A Pastoral Letter Regarding Coronavirus Precautions

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March 10, 2020
Dear Members & Friends of Community UMC Quincy,
            Grace, Mercy, & Peace to you as we journey with Jesus during Lent.  I am writing this pastoral letter to all of you regarding the Coronavirus (COVID 19) and to keep you in the loop of some of the protocols and precautions we can take as a congregation.  These are certainly alarming times and I know that seeing this daily in the news can bring about a great deal of anxiety and stress for all of us.  Although Plumas County has not had a confirmed case of Coronavirus yet, it does not mean that we can let our guard down and that we cannot be too careful.  
            As you may have noticed this past Sunday, we will not be sharing the passing of the peace for the time being as a precaution.  While I know the passing of the peace is an important practice since the days of the early church and important spiritual need for some, the less physical contact we have with each other for the time being, the better.  Instead of shaking hands or hugging, I encourage fist bumps, elbow taps, waving, or bowing/head nodding as a sign of greeting each other when you arrive at worship and when you leave.  As I greet everyone as you enter and exit, I too will not initiate physical contact, but accept a fist bump or elbow tap if you initiate it.  Likewise, there will hand sanitizer available as you enter and exit the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.   
            Like the passing of the peace, our protocol for Holy Communion will be a little different. As I thoroughly wash my hands before worship and use sanitizer before serving Holy communion, I will continue handing out the bread so that way, only one set of hands touches the bread.  For the grape juice, we are looking for the trays with individual plastic cups and will have those assisting me sanitize their hands and hand the individual cups to you, where you can then place them in designated receptacles.  
            On hand washing, the best defense is to wash your hands thoroughly, using the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.  If you want to know how long to scrub, I am attaching another form in which you can worship God as you wash your hands.  Saying The Lord’s Prayer, or singing the Doxology works too.  I am keeping the Church Council abreast of protocols from the California-Nevada Conference UMC Disaster Response Team, Plumas County Public Health, WHO, and Centers for Disease Control.  Should anything change, we will notify you immediately.  Likewise, we will follow the same protocol of the Plumas Unified School District in case we need to cancel services and activities.  Should we need to cancel worship, I will videotape the sermon or provide you a copy of the manuscript (which I’m already happy to provide when we are not dealing with disease protocol).  My hope and prayer is that we will never have to get to this point.  
            In the event you become ill, please let the church know so that we can pray for you and support you in any way.  I know this is an anxiety inducing time and it is easy to live in fear right now, but let’s live in faith, NOT fear during this time.  The leadership of our church and I will do everything we can to keep us healthy and safe.  If you are sick, it is okay to stay home and I too will practice this better when I am sick.  Do not hesitate to reach out to any of the lay leadership of the church or schedule an appointment with me if you need to talk.  Most importantly, keep on praying and giving your fears and worries to God.  This too shall pass.

Peace & Blessings,
Rev. Andrew Davis

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