Last week I mentioned the challenge of attempting to follow the guidance from multiple levels of government and public health officials as they learn about the Coronavirus, and apply their guidance to our communities of faith. This last Friday, the President of the United States added his voice to the discussion about worship by asserting that governors do not have the right to prohibit in-person worship gatherings.

Of course, by the same token the President does not have the right to force churches to participate in a style of worship that would endanger not only members, but our neighbors with whom we are in relationship. We enjoy the rights of freedom of religion, which means that our churches decide for themselves how to practice their faith. Most of our churches have continued in worship in new, creative ways—ways that are not only faithful, but enlightening and illustrative of how our old ways of worship may have been lacking. It’s as if we had an instant Reformation, a revolution of evangelism that showed us that the Holy Spirit is very much alive and powerful, enabling our pastors and church leaders to adapt to sudden changes that we never anticipated.

Not that it’s been easy! A few days ago, I found myself fantasizing how easy it would be to be able to walk into a sanctuary, get behind a microphone in a pulpit, and preach just like before. I recently heard that some church members have somehow, inexplicably, assumed that because a pastor is preaching on- line, their work was somehow greatly lessened. Nothing can be further from the truth. I have been amazed how our pastors sprung into action, fighting their own fears and anxieties about the uncertainty of the pandemic in order to recreate their church’s worship life, pastoral care system, and governance and church leadership processes overnight. In fact, before President Trump’s comments on Friday, I was set to write about the fear that many denominational church leaders share that our pastors will “crash” under this pressure. I was ready to recommend two short but insightful articles for pastors and those who love (or wonder about) them. To keep this reflection short and focused, I’m putting notes on this topic in a separate column called “Coronavirus Survival Guide for Pastors.”

Also, I have heard from a few of our retired pastors that they have grown weary of virtual worship. The sad thing is that even if in-person worship is reinstated, the churches are being encouraged to continue to provide virtual worship because it will still be considered unsafe for certain people, including retirees, to come into the sanctuary for worship.  In fact, just to be clear, we are posting the CDC’s listing of “people at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19”—and honestly I would not be surprised if the people who qualify constitute a majority of our membership! So I am grateful that we have creative and sensitive pastors who continue to share ideas on how to offer worship that is inclusive and meaningful to members whether they are at home or in the sanctuary.

However we worship, in our tradition it is the session of each congregation that guides the worship life of a church. But they do not do this in a vacuum. The Presbytery is expected to educate and guide sessions in their oversight of worship, of course the pastor is a Teaching Elder who offers wisdom and insight to the conversation, and we have the Directory for Worship which offers direction on how we Presbyterians understand and plan for worship. The Directory is rooted in Scripture, of course, as well as the Book of Confessions, which is the primary part of the Constitution of the PC(USA).

If you don’t want to read the latest version of the Constitution, or chase after the various public health orders, I have attempted to integrate the relevant guidelines and summarize them in a draft of a set of guidelines for San Gabriel Presbytery churches as you consider the requirements for opening up in- person worship. Please take a look and give me feedback, which can be used as the Presbytery leadership attempts to develop more formal guidelines, hopefully by the beginning of June.

My hope is that as sessions discern their future worship life, they do not forget the lessons learned in this forced experiment in worship that transcends buildings. To paraphrase an ecumenical leader, “Our faith is essential. Our buildings are not.” We have always asserted that the church is not the building, and worship can happen in all places, for wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, Jesus is among us. In fact, I have recently been talking with folks about how this pandemic has brought worship back into our homes, breaking down the artificial division between our public faith, neatly compartmentalized away from our family life into one particular hour, in a separate building, with a professional worship leader, often with the children sent to a different space.

However we worship, wherever we worship, may we always remember the most important aspects of worship: to glorify God, to build up the church as the body of Christ, and to feel the free winds of the Holy Spirit that reaches all of God’s children, whether or not they are able to enter our church buildings. May our contemplation on the Word strengthen us to be Christ’s hands and heart on earth, not for our sakes, but for the people crying out for salvation.

Because we consider worship to be the work of the people, our Presbytery meetings are always set in the context of worship. So I look forward to worshiping with you, via Zoom, this Saturday.

Always connected in the Spirit,

This last week I kind of hit a wall in the Coronavirus marathon.  (Yes, in case anyone is wondering, dealing with this pandemic is a marathon, not a sprint.)

Even as I begin this new week, I am still fatigued by the prior week.  Nothing bad, and in fact I’m trying to figure out what is tiring me the most.  It could be the fact that for the first time, the meeting schedule approached a pre-pandemic meeting schedule—and Zoom meetings exhaust me!  I don’t know why, but I know that three Zoom meetings in a day is my max.  It could be that I preached for the first time on Zoom, which wasn’t as traumatic as I feared, but still preaching does take time for preparation (more than many in the congregation realize!).

