELP
- The Basics of Church Live Streaming (YouTube video by The Digital Pastor)
- The Five Questions We Hear The Most by CCLI (Christian Copyright Licensing International), whose streaming license terms are here
- A Guide to Better Online Worship by Rev. Zac Morton, Morgantown First Presbyterian
- Guidelines on live-streaming services from the PC(USA) Office of Theology and Worship
- Tips to help prevent Zoombombing of your worship service/meetings from the Synod of the Trinity
- Webinars on Church and Technology/Social Media from Practical Resources for Churches (registration required, but viewing is free)
- What About Using Facebook Live? from Christian Copyright Solutions
ADVENT
- Hope Incarnate: Planning Worship for Advent and Christmas webinar with slides and resources
- Small Church: Christmas Eve 2020 webinar (free but registration required)
COMMUNION
- Celebrating the sacraments in a time of emergency/pandemic – PC(USA) Office of Theology & Worship supplementary guidance to AO
- From our Stated Clerk: Celebrating Communion in an Emergency/Pandemic
- From our Stated Clerk: Celebrating Communion in an Emergency/Pandemic – Ruling Elders
- PC(USA) Advisory Opinion: Communion in an emergency/pandemic
- Pre-filled Communion cups (some juice only, some wafer & juice) – Option 1, Option 2, Option 3, Option 4, Option 5, Option 6. NOTE: Due to the pandemic, some of these options may be backordered or limited to stock on hand.
OTHER
- Can online worship be intimate? by Presbyterian News Service (with resources)
- Church music & COVID-19 by Presbyterian Association of Musicians
- Basic Order of Worship for Online Gatherings by the PC(USA) Office of Theology & Worship
- A Faithful Response to COVID-19: A Service of Lament and Hope for Churches of the Presbytery of West Virginia with bulletin and hymn lyrics
- An order of worship for online services is ready – and it’s adaptable by Presbyterian News Service
- Zooming to the rescue in the face of COVID-19 by Presbyterian News Service
- Performer’s mask for singers created by WVU Director of Choral Activities Kym Scott
- Center for Congregational Singing updates following latest study on Covid & singing
- Covid-19 Mitigation Strategies for Choirs (video)
COVID-19 INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
- Choosing Safer Activities from the CDC
- Covid Risk Level Map from the Harvard Global Health Institute
- EPA list of registered antimicrobial products for use against COVID-19
- Guidelines to decrease the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces, schools, homes and commercial establishments
- Implementation of Mitigation Strategies for Communities with Local COVID-19 Transmission
- PDA Pandemic Preparedness Guide
- WV Dept. of Health & Human Resources
- Mental/emotional resources
- Guidance on Stress and Coping (WVDHHR)
- Mental Well-Being During a Pandemic (from Presbyterian Mental Health Network)
- Pastors, Practice Self-Care During COVID-19 (video) by PC(USA) Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson
- PDA Emotional & Spiritual Care webinars
- Steps Pastors & Congregations Can Take to Prepare for Mental Health Impacts of COVID-19 from the Presbyterian Mental Health Network
- WV Dept. of Health & Human Resources behavioral health resources
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