COVID-19 resources available
The Office of the General Minister and President has compiled a collection of resources and statements from Church leadership in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are updating this page with more resources as available.
The Easter service featuring General Minister and President Terri Hord Owens will continue to be available on the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) YouTube channel. | | Virginia congregation's Community Health Faith Nurse ministry provides holistic health services | |
In 1989, Manns, a community health nurse, started offering blood pressure screenings after Sunday worship service, and so began the congregation’s volunteer Church Nurse position.
Today, Manns is known as the Community Health Faith Nurse “to emphasize the focus on the intentional care of the spirit as part of the process of promoting holistic health and preventing or minimizing illness in a faith community.”
For the past 30 plus years, under Manns’ and Loudon Avenue’s leadership, this ministry has grown exponentially.
Today, the faith health ministry at Loudon Avenue is visible in a variety of ways, like transportation to doctor appointments; weekly meals for seniors; annual community awareness events for men’s health, breast cancer awareness, and heart disease; a quarterly newsletter, The Faith Health Link; and a table full of resources in the congregation’s overflow area of the building. | | What does hope look like in our changing landscape? What color is hope?
The Disciples AllianceQ invites you to “hope in color.” Using a new color each week, Colors of Hope encourages us to wonder, engage, embody, create and share. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and life’s ongoing challenges, with a surge of digital content and an increase in screen time, this series invites us to experience the divine and all of creation through refreshing practices that require little or no online activity. The project features thought-provoking inspirational messages and practices. Every Tuesday there will be a 10-12-minute podcast featuring a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) leader including Allen Harris, CJ Abramowitz-Rodriguez, Luther Young, Andy Deeb, Sophia Hayes-Jackson, Alysha Laperche and others. The podcast explores one of the week's lectionary texts and includes a transcript for accessibility. Apart from the Tuesday podcasts, the practices do not require online activity.
AllianceQ saw the need for individual and collective embodied spiritual practices. Supplemental resources are available on Well Fed Spirit, affiliated with the Office of Christian Vocations of the Christian Church (Disciples Christ).
The eight colors are from Gilbert Baker’s original Pride flag. Pink stood for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for harmony and purple for spirit. Gilbert Baker’s life story, like that of the gay rights movement, is one of resilience and transformation. AllianceQ will release mental health resources throughout April, which is mental health awareness month. | | | | Invitation to join in prayer
Creator God, we are thankful for the faithful and creative work of the Oklahoma region as we move through this time of anxiety and uncertainty. Hold the congregations in your loving care as they struggle with the effects of physical distancing. Help them know that they are close to your heart no matter what is separating them during this time. Amen. | | | | NBA offers COVID-19 response grants
To offer a rapid and impactful response to the Coronavirus pandemic, the National Benevolent Association is offering grant funding to support Disciples-related ministries that are working locally in response to this crisis. With this funding, we seek to offer relief to ministries that have been detrimentally impacted and to support new projects created in service to those suffering because of the pandemic. All Disciples-related health and social services ministries and congregation-affiliated projects in the United States and Canada are invited to apply. Eligible applicants must demonstrate in detail their financial need for support related to COVID-19. For more information and to apply, visit NBAcares.org/covid-19-grants. | | | | General Minister and President offers census reminder
In the midst of all we're doing to respond to COVID-19, General Minister and President Rev. Teresa Hord Owens reminds us that 2020 is a Census year in the United States. Fill out the quick form at 2020census.gov to make a difference for your community for the next 10 years! | | | | How to prepare your church building for an extended period of inactivity
With ‘shelter in place’ orders in effect, our houses of worship are sitting empty. But this can take a toll on our buildings. What can you do?
- Shut off your main water supply.
- Shut off or turn down your water heater.
- Adjust your furnace/air-conditioner. Adjust your heat-setting to about 60° F (16° C) and your AC setting to about 86° F (30° C).
- Turn on ceiling fans in the sanctuary.
- Check your sump pumps. Pour a bucket of water into the sump-pit and confirm that the pump eliminates it.
- Fill floor drains. The water in the P-trap of your drain evaporates over time, allowing sewer gas and methane to seep into your building. Pouring two liters of water into the drain will refill the trap. Then, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil on top to slow water evaporation.
- Don’t neglect your lawn. Clean out gutters, downspouts, and drain lines. Make sure that all yard inlets are clear and that no debris is nearby that could be washed in.
- Let your alarm companies know that your building will be empty.
- Check gas appliances. Shut off the gas to stoves and ovens with full-time pilot lights.
For additional information, visit Disciples Church Extension Fund’s blog. | | | | Applications open for HELM scholarships
The Leadership Fellows program is a leadership development program for Disciples undergraduate students. Each of the four years of undergraduate education has a different focus: Community, Transformation, Global Awareness, and Mentoring. Click here to learn more about the Leadership Fellows program and to access the online application.
For Disciples students pursuing a PhD in the field of religion, HELM offers two scholarships, the William Gilbert and Florence Leonard Jones Scholarship and the Ann E. Dickerson Scholarship. Click here for more information on these scholarships and to access the online application.
All application materials for both the Leadership Fellows Program and PhD scholarships must be received by April 30. If you have questions, please contact Jon Barnes. | | Additional resources and opportunities
| | | | National Benevolent Association extends XPLOR 2020-21 application deadline
The NBA initiates ministries designed to establish and grow partnerships with health and social service supporters and providers. Drawing upon this rich history, NBA continues to assist Disciples to join systemic justice work with direct care and action. In 2014, we launched NBA XPLOR, a prophetic movement of young adults who are considering lives of care and service. The Residency provides 10-month professional development and vocational discernment opportunities for 21- to 30-year-olds to live simply in community and engage in direct service and justice work. Through NBA XPLOR, we partner young adults with Disciples congregations, regional and general ministries, and wider communities—positively engaging neighborhoods, the congregations, and the young adults. We are currently accepting applications for our 2020-21 cohort. Applications for this XPLOR cohort will be received until all spaces are full. Your applications are welcome and you will be contacted immediately with updated news on openings. For questions and more information, contact Rev. Ben Bohren. To learn more about the XPLOR program, visit nbacares.org/xplor. | | More opportunities to put ministry into action
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