I’m also aware that leadership during this time of great uncertainty is tiring.  We all want to know what is ahead of us, and we would like advance notice so we can prepare for it.  The problem is, we don’t know what is ahead of us, and we certainly have no idea on the timeline for implementation.  We are all part of a huge game of dominos, and nearly all of us play some part in receiving and relaying the news.  It’s exhausting to keep tracking the news because others are seeking guidance from us, whether they are church members, children, employees, or friends.

Even the County officials shared how they are constrained by State regulations.  In fact, it was at a County telebriefing that I realized that Governor Newsom issued an update on May 7.  It seems that he, in turn, was responding to challenges from rural counties who were resisting the State plan for reopening which was given on April 28.  So Newsom allowed for a county to relax the State requirements, as long as they can attest to the following:

• No COVID-19 deaths in the past 14 days
• No more than 1 case per 10,000 people in the last 14 days
• Minimum daily testing of 1.5 tests per 1,000 residents
• At least 15 contact tracers per 100,000 residents
• County or regional hospital capacity to accommodate a minimum surge of 35%.

Just the first requirement is a show-stopper.  Los Angeles County has been averaging 40 or more deaths per day for several weeks.  But then Newsom hinted that the statewide limitations may be lifted sooner than we think.  Hence the exhaustion—mind-boggling statistics, followed by ever-changing messages.

As mentioned, the County is following State regulations, and we have to follow County regulations.  So the County pointed at the State when confirming that church services—even opening the church office or having any gathering (except for 12-step or therapeutic groups), indoors or outdoors—are classified as Stage 3. 

Even when the State allows in-person worship, there will be specific requirements that have to be met, including occupancy kept to 25-50%, easy access to hand sanitizer or handwashing stations, masks available if anyone arrives without one, proper physical distancing, regular cleaning of common areas, proper signage instructing people of the requirements, and—this one is new—registration of all attendees.  Church gatherings (including funerals and choir rehearsals) have been the source of several hotspots around the nation, so even when people are eventually allowed into gatherings in the building, the church will be expected to keep records of who attends, for possible contact tracing in case an attendee tests positive for the virus.

It is easy to become overwhelmed with the uncertainty, the new learnings we keep stumbling on (like now there may be a serious delayed response to the virus in children, in very rare cases), the new requirements, and the suspended grieving as we are unable to hold funerals as usual or visit with our ailing or elderly family members and friends. 

It’s times when we are overwhelmed that we can take comfort in remembering that all of this does not fall on our shoulders.  We have our place, but we are in the care and guidance of Jesus the Christ, who loves us more than we can understand.  We learn what we can, but our wisdom will never approach the wisdom of God, who sees this “marathon” through the lens of eternity.  And we have our power, but it is miniscule compared to the power of the Holy Spirit—power that comforts and heals, teaches and challenges and empowers. 

We are all going through this time of isolation and quiet, confusion and fear, in different ways and with different rhythms, so you may be in a very different place than I am this week.  That’s fine.  All I can suggest is that you’re all right.  Be gentle and forgiving with yourself, as Jesus is gentle and forgiving with you.  And remember that you can always let someone know if and when you need help.  Call your pastor, or friend, or me, or one of several hotlines if you need to talk or have questions.  Call 2-1-1 if you need help or a referral for a service, such as help with domestic violence questions, or if you’re a senior who would like nutritious meals delivered to your home each day through the “Great Plates Delivered” program.  That program is a perfect example of how your asking for help gives others (like underused restaurants) something to do!  So we’re all interconnected.

And if you’re looking for something to do, there are ways you can help—or get involved with singing for our May 30^th Presbytery meeting!  Contact Jennifer Ackerman if you want to participate, and remember the sangabpres.org website is frequently updated with new resources.

Blessings to you.  In the words of the apostle Paul, “lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  (Ephesians 4:1b-3)

In Christ’s peace,

One of the most useful things I learned in seminary was the root meaning of the word “discern.” The literal translation of the Latin discernere is “to separate apart.” When we make a choice, we are not only figuring out what we are saying “yes” to, but we are also identifying what we will say “no” to. We do not like to think this way, but as we become more clear about the will of God for our lives and our churches, this means we must turn away from the call of the world. We have to be willing to run against the way of the world, which often leads to rejection, and worse.

This also can mean sacrifice, as we let go of popularity, or the comfort of conformism, or financial success in order to stay true to God. We have to tune out the very loud and persistent voices that tell us what everyone else is doing, or how we have to look out for ourselves, or to fear being left behind or taken advantage of.

