Pray for our congregations and full communion partners responding to the impact of the coronavirus and the evolving challenges of caring for spiritual and physical needs of members, nurturing community in new ways, serving neighbors in need, helping with financial stewardship, and proclaiming the hope and good news of Jesus Christ in times of anxiousness and uncertainty.
Read MoreRead the SBA’s FAQs regarding participation of faith-based organizations in the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
1. Are faith-based organizations, including houses of worship, eligible to receive SBA loans under the PPP and EIDL programs? Yes, and we additionally clarify that faith-based organizations are eligible to receive SBA loans regardless of whether they provide secular social services.
Read MoreThe ELCA’s global companion churches are taking steps to raise awareness about the pandemic and adopting new practices in order to continue their missions while staying safe and practicing physical distancing.
We have collected stories from around the globe to show how the ELCA’s companions and partners are handling the COVID-19 pandemic. View the presentation here.
Read MoreHospitality is a bedrock value in Arabic culture. Anthropologists say it probably arose from the harsh desert conditions in the Middle East and the need to offer food, drink and rest to travelers who might appear at your dwelling. Without hospitality such visitors could die.
So important is this value for Arab Christians and Muslims that it has become ritualized.
Read MoreIt is bizarre that “on the night in which he was betrayed” Jesus didn’t use his time to do something more productive. He didn’t rally the troops, write a manifesto or plan some final demonstration. He sat down with his friends and shared a meal. What good is a meal when you know how bad things are about to get?
Read MoreLutheran World Federation offers liturgies for Holy Week and Easter worship in a time of physical distancing, a simplified form of many worshiping traditions within the Lutheran communion and our ecumenical heritage.
In this time of pandemic, we as a communion are particularly called to keep our hearts united as we “watch and pray,” trusting that Christ always comes through locked doors.
Read More“We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.,” Queen Elizabetth II speaking to Commonwealth citizens around the world in a broadcast recorded at Windsor Castle.
Read MoreFrom the ELCA Public Health page, Considerations for Remote Council and Congregation Meetings During the COVID-19 Pandemic is available (download PDF).
Many congregation leaders are asking how they can take advantage of technology to continue to hold necessary meetings to conduct the business of the congregation.
Read More4/6/2020 Prayer: How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
Read MoreBusinesses shuttered. Churches dark. Every trip outside the house involves a calculus of risk. With familiar activities proscribed Americans are scrambling to find new ways to educate, worship, connect, and calm their anxiety.
Nobody can say with any certainty how the crisis will affect the country over the long term. But some historians believe it will be a defining moment in our history.
Read MoreFrom the ELCA Public Health page, Families First Coronavirus Response Act from the UCC is available (download PDF), updated March 23, 2020.
Shared with permission from the United Church of Christ, this update helps explain The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), signed into law on March 18, 2020. It expands the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), including which employers are covered under the Act, which may bring smaller religious organizations under the new provisions.
Read MoreChristians are joining in specific acts of worship as ecumenical organizations unite during pandemic. View the actions in this post or read at nationalcouncilofchurches.us/holyweek.
Read MoreFrom the ELCA Public Health page, Summary of CARES Act provisions is available (download PDF) , updated March 30, 2020.
This document briefly summarizes provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“the CARES Act”) that could possibly be of interest to church plans, ministries and plan members.
Read MoreThe National Council of Churches (NCC) joins with Christians Uniting in Christ (CUIC) and Christian Churches Together (CCT) sends a letter to congregations across the United States. View the letter in this post or read at nationalcouncilofchurches.us/holyweek.
The letter states, “Holy Week is April 6-12 for Western Christians and April 13-19 for Orthodox Christians.” Christians are then asked to join in specific acts of worship as they celebrate this unprecedented Holy Week and Easter.
Read MoreAs three ecumenical organizations unite in an unprecedented way, Bishop Eaton invites us to visit nationalcouncilofchurches.us/holyweek, and join in specific acts of worship with other Christians as we celebrate this Holy Week and Easter in time of pandemic.
View Bishop Eaton’s video, visit the Holy Week page, and read the letter and share.
Read MoreLea doce preguntas frecuentes sobre el programa de protección de cheques de pago.
1. ¿Son elegibles las iglesias? Si. Existe cierta información errónea, y algunos prestamistas están confundidos, pero las iglesias son elegibles.
Read MoreELCA.org/worship has resources for use in the home during this time of world-wide crisis:
Worship in the Home is available for each Sunday at blogs.ELCA.org/Worship.
Sign up for a Daily Bible Reading to be delivered to your email inbox.
Find a full list of readings for Sundays, festivals, and daily use is available from ELCA.org/Lectionary.
Vicar Beth Gallen of Grace Lutheran, Phoenix, shares these resource guides for individuals who are cloistered, as well as households already sheltering in place. Audio and video have been added.
Read MoreOn the ELCA Worship blog, find Holy Week resources for:
Read MoreAs new as the COVID-19 pandemic is to us living today, it is far from the first pandemic the church has had to address.
In 1527, the plague hit Wittenberg in late summer, the University of Wittenberg closed. The students were sent home, and many residents self-quarantined to avoid the deadly sickness. Luther responded with his letter “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague.”
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