Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Below you will find resources we’ve gathered from across the Church, designed to inform and support us through the current COVID-19 pandemic. Included are the most recent messages, resources and recommendations from the Episcopal Church, recommendations from the CDC and WHO (in English and Spanish), and various worship, prayer, and community resources to use during this time. We hope you find them helpful. We join in prayer with our siblings around the world, as we navigate this difficult time together.

Note: We will update this list as new resources are made available. If you have a relevant resource to share, please send it to editor@episcopalfoundation.org

General information:

• Statement from the Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and updates from the Episcopal Church.

• Diocese-by-diocese list of policy announcements in response to coronavirus outbreak.

• Latest updates on the coronavirus from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Information in Spanish here. Información en español aquí.

• Rolling update feed from the World Health Organization (WHO) with the latest information and what’s happened so far. Information in Spanish here. Información en español aquí.

• Advice from Episcopal Relief and Development detailing a faith-based response to epidemics.

Online events:

• Digital Ministry Open Office Hours, sponsored by VTS Lifelong Learning to answer all your questions about doing church online - offered several dates/times

• Choose Well, a new podcast series from the Church Pension Group featuring interviews with health and finance experts on topics that are particularly relevant today: financial wellness, cultivating healthy behaviors, and leading a balanced life.

• God and the Pandemic, on Thursdays, January 14 - February 11, 7:00-8:00 pm EST by St.Bart's

• Homelessness and the Pandemic: Our Christian Commitment to the Community on January 28 from 3 pm - 4 pm EST by The CEEP Network

Worship:

• Faith@Home Daily, lectionary-based readings and reflections by Forma and Forward Movement

• A simple guide to offering online worship through Zoom, Facebook and other services from the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.

• A short video on how to livestream your church service with only a cell phone from the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego. In Spanish here. En español aquí.

• An opportunity to cultivate an online worship community by Canon Mike Orr.

• You already have everything you need to be a digital media minister by Kyle Matthew Oliver.

Prayer and meditation:

• Morning and Evening Meditations from The Episcopal Church

• Habits of Grace - Meditation each Monday with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

• The Quiet Center: Cultivating Inner Peace in Unsettling Times - A webinar recording by Episcopal Church Foundation

• Katie Churchwell's Pop-Up Prayer on Facebook.

• Daily Prayer by Forward Movement.

• Resources for prayer at home by Forward Movement.

• The Good Book Club

Finance:

• Experts Help With Your Cares Act Questions - A webinar recording by the Episcopal Church Foundation

• CARES Act Chartitable Giving Incentives - in English and Spanish

• Endowments and Parish Finance during Times of Uncertainty - A webinar recording from the CEEP Network

• Church Finance resources from the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon

• Small Business Paycheck Protection Program and other information from the U.S Department of Treasury

Note: These links are provided for informational purposes only. Please seek your, or your parish’s, own legal, tax or financial advice before finalizing any action or decision.

Online Giving:

• Online giving as a way to fund ministry by Jason Smith

• Giving Beyond the Offering Plate 101 from the Ecumenical Stewardship Center

Conversation and community:

• Episcopal Communicators Facebook group

• Forma Facebook group

Books and publications:

• An easy-to-navigate PDF version of the Book of Common Prayer from Church Publishing Incorporated

Resources for children:

• Let's do Sunday School! Kids and Teachers in Online Classrooms by Membership Vision

• Candle walk by Karin Holsinger Sherman - An illustrated picture book that prepares children for sleep from Church Publishing Incorporated.

• Tucked In: Bedtime stories and prayers with Episcopalians and others

Other resources:

• Mourning Our Changing Church - A webinar recording by the CEEP Network

• Effective Vestries in Times of Crisis - A webinar recording by the Episcopal Church Foundation

• Servant Leadership in a Time of Crisis - A webinar recording by the Episcopal Church Foundation

• Williams-Duncan, S., & Oliver, K. M. (2020). Reassessing Embodiment and Its Role in Developing Digital Literacies for Ministry. In H. A. Campbell (Ed.), The Distanced Church: Reflections on Doing Church Online (pp. 86–90). College Station, TX: Digital Religion Publications.

• Supporting Pastors & Church Staff - by the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church

• Trauma, grief and ministry - A webinar recording by ECF Fellow Josh Rodriguez-Hobbs, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland

• COVID - 19: We Will Get Through This! - A webinar recording from UBE

• COVID-19: Let us not live in a Spirit of Fear-Part I by the UBE Mental Health Task Force

• Connecting Congregations and Communities in the Covid Crisis - A webinar recording by Rev. Ken Howard, The FaithX Project

• MapDash for COVID-19, an ever-growing collection of COVID-specific data-map layers, including social vulnerability, infections, deaths, recoveries, hospitals and urgent care facilities, pharmacies, and more from Datastory.

• Co-vida 19 - Life-sustaining conversations from the Hispanic Theologocal Initiative community

• Canceling Summer Programs: Resource Round Up from Building Faith

• Misinformation, Disinformation, Fake News: Why Do We Care? from the Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations

• 111 Free Resources to Help you Through the Coronavirus Pandemic

• How to prevent Zoom Bombing

• Ilustrated ministry, free weekly faith formation resources for all ages

• Surviving Social Distancing: A Playlist! by St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem, NC

• A short video on how to share the Peace without shaking hands from the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York.