This week, if you were watching the news, you were bombarded by discussions about “re-opening.” Even in California, where we prided ourselves on our early and strict “Stay Home” order that most definitely saved thousands of lives, Gov. Gavin Newsom has given tantalizing hints about opening that will come in “weeks,” then in “days.” He may be just trying to offer hope when the conditions for opening things up will take weeks or months. But he also uses the terms “days” and “weeks” to differentiate from the point when in-person worship will be allowed, which he said would be “months, not weeks.”

Now even if we have to wait until, say, the fall before going into our sanctuaries, it might be a good exercise for Session to consider what we’ve been learning these last couple of months. What will we keep? What did we not miss? What will we do differently? Who will be impacted by the decisions we make?

For instance, there may be a time when we cannot go into a closed space, but we can meet, properly spaced out, outdoors. Or if it’s very important to meet someone in person, there might be need to hold multiple sessions with smaller groups, rather than one large service or meeting. One thing is for sure, our churches have been able to share God’s love with many more people by providing online worship, so if you stop offering worship online, you will lose some people.

Lately I have been wondering what would happen if the guideline comes down that we can worship in the sanctuary, but people of a certain age or with underlying health conditions need to stay home. (One doctor just said that anyone over 55 should stay home—since I will be turning 60 this summer, that means me!) How do we tell our senior members—who are often the core members of our churches— that they should not come to church, no matter how healthy they feel?

Yesterday I brought this up with three churchwomen who are 45, 75, and 85 years of age. The 45-year- old, who has three children and a husband in the house, loves not having to get the family ready and on time for church, so she may have the hardest time getting back into the sanctuary! The 75-year-old has serious health concerns, so she knows she will not come in. The 85-year-old said she has no problem with the restrictions, and she will come to church. When I asked how it would feel if it was recommended that she not come to church, THEN she had a problem.

The 45-year-old, who is in leadership at the church, said that they decided to stop in-person worship because they did not want to tell only the older members they could not come in. Though the older members do not make up the majority of the church, the leaders decided they would prefer having everyone in Zoom worship rather than have some people able to come into the sanctuary and others not.

How do we make decisions not just for the majority, or the powerful or outspoken, but for the vulnerable in our community? In Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s little classic Life Together, he stresses the importance of remembering that “the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. . . that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.” (1 Corinthians 12:22, 25) I’ve already mentioned how online worship is including church members who have disabilities or for various reasons do not feel comfortable in the sanctuary; how can we make sure they continue to be welcomed and affirmed, even if others have come into the physical worship space?

You may know that San Gabriel Presbytery has been called the smallest geographic presbytery in the PC(USA). We are also considered among the most diverse. This last week, we became smaller in membership, as the dismissal of Alhambra True Light Presbyterian was finalized on April 30th. I am saddened by this, but thankful that the process was truly gracious. But the presence of immigrants in our family—and our care and shared ministry with them—was also made more apparent. We have received three grants from PDA this month, to support three categories of immigrants who are facing increased need due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though they are in different situations, they all struggle with lack of resources, and they are often the first to lose work:

1. recent but settled refugees (Mideast Evangelical, who grew dramatically a few years ago as they welcomed refugees fleeing the violence of the Middle East),
2. people actively seeking asylum (people who are being released from Adelanto to decrease the population density, but who have no resources when they are released), and
3. settled but undocumented residents (seven of our churches are being given grocery gift cards for more than 200 undocumented members and friends).

I have been so thankful that we have access to resources to help our churches in our ministries, and also members of our communities who are more vulnerable in this time of Coronavirus. And it’s most wonderful to hear that our efforts have been rewarded. For instance, you may remember that several of us were able to accompany a young man from Cameroon named Bertrand. On almost no notice, he was released from Adelanto, with nothing but a plastic bag with his Bible and a jacket, and he was wearing a sweatshirt that the Adelanto staff gave him. Brian and Ally Lee hosted him for a couple of nights before he flew up to North Dakota, where he is now living with his half-brother. Bertrand just received notice that he was granted asylum! He is now eligible to receive a green card in a year. All of us who met him could recognize the great gifts of intelligence, judgment, faith, and perseverance he brings to this country, and we are all the better for having him here. Thank God we got to meet him.

As we seek to be faithful to God, not only do we discern God’s will for us, but we also become discerned

—separated apart from the world around us. We no longer go with the world’s flow, because we now go with God’s. That may mean we go with a different rhythm, and we spend the extra time and effort to make sure that everyone is included and honored as God’s gift to our family. May we continue to recognize God’s grace in our life together.

