Church and coronavirus

[Paidiske]

The bishops in the diocese have said that the decision to suspend all services must be made by parish council.

 

[seeking.IAM]

What a difference a day makes. After I posted #38 earlier today, I learned an hour ago I have an employee that is postive. I run a mental health facility serving 60 inpatients and 250 outpatients. Now I have to worry about the health of our clients and our 100 + staff that serve them. If this runs through our facility, it could affect sustainabilty of the organizaiton. I had all kinds of protocols in place and it got us anyway. Folks, I urge you to take action and don't depend upon arriving at consensus or someone else to make the decision for you. Follow the wisdom of the WHO or CDC and take action to protect yourselves and your people. And please pray for us.

 

[seeking.IAM]

The bishops in the diocese have said that the decision to suspend all services must be made by parish council.

I'm all for following ecclesiastical authority, but they are wrong.

 

[Paidiske]

Praying for your staff, clients, and community, seeking (including you and your household!)

In our case, short of the government or the diocese mandating the suspension of services, they are correct that our canon law requires that it be the decision of parish council (not the vicar alone).

 

[Paidiske]

I was very touched this evening, though, when one of my parish councillors rang me (after we met and discussed all of this last night), and apologised because he realised that in the whole conversation, not once did anyone raise or take into account any risk to me in what was being discussed.

I'm not very afraid for my own health - if/when I get this I'll probably ride it out just fine - but it was lovely of him to actually indicate that my own safety is something worth being taken into account!

 

[MyLifeForChrist]

See my recent posts for common sense ways to get around what the devil would just as soon us all do...quit going to church or doing whatever we are told to do blindly (remember, we have multiple living generations who know nothing but).

 

[Shane R]

I have a friend who is a monk and runs a large food pantry. He shut it down after Tuesday, not because he was worried about the sickness but because he has nothing to distribute. And the grocery stores told him he's not likely to get anything this week.

 

[Paidiske]

Ad clerum came out this evening suspending all services in our diocese.

 

[Deegie]

Ad clerum came out this evening suspending all services in our diocese.

I obviously don't know your context or your people...but here in my part of the United States we have been experimenting with all sorts of online worship: Zoom, Facebook Live, pre-recorded services, etc. The message is that we can still be The Church, even if we can't be in the church. It's been a very steep learning curve for most of us, but our diocesan clergy are coming together (metaphorically, of course!) in a way I've never experienced before. That will be a small silver lining in this whole mess. I had 30 people show up for a mid-week online Compline...I would never get that many to attend a physical service!

 

[Margaret3110]

I just read that hospitals are now barring clergy (and family) from visiting patients.

So basically, if I (or any of us) were to die of coronavirus, it would be totally alone?

 

[Deegie]

I just read that hospitals are now barring clergy (and family) from visiting patients.

So basically, if I (or any of us) were to die of coronavirus, it would be totally alone?

Here, hospitals and nursing homes are not allowing any visitors - even clergy for dying people. Many of us are rather upset with that status quo since we are quite capable of donning the appropriate protective gear to minister to our flock. We have had some luck this past week asking the hospital chaplain to visit on our behalf. It’s not ideal but at least no one should have to be alone.

 

[Margaret3110]

Here, hospitals and nursing homes are not allowing any visitors - even clergy for dying people. Many of us are rather upset with that status quo since we are quite capable of donning the appropriate protective gear to minister to our flock. We have had some luck this past week asking the hospital chaplain to visit on our behalf. It’s not ideal but at least no one should have to be alone.

That's intense. Maybe it's because they have a shortage of protective gear? I don't know. I haven't been particularly afraid of this virus up to now (although I have been following the recommended precautions and social distancing) but I am afraid of suffering and dying all alone.

 

[seeking.IAM]

I just read that hospitals are now barring clergy (and family) from visiting patients.

So basically, if I (or any of us) were to die of coronavirus, it would be totally alone?

I'm not sure. Guidance where I am is that the only visitors permitted are for compassionate care such as end of life. Yet in my state there was a news article about a COVID-19 patient saying goodbye to their spouse via ipad. Very sad.

 

[seeking.IAM]

Ad clerum came out this evening suspending all services in our diocese.

I am very glad to hear this to protect you and your people. As you know I was quite concerned about the earlier approach.

 

[seeking.IAM]

Another day and another lesson. Previously I posted that I had learned I had an employee who has COVID-19 and I asked for your prayers. What I learned since causes me more concern. The employee is a mental health practitioner. I called our Health Department to find out about warnings to patients with whom she had come into contact. What I learned made be realize the scope of this virus is being under-reported. One is not "officially" considered to have COVID-19 here unless they have had a positive test result. The Health Department will not reach out to persons with whom they have had contact unless they have tested positive. But, there are no testing kits available. No one is being tested. So officially they don't have it. People are being diagnosed, sent home to quarantine, or hospitalized for textbook symptoms but aren't considered positive by .gov because we can't give them a test.

You couple that with the fact that all the persons who sat in her office could be carrying the virus to others for 14 days before they develop symptoms and you realize why our epidemiology is failing us miserably.

Everyone should be very concerned about this and taking it very seriously. You have no way of knowing who is a carrier when they can spread disease 14 days before they get sick and they aren't being warned they have been exposed to someone who is sick.

 

[Margaret3110]

Everyone should be very concerned about this and taking it very seriously. You have no way of knowing who is a carrier when they can spread disease 14 days before they get sick and they aren't being warned they have been exposed to someone who is sick.

I had to take my son to the doctor the other day (totally unrelated to the virus) and they kept asking me if we'd been in contact with anyone who has Covid-19. I thought, "How would we even know if we were? They aren't testing people."

 

[Naomi4Christ]

Our physical church activities were cancelled last Monday. This meant no meetings, home groups working via Skype/FaceTime/hangouts etc. Our vicar has been going mad with daily podcasts. Tomorrow, we will have two live-streamed services.

Church hasn’t stopped and we are doing things differently. It is very difficult for those who are not au fait with technology or who do not have internet access, and typically these are the most vulnerable.

Our pastoral assistants are very challenged, as are those who run the food bank and debt centre.

God has his hand on this guiding us to build new relationships.

there are an awful lot of people worse off than us.