Grace and Gratitude Newsletter, April 2020

I am writing to you from my home in Marietta, Georgia. It is good to be with Judy full time. For the longest time, we have traveled back and forth from our home in Marietta to the small apartment we rent in Louisville. However, I continue to find myself grieving over lost work routines, being with people in person and dealing with the uncertainty that each day brings our way. The numbers of people dying from COVID-19 is heartbreaking. More

Online Communion Office of Theology and Worship offers supplemental guidance for online communion for navigating the current challenges of our time. Download

Remote faith formation for the long haul Office of Christian Formation, Christian Formation Collective offers faith formation resources during the COVID-19 pandemic — and beyond. Read Emergency student loan management information PC(USA)’s Financial Aid for Service says payment on eligible federal student loans is suspended through Sept. 30. Read

1001 podcast focuses on coronavirus In first episode of Season 4 Joanna M. Adams tells host Sara Hayden. "Death is not going to have the last word," Adams says. "This disease (Covid-19) will be conquered. How we handle it, how we face and deal with loss, how we care for one another — those are the key questions that we are facing." Listen

Additional TFE coronavirus resources Vital Congregations Weekly Zoom Gathering on "7 Marks: For Such a Time as This" — https://zoom.us/j/331821463 Member ID: 331 821 463 (Wednesdays at 3 p.m. Eastern time through May 6) Christian FormationQuicksheets resources for Youth Ministry for mission and advocacy when sheltering at home and for Older Adult Ministries. QuickSheets 1001 New Worshiping Communities Hosting weekly Zoom gatherings on Thursdays at noon Eastern time, on topics like: Streaming Online Worship Creating Community and Intimacy in Digital Spaces Funding your Ministry in Times of Crisis Prayer and Guided Meditation Caring for the Caregiver/Compassion Fatigue Find audio recordings and documents from these — and future — Zoom conversations here. $10,000 of the 1001 NWC training budget will be used to provide free coaching or spiritual direction to NWC leaders struggling during this crisis. Find out more by emailing Sean Chow at sean.chow@pcusa.org.

Everyday God-Talk New online resource features conversations among theologians, pastors and laypeople with our new associate for Theology, So Jung Kim. Read

Today is National Holocaust Remembrance Day As we live into the reality of the human crisis of our time, help us to remember all who suffered from the great evil and violence in the time of the Holocaust. And in remembering, may we join in prayer to "commit ourselves, this day and always, to work for reconciliation in the world, until earth and heaven embrace." Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/587435155 | Meeting ID: 587 435 155 Read

Become a Matthew 25 church Matthew 25:31–46 calls all of us to actively engage in the world around us, so our faith comes alive and we wake up to new possibilities. Matthew 25 is a bold new vision and invitation from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) with over 460 congregations and mid councils that have already pledged to become a Matthew 25 church by working to build congregational vitality, dismantle structural racism and eradicate systemic poverty. We invite you to join us on this journey! Find out how

A paper chain built by Presbyterian generosity is unbreakable! Our Links of Love special giving challenge celebrates our united and collective impact toward making a difference in the lives of others around the world. Get involved today. Learn more

Coronavirus/COVID-19 Resources for Congregations and Members

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