WCC NEWS: Thursdays in Black ambassadors: “We must enable and promote safe spaces for all”

World Council of Churches (WCC) ambassadors of the Thursdays in Black campaign are standing behind a joint statement that urges both awareness and protection from the “dual pandemics” of COVID-19 and gender-based violence.

“As countries respond to COVID-19 with necessary restrictions on movements and activities, more people are calling violence hotlines and crying for help in other ways,” the statement reads. "The effects of lockdown, job losses, and the sheer vulnerability of people who were already on the margins of society are all serious concerns."

The ambassadors for Thursdays in Black, a global campaign for a world free from rape and violence, are also featured in an accompanying video, speaking from the heart on the higher incidences of violence that have been reported during global quarantines.

“Conflicts and crises nearly always carry gender-based burdens – which can be compounded by other factors such as race and ethnicity, ability, and economics,” reads the statement. “We urge everyone to care for the persons in their homes, personal relationships, and in all workplaces still serving the public good.”

Among the 13 ambassadors is WCC moderator Dr Agnes Abuom, who signed the statement urging change at both the grassroots and leadership levels.

“We encourage churches to be involved in creating physical and virtual safe spaces for those who are not safe in their homes,” the statement reads. “This can include support to local professionals and caregivers in the field of sexual and gender-based violence through prayer, space, materials, and money.”

While we need to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we must not victimize or stigmatize people in the process, the statement concludes. “We also must look beyond the current crisis and renew our resolve to address the root causes of sexual and gender-based violence that are only exacerbated during conflicts and crises,” the text reads. "As Thursdays in Black ambassadors, we pray that people of faith join us in creating a world of justice and peace in these challenging times.”

Read the full statement

Thursdays in Black Ambassadors

Coping with the Coronavirus

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway.

Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press
Our visiting address is:
World Council of Churches
150 route de Ferney
Geneve 2 1211
Switzerland

WCC NEWS: Katherine Marshall: messages of religious leaders have “extraordinary importance”

A WCC interview with Katherine Marshall, a senior fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, and professor of the practice of development, conflict, and religion at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

You have been involved in recent discussions about the role of religions in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Can you share some of the key issues that are on the table in such discussions?

Marshall: There are three issues that are prominent both in media coverage and in what we are hearing from colleagues and contacts in different world regions (the repository that we update constantly reflects much of this information). First, with the central public health advice and many national regulations requiring physical distancing the question of how religious communities gather is a major preoccupation. Second, the central religious roles of spiritual consolation, pastoral care, and making meaning of it all is a major preoccupation. And third, the harsh and unequal impact of the crisis (health and economic) on vulnerable people and communities brings the challenge of "preference to the poor" to the center. Communities are often focused on people near them but two additional questions are of great concern: the impact of the disruptions on both ongoing and potential conflicts, ranging from domestic violence to the plight of refugees and wars. The mobilization of resources to allow countries to cope has put the question of debt relief back at the center of discussions and of course there is there a long history of religious engagement.

How do you evaluate the variety of theological responses to the virus so far? Narratives such as the ones that describe COVID-19 as divine punishment seem to find an echo in specific contexts, for example.

Marshall: This question is best addressed to theologians: my focus is more on "lived religion" and the impact of religious institutions and communities. At a very broad level responses to the pandemic present ancient questions about the relationships of faith and science. But they also go to the heart of a very fundamental issue of our time, which is about trust, in institutions and leaders. Many do trust religious leaders and colleagues more than other groups and thus the messages of religious leaders in this time of extraordinary crisis have extraordinary importance.

Churches have a great influence on society, having tangible and intangible assets, practices and structures, spaces, and faith leadership to assist with the responsible disseminating of relevant and truthful data and information regarding COVID-19. Do you see churches as strategic actors in the combat to the pandemic? How?

Marshall: Absolutely yes. The two dimensions that should be obvious to any sensible policymaker or observer are the importance of religious beliefs and communities to people the world over and the extensive reach and presence of the communities and institutions involved. The second is the deeply embedded traditions of care for the vulnerable that are central to religious teachings and example. Beyond this, the significant presence of religiously owned and run health facilities in many countries and the links between peace-building and trauma healing are vitally important now and will become more so in the future.

How can the public health messages of “stay home,” “wear a mask”, “keep social distance” be framed in (constructive) theological terms?

Marshall: There are surely many links, for example between care for others and focus on healing, water and cleanliness, etc. What has emerged very clearly is that while religious leaders can and do have strong gifts and assets in conveying messages, they want and need to contribute to how they are formulated and to adapt them to their own theologies. I see some tension between the need for crystal clear simple public health messages that can be widely spread and readily understood (stay home) and the more complex and subtle realities different people face. There are choices to be made and simple messages are not always applicable. For example, healthcare workers and pastors may choose not to stay home as they are needed elsewhere. And in places where the simple messages simply don't work there's a need to adapt to people's realities. Religious actors are often well positioned to do so.

In your opinion, what is the role for international church-related organizations like the World Council of Churches to play in this crisis?