In Christ’s peace,

Life feels different this week, at least to me.  The sun came out which is a huge boon for me (though I’ve been reminded that others prefer cool and gray weather).  I got great news about the school that my family supports—U.S. News & World Report released their annual ranking of all public high schools, and Alliance Ted K. Tajima High School ranked #324 in the nation, #37 in California, and #4 in LAUSD.  What a great accomplishment, especially during this time of Coronavirus, which required the staff to get food and internet hotspots to students and their families, switch plans to a virtual commencement ceremony, and now offer grants to families so they can pay student deposits to hold their place in their incoming classes at UCLA, Berkeley, USC, Vanderbilt, and other schools.  Inspiring proof of how life goes on in spite of new challenges.

But the more persistent feeling this week was confusion due to the many discussions about reopening.  Every state, county, and community is looking at when and how to loosen their restrictions to protect each other from the spread of Coronavirus.  It feels a little like a swarm of bees, buzzing around us in unpredictable paths, causing a new kind of fear as we consider the risk of allowing for more physical interaction—a risk because the presence of Coronavirus has not gone away because we shut our doors.  As I suggested to someone last week, the stay-at-home order is like a dam—the water is still there, we just built a wall to hold it back.  So now, how do we open just enough to keep from flooding us out?

I do have to say that Los Angeles County will likely be very conservative, so even if the state of Georgia and even Orange County opens up their beaches, LA County may not.  The numbers are still on the rise here; at our current rate in LA County, the number of new cases doubles every 11.9 days, which is lower than Orange County at 19.5 days and the strictest county in California, Santa Clara, which has a doubling rate of 53.6 days.  LA’s incidence of Coronavirus is almost twice that of the state in general.  The County is expected to issue an updated health order that anticipates some loosening of the restrictions, but that won’t come out for a week or so.

While LA County has not issued a new order, a public health doctor suggested that the next phase will likely not happen for 3-6 months.  Even if some opening is allowed, they may recommend:

• online worship should continue and recommended for everyone
• people over 65 or with compromised health conditions would stay at home—so churches need to be proactive about including everyone, online or in the building
• 6-foot distancing between household groups would be maintained in the building, with use of masks and hand sanitizers avoid physical passing of the peace, offering plates, or communion elements
• group singing (choirs or hymn singing) be restricted to soloists or people spaced out (singing spreads the virus more than speaking)
• food would not be served, or only as takeout, as is done now with food pantries.

The Association of Presbyterian Christian Educators (APCE) held a Zoom meeting last week, and at the meeting some suggested that videos and other resources be provided for at-home VBS (Vacation Bible School) family experiences.  There is a follow-up Zoom meeting on this tomorrow at 12:30 pm; go to https://apcenet.org/event/what-to-do-about-vbs-part-2/ for more information.

Several presbytery executives have been trying to develop a guide for churches wanting to prepare for responsible reopening.  The first guide came from Ken Braddy but it continues to evolve.  The best that we have seen comes from the Wisconsin Council of Churches.  It takes a 3-phase approach (which the CDC seems to also be developing).  Note that there is reference to “Badger Bounce Back”—that is a document from the Wisconsin Department of Health on how that Wisconsin, the “Badger State,” may approach reopening.

At a briefing from the County, one astute church leader suggested that we begin now to find supplies we will likely need, such as hand sanitizer, masks (for when people come without), and cleaning supplies (as heavy cleaning will be needed on a more frequent basis).

And one last suggestion:  keep your spirits up.  Know that we must be giving God reason to smile as we let the Holy Spirit flow through us with creativity we never knew we had, how overnight we have all been turned into televangelists like we didn’t think we had in us, and we even dared to stumble in our attempts to continue to praise God in this new world.  Second Presbyterian Church in Kansas City offered their Easter service blooper reel.  Just about every technical thing went wrong, in spite of their best efforts to have a wonderful Easter celebration, as articulated by one staff member who kept saying “It’s gonna be great!” as she frantically attempted to upgrade their Zoom account, find the host who was bumped off by Zoom, and tried valiantly to connect their members in the Hallelujah Chorus.  They offer the video to all of us in healthy humorous humility.

I also found a New York Times article on songs of hope, reflecting the ways that hospital staff are celebrating healing in their midst with song and dance—a great inspiration!  God bless them, and all of you as you spread healing and love to each other.

Even as those bees of uncertainty and confusion surround us, let us remember the assertion from the 118^th Psalm, stated at the beginning and end:

O give thanks to the Lord, who is good;
whose steadfast love endures forever!

Giving thanks, from the beginning to the end,