Are You Ready for the Corona Virus?

Last Wednesday, I went to Costco for my usual fortnightly visit, arriving early to avoid the crowds. Or at least, I thought I was. The place was crowded and people were loading carts with what looked like a year’s supply of toilet paper, rice and other staples.

Over the weekend, it was even worse and when I went this week the shelves were bare. Seattle has become like a wasteland as people panic, bulk buy and hoard as much as they can as though they expect to be under siege for a year or more.

Coronavirus, or COVID-19 as it is now officially known, is aserious threat to the stability of our communities, but it grieves me to seethe panic that has gripped so many in our neighbourhoods as the virus spreads.My concern is that many Christians have responded with the same fear and panicwhen I think that we should be responding in a very different spirit.

Don’t Panic – Prepare

“The Lord alone is our radiant hope and we trust in him with allour hearts.

His wrap-around presence will strengthen us.” (Psalm 33:20 TPT)

Do not yield to fear, for I am always near. Never turn your gazefrom me, for I am your faithful God. I will infuse you with my strength andhelp you in every situation. (Isaiah 41:10)

As people of faith we need to start by reminding ourselves eachday that our trust is in God alone not in how much food we have on hand or evenin how little contact we have with people around us who may be infected.Sitting quietly, taking some deep breaths in and out and then reciting one ofthe verses above in the morning and then repeating it several times a day is agood place to start.

Having said all that, I know that we do need to be prepared forthe possibility that people will be asked to stay home. Schools here in Seattle(where the most deaths in the U.S. have occurred so far) are already closing,some for a day to disinfect all surfaces, others indefinitely. Some majorvenues have been cancelled and older people are being encouraged to stay home.So, what should we do and how do we prepare our congregations for the next fewmonths?

There is lots of good and bad suggestions out at the moment. Ilike this very balanced article onnpr.org so I won’t harp on those but there are things we can do to help ourcongregations respond out of love not fear.

Prepare Your Church

1. If you are sick, stay home.
2. Be outspoken about changes in church policies for greeting andexchanging the peace. No touching is the new policy. A bow, a wave or a lovinglook rather than a handshake or hug are recommended.  Have hand sanitizer around the church forpeople to use both before and after this practice.
3. What about communion? We use a common cup and interestingly the very few studies that have been done show nodifference in infection rates of those who take communion from a common cup tothose in the general population. There has never been a case of a virus spreadby use of common cup however many churches, including ours, have stopped thispractice and only distribute bread for communion. If this is the case presidersshould use hand sanitizer before they start distributing bread and only theyshould touch it. Hand washing should also be done before distributingindividual cups. 
4. Passing offering plates where people touch the plate is notrecommended either. Best option is to have the plate in a conspicuous positionthat people can place money in.
5. Child-care is a huge benefit for many churches with youngercongregations and though no mandatory shutdowns for childcare and Sunday schoolhave been given, you may want to suspend these for a few weeks until thesituation is under control.
6. The life of a church often revolves around a common meal. Ifthis is done in small groups where numbers are limited and participants areencouraged to be careful to wash their hands repeatedly in the preparation ofthe food, then this is probably OK. Large common meal gatherings are notrecommended at this time. 

Prepare to Be God’s Presence in Your Church and Community.

God’s people are meant to be people for others, not forthemselves, so I think that one of the major discussions needs to be, “How canwe help the vulnerable people in our churches and communities prepare and copewith this crisis?”

When businesses close, poor employees suffer most because theydo not have savings they can live off. They can’t afford to buy extra supplieseither because they live week to week out of their pay check. And they can’tafford to take time off because usually their place of work does not pay themfor sick days. Some of them lose their jobs and their homes and end up livingin their cars.

Here are my suggestions on initial questions church leaders needto be asking:

1. Who are the vulnerable people in your church who may lose jobsand housing as a result of this crisis? Are their people in your congregationthat could provide temporary housing for some of these vulnerable people. Thisis something we have often practiced and we have made some wonderful newfriends in the process
2. If you put together emergency supplies for yourself, who elseshould you be doing this for? Perhaps your church could start a food bank or aspecial fund for those who cannot afford to buy emergency supplies. Maybe it isa good time to encourage everyone to tithe from what they have accumulated sothat everyone has something to see them through.
3. Who are the vulnerable people in your community that could needhelp if they get sick, maybe with meals, a lift to the doctor or help withmedications and shopping? How will they contact you? And who could you contactto help them?

One thing that has challenged me as I read about the history ofChristianity is how often more people of strong Christian faith died inepidemics because they were the ones looking after the sick. Are we willing tobe Christ’s hands and feet during a time of crisis like this? Are we willing toput our own lives at risk for those who are the most vulnerable in ourcommunities?

A Prayer for the Day

God of life and love, help us to be your people in times ofcrisis. May we respond out of love and not fear, out of trust and not panic.Help us to be sensitive to those who are vulnerable, to those who are afraidand to those who are confused. Amen.