I hope that this email finds you in good health. With the current crisis, I know we are all very worried, but we want you to take heart, because we, as Presbyterians, know Who is really in charge. I hope you are finding creative ways to stay engaged as the Body of Christ, and I hope you are praying daily for our world. There is an attachment from the Leadership Commission. I have also attached some vital information from our Synod of the Trinity regarding CARES ACT for those of you finding your churches in difficult financial position in this uncertain time. Take heart and know that you are not alone in this. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Kandy Dunn, Moderator, UOVP
March 30, 2020
To all God’s beloved in Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (paraphrase of Romans 1:7)
Your presbytery’s Leadership Commission last met face to face on Thursday, March 12th. We met again via Zoom Tuesday afternoon, March 24th, Monday, March 30th, and have committed to meeting every Monday via Zoom during the Covid-19 pandemic.
We recognize that since Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery encompasses parts of two states that churches and church leaders in Ohio might be grappling to follow one set of directives while church leaders and congregations in West Virginia could be striving to adhere to slightly different directives. Some of you, like some members of our commission, might even live in one state but serve a church or church related institution in another state, compounding the struggle to adhere to directives.
Your Leadership commission wrestled with at least two issues during its March 24th Zoom meeting. Those issues were how church leaders might maintain a connection with their congregations while worship is cancelled and how both congregations and leaders of congregations might be financially affected by cancellation of worship.
We recognize that it is especially important for pastors and other church leaders to maintain a connection to the people they serve during this pandemic. Some congregations and worship leaders have the capability to use the radio or internet resources such as live streaming, You Tube, Facebook, and other platforms. Not all churches have those resources or capabilities however, and many of our older members are not internet savvy. Make use of whatever resources are at your disposal and that you are comfortable with, but please do not neglect or forget older ways of communicating like the phone and the mail. Can you check in with members weekly via phone? Can you write a note of encouragement to regular worshipers once a week?
Even though worship is cancelled, congregations still have bills and staff to pay. Do not hesitate to encourage regular and faithful givers to still offer their financial gift to God, even though worship is cancelled, by writing a check and mailing it to the appropriate address. Some congregations may also want to explore options for online giving. Another alternative is to encourage faithful givers to set aside their usual weekly or monthly contribution and to place the aggregate in the offering plate once worship resumes, AND IT WILL RESUME.
We encourage congregations to continue paying salaries to staff and especially payments to the Board of Pensions. The Board of Pensions has already announced plans to soften the COVID-19 pandemic financial shock for congregations, and we encourage you and our congregations to make yourself aware of them and take advantage of them. We are also exploring ways Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery might financially assist those church leaders whose congregations cannot afford to pay their full salary during this pandemic. We also direct you to and suggest you explore the “one-time emergency assistance” program of the Board of Pensions at https://www.pensions.org/your-path-to-wholeness/assistance-program/receiving-assistance/emergency-assistance-grants as well as the “ EMERGENCY NEEDS GRANT IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19” of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance at https://pda.pcusa.org/situation/covid-19/.
Most of our members will be receiving a $1,200 check from the United States Government sometime during April. This will help soften the financial blow we have suffered from this pandemic. We encourage you if you can afford to, and ask that you encourage your members who can afford to, to send 10% of those checks to their church, to deposit 10% of those checks into a savings account, and to spend the remaining 80% at local business. This will have a multiplying effect on our local economy and will better serve the common good than if we all hoard and sit on those funds.
Finally, we call upon you to turn to the resources of our tradition and to encourage those whom you serve to do the same. Turn to Scripture, prayer, hymns, and the faith in which we have so richly been blessed. Our God is an awesome God. Our savior rose from the dead, and we can rise from this pandemic. The same Spirit that empowered the first believers on Pentecost can empower us amid this pandemic.
In Christ,
Ruling Elder Kandy Dunn, Executive Moderator & Chair
The Reverend Dr. Frank Lewis, Stated Clerk
Ruling Elder Connie Quinn, Treasurer
The Reverend Dr. John Edward Harris, Member at Large
The Reverend David Stammerjohn, Member at Large
NOTE: THIS IS A TIME SENSITIVE INFORMATION - THESE LOANS ARE ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS, SO IF YOU HAVE NEED OF ONE, START NOW.
Friends,
We are not sure how closely you have followed the unwrapping of the CARES act over the weekend and there have been many helpful emails on the AMCL list.
Here is a synopsis and some links that we hope will aid you in your interpretation to congregation, including a webinar opportunity this Thursday with Richard Hammer.
We will be putting access to this information as a link off of our COVID website, If you find resources around the CARES act and other legislation that might be helpful to us, please let Mike know.
CARES ACT:
SYNOPSIS:
The CARES Act 2020 was signed into law by the President. Based upon the information derived from several webinars, below is a summary of how the Act can benefit your presbytery or church. I encourage you to prepare for the loan application process ASAP as the funds are available on a first come first serve basis. The Small Business Administration will be finalizing the details very soon..
CARES Act 2020 (Payment Protection Program) in a Nutshell:
1) The CARES Act has allocated $349B to the Paycheck Protection Program.
2) The loans will be available to all 501(c)(3)’s on a first come first serve basis through your local bank if they are an SBA approved lender.
3) Loans are based on 2.5 times average monthly payroll costs from 03/01/2019 – 02/29/2020.
4) Forgiveness of loan amount will be based on the percentage of 02/15/2020 – 06/30/2020FTE employees over 02/15/2019 – 06/30/2019.
5) There will be no payments for the loan in 2020.
6) Unforgiven loan amount will be paid over 10 years beginning in 2021.
7) Interest rate is < 4%
8) No collateral or personal guarantees will be required.
9) No fees will be charged.
10) Good faith certification required to certify that funds were used for payroll, mortgage, lease and utility payments.
Key awareness: The payrole protection piece is available to churches and presbyteries but all of these pots are limited. Folks need to be ready to apply when it becomes
available to do so, possibly later this week. Here are some notes to assist with that preparation
How to prepare for the loan application and loan forgiveness:
1. Create spreadsheet of payroll costs from 03/2019 – 02/2020. Include 1099 contract employees.
2. Get in touch with you banker IMMEDIATELY and specifically the SBA loan administrator for application details. (not all banks handle SBA loans so find one that does if your does not)
3. Calculate FTE’s 02/15/2019 – 06/30/2019 and 02/15/2020 – 06/30/2019. (At June 30th– To determine loan forgiveness amount. See details to help determine what that looks like for you,)
Additional Benefits to Churches
1) Expanded 2020 standard deduction for charitable contribution
2) Business deduction for charitable contributions limits increased from 10% to 25%.
3) Expanded unemployment benefits.
LINKS:
Resources recommended by PCUSA General Counsel Mike Kirk are listed at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PIvqSOkEYkWXS8K2kQp4HbrdNpLWvWIV/view.
Richard Hammar’s Church Law & Tax website is hosting a webinar on Thursday, April 2 at Noon ET/ 11 a.m. CT on the CARES Act for churches. Register at the website: churchlawandtax.com
https://www.churchcovid19.com – You will be directed to the Vanderbloemen website. Listen to the webinars (The Senate Bill’s Affect on Churches and Nonprofits) from 03/25/2020, 03/26/2020 and 03/27/2020. Presentation slides are also available to be downloaded.
Blessings, Sue
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