Marshall: International church-related organizations have crucial roles to play. They have major roles in the first two critical imperatives that face communities everywhere: delivering health care, directly and indirectly, and helping to persuade communities of the merits of the science behind public health so that the disease can be brought under control, and coping with the social and economic consequences of lockdowns and related unemployment and suffering. Looking further ahead, they have major potential roles in dealing with negative legacies that include tensions and conflicts (peace-building roles). And many are looking to a "reset" of many dimensions of modern life towards greater focus on wellbeing and social justice. With the stark revelation of the impact of inequalities in this COVID-19 era, as well as links among the five "Ps" of the Sustainable Development Goals: People, Planet, Peace, Prosperity, and Partnership, WCC and other global as well as local bodies can inspire, goal, provide witness of what is possible, even shame, the kinds of restructuring, political, economic, social, and spiritual that we all hope to see.

Coping with the Coronavirus - WCC landing page

* Marcelo Schneider is a communication officer at the World Council of Churches.

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway.

Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press
Our visiting address is:
World Council of Churches
150 route de Ferney
Geneve 2 1211
Switzerland

224th General Assembly to be conducted online only

Committee on the Office of the General Assembly votes for shortened assembly

For the first time in the history of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the denomination’s General Assembly will be held online only. The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a plan for a reduced assembly gathering that will require everyone involved — commissioners, advisory delegates, corresponding members and staff — to participate in a digital assembly.

The final decision was expected to be voted and announced on Thursday; however, staff from the Office of the General Assembly received information Tuesday that prompted a quick call with COGA.

“As we have discussed, we knew we would reach a point in time in our contract with the Baltimore Convention Center and hotels where they would not be able to meet the agreed upon services listed in our contracts and that day is today,” said Julia Henderson, OGA’s interim director of assembly operations. “This is a force majeure. We need to let them know we are canceling because they cannot meet their obligations.”

Force majeure is a clause in contracts that frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the contractual parties prevents services from being performed.

In this case, the COVID-19 virus has resulted in numerous conference cancelations. The General Assembly was scheduled to be held June 20-27. The convention center has converted space into a field hospital for infected patients.

Over the last few weeks, COGA and staff of the Office of the General Assembly have been working on contingency plans should the convention center not be available. The assembly will take place over three days; Friday, June 19; and Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27.

Details are still being worked out, but the plan includes:

• Question and answer session (town hall gathering) for moderator candidates followed by the election of a new moderator/co-moderdators on Friday, June 19
• Opening worship, two plenaries on Friday, June 26
• Critical business, three plenaries, including stated clerk election and budget, on Saturday, June 27.

Some COGA members asked whether the church would be able to recoup all deposits to this point. OGA officials believe they will. Further discussions with the convention center will take place.

Now the attention turns to preparing for the upcoming assembly.

“We will send invitations to mid council leaders to attend one or two sessions next week with OGA staff,” said Henderson. “We will appeal to them to help us to ensure commissioners and advisory delegates are ready to go. We are also urging those commissioners who are no longer available to serve to let the stated clerk know as soon as possible.”

 Other planned events will include technical training for commissioners and advisory delegates, participation in a virtual Poor People’s Campaign event, Bible study and electronic group gatherings.

COGA will conduct another virtual meeting on Thursday, April 23, to continue work on finalizing the assembly agenda.

‘When America gets a cold, the African American community gets pneumonia’

COVID-19’s impact on black Presbyterian churches

by Gail Strange | Presbyterian News Service

Through the leadership of the Rev. Wayne Steele, Peace Presbyterian Church is very active in the Newburg community in Louisville and Mid-Kentucky Presbytery. (Contributed photo)

LOUISVILLE — It is said, “When America gets a cold, the African American community gets pneumonia.”

The COVID-19 pandemic is proving that to be true. As the virus spreads across the country, it appears that it is impacting African Americans at a disproportionally high rate. In hot spots like New York, Detroit, New Orleans, and Chicago, blacks are dying at alarmingly high rates.

According to APM Research Lab, as of Monday more than 23,000 Americans had died of COVID-19. Data about the racial background of those who died was available for only 35% of all deaths.

While black Americans represent 13% of those living in places releasing data by race, they have suffered 32% of all known COVID-19 deaths in those places.

APM’s research further showed that:

• Dramatic inequities exist in numerous places across the Midwest: In Wisconsin, blacks are 5.5 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than their population share, followed by Michigan, 3.6 times more likely, and in Illinois, 3.3 times more likely. In Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, the ratio is 2.4, while it’s 2.3 in Chicago and 2.0 in Louisiana.
• Of the 12 states and four localities examined, Minnesota is the only one that does not see a disproportionate mortality burden for its black residents.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to expose disparities and inequities in the nation’s health care system and socioeconomic status, but it also shines a spotlight on systemic racism and poverty̶̶, two issues that have plagued this country for centuries.

The coronavirus crisis is impacting every aspect of the black community including the church.  For African Americans the church has been an integral part of life for centuries. The church has been key for American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) through the inhumane treatment of slavery to Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the civil rights movement. ADOS have relied on their faith and their church to sustain them in perilous times.

Now in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation, how is the black Presbyterian church faring?

The Rev. Wayne Steele, Jr. is the pastor of Peace Presbyterian Church, a church with nearly 100 members in Louisville, Kentucky. Steele has been the pastor for 20 of the 60 years of the church’s existence. “For our African American churches, we don’t have money that’s stored up,” Steele said. “We don’t have nice endowments set aside for rainy days.”

“It’s nice that the government, the church, the presbyteries and the synods are giving loans, but the truth of the matter is with the bottom line that many churches have right now, it’s going to be difficult to pay back a loan to help us survive right now,” he said.

“I’m very concerned that for a lot of our African American pastors, this calling that we have, is our only source of income,” he said. “This is our full-time job.”

Peace Church live streams on Sunday morning. “Thanks be to God,” Steele said, that the church had started online giving before the pandemic. “For the African American community, online giving is a new way of giving to the church and we don’t often gravitate to change as quickly as others, so this becomes a new process,” he said.  The age of the congregation also impacts online giving, he said. While many African American churches have young adults familiar with technology, it’s the senior citizens that carry the church financially.

“Last week we mailed all members a personal letter talking about the love Jesus,” he said. “Not only did we talk about their spiritual responsibility to the church, but their financial responsibility as well.”

An offering envelope was enclosed with the letter. “Hopefully they will take advantage of that,” he said.  “I’ve heard some good positive responses from members promising to mail their contributions.” The church is open on Mondays and has made accommodations for members to drop a check off while practicing social distancing.

For now, the congregation has decided to maintain the staff for April but will be assessing that situation every month. And while finances may be an issue, Peace Presbyterian continues to serve its members and the community. Currently the church offers online Bible study and is exploring opportunities to offer online youth ministries. Additionally, the church continues to serve the community through its food pantry ministry.

Weekly Coronavirus briefing and News from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A)

Coronavirus News

COGA to consider abbreviated virtual General AssemblyProposal suggests streamlined agenda

Piece by piece, PC(USA) Easter service comes together Producing a virtual worship service takes time and patience

Seattle pastor survives coronavirus Says she was ‘held spiritually tight’ after entering ‘blissful mindlessness’

Stated Clerk weighs in on rise in technology during COVID-19 J. Herbert Nelson sees new opportunities post virus

A salute to the work of the corporate arm of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Board hears from A Corporation president — and from one another

Compassion, Peace & Justice Training Day goes online Event by PC(USA) Washington Office was originally scheduled for historic D.C. Presbyterian church

Faith leaders under stress during the coronavirus pandemic can build resilience Webinars from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance provide tips and tools

Presbyterian Mission Agency Board will meet virtually Wednesday through Friday Upcoming budget, ministry during a pandemic and Stony Point Center are among the agenda toppers

SDOP support prepared Detroit group to respond to COVID-19 Self-Development of People grant helped We the People of Detroit ‘blossom’

Prayer, guided meditation no problem for online platforms The Spirit was present and at work during a Maundy Thursday virtual gathering

A Corp Board to meet via Zoom Tuesday and Wednesday Comments on potential General Assembly business, updates on the coronavirus and Global Language Resources top board’s agenda

Presbyterian co-pastors ‘fill the church’ with members’ photographs during livestreamed services Worship, prayer — and yes, committee meetings — are all doable via videoconference

New York City’s Presbyterian leaders stand firm in the midst of COVID-19 J. Herbert Nelson, II, joins call for health care workers during the crisis

Dan and Elizabeth Turk safely back in the US Their hearts remain in Madagascar

Spirit-inspired worship requires breathing life into dry bones About 70 people join a ‘spirited’ Vital Congregations Zoom call

The building may be closed but the Presbyterian Center continues support for Presbyterians Technology allows for a smooth transition of service

1001 ‘New Way’ podcast to drop episode 1 of season 4 on Good Friday Focus is on leadership during this uncertain time of COVID-19

And the steeple bell rang A rural church’s Holy Week witness in a pandemic

Further considerations for worship in virtual space Tips and best practices are offered to enhance online worship during the pandemic

California church blends old and new technology to provide worship during pandemic Now playing: ‘Worshiping God from a bucket seat’

News

Self-Development of People reports on two years of partnership in Panama Groups selected for grants gave SDOP feedback on how things are going

Presbyterian Church of Colombia sends a pastoral letterCalls on churches everywhere to protect lives through pastoral, humanitarian care

Trade and tariff systems prevent cocoa processing in West AfricaUnjust system keeps farmers trapped near poverty level

Mission co-worker Louise Maxwell ‘Coffee’ Worth led a wonder-filled life for 100 yearsThe pastor’s daughter, educator and racial reconciliation advocate in Korea and the U.S. taught by example

Building the household of God with children, youth and young adultsAs Pentecost approaches, we look especially to the younger members of God’s family

Coronavirus/COVID-19 Resources for Congregations and Members

Presbyterian Church USA 100 Witherspoon Street Louisville, KY 40202 United States