Coronavirus Resources | Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

Last updated: 31 March 2020

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a global pandemic that has created a world and situation unlike any we have known before. We continue to know this is understandably a cause for concern, but still not a cause for panic. It is an opportunity for all of us to go deeper into our faith to find ways to love and support one another. We are in this together, and we are beloved community.

Visit our situation summary page to stay up-to-date on all pastoral directives in place.

For questions about the adaptations put in place by the Diocese or church-related matters, to request pastoral clergy care, or to request assistance with supply needs, please contact the Rev. Canon David Sellery or a member of the congregational support team. You can also request supply clergy directly.

If you need financial guidance or support, visit our financial guidance page.

Know the Facts

A healthy perspective can be greatly aided by ensuring you are getting the facts from reliable resources. We encourage you to stay-up-to date by visiting:

Center for Disease Control (CDC) / Spanish

Follow the CDC on social media
- Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Download/print: What You Need to Know (English / Spanish)
Download/print: What To Do If You Are Sick (English / Spanish)
Download/print: Stop the Spread of Germs (English / Spanish)

World Health Organization (WHO)

Follow the WHO social media
- Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

NC Public Health Department (great resource to stay informed on how NC is responding to COVID-19)

Follow the department on social media
- Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

For: Everyone

STAY HEALTHY

Wash your hands often, with soap for 20-30 seconds, scrubbing all surfaces.
Practice physical distancing, maintaining six feet between yourself and other people if you are required to go to work or need to run errands.
Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces - lightswitches, doorknobs, cabinet handles, phones, remote controls, faucets, hard surfaces like tables and countertops, etc.
Practice good health habits: eat well, get plenty of sleep and exercise, stay hydrated.
Stay home if you are sick or feel ill.
Always sneeze or cough into your elbow, not your hand.
Avoid touching your face; you may not even realize how often you do it, so enlist a buddy, coworker or family member to signal when you’re doing it!
Stay informed; facts over imagination can go a long way in helping you get through this without panicking as well as accurately understanding the situation.

AT-HOME WORSHIP AND FORMATION
During this time of suspended in-person worship and physical distancing, our churches have worked hard to provide worship and formation resources to parishioners. Let's not forget, though, that the home has always been a center for formation, and that's perhaps even more true now! Take a look a these great resources and use this time at home to build spiritual practices into your daily life.

GIVE AS YOU CAN
Though life has seemingly come to a standstill, the obligations it contains has not. Churches still have expenses related to worship spaces and ministries, and they need your continued help to keep it all going. As you are able, please continue to honor pledges or donate to your church. We say as you are able - this ongoing situation will have a financial impact on us all, and if you are not able to support your church financially, you can still do so through prayer and participation, knowing all the while you are loved.

For those churches who do not have online options available, the Diocese has created a giving option to help gather donations. By using the diocesan link, donors may designate their giving for a specific church, or they may donate to a general fund to be used to relieve financial stress as the Diocese designates to do so.

For: Churches

If you need financial guidance or support, visit our financial guidance page.

“Our role as churches, dioceses and compassionate Christians is to:

Combat fear with knowledge in order to encourage preparedness and decrease stigma.
Maintain operational continuity and continue worship life in the case of potential quarantine and disruption.
Show God’s compassion and care to those in our communities who are affected.”

- Episcopal Relief and Development, “Faith-Based Response to Epidemics”

SITUATION SUMMARY

Stay up-to-date on all the pastoral directives and guidelines currently in place.

CLERGY/LEADERSHIP SUPPORT CALLS

Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Diocese of North Carolina is holding video calls via Zoom at 8:30a.m. for clergy, vestry members and other church leaders who would like to discuss this ongoing situation. The goal of the calls is to provide a forum where church leaders may ask questions as well as share insights, experiences and ideas. To join the call, use this link or call in by phone at 1-646-558-8656 (Meeting ID: 515 271 142) Please note: if you are calling in by phone, please be sure to mute the speaker on your phone to reduce the background noise heard on the call.

HOLY WEEK

On March 23, the bishops offered additional guidance for Palm Sunday and Holy Week, including safe practices for distributing palms and further clarification around communion practices in response to questions from clergy and lay people.

FROM THE DIOCESE: The bishops and diocesan staff are working in partnership with several churches across the diocese to produce worship resources for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. These resources will include both sermons and full pre-recorded services (except for Holy Saturday). They are intended to supplement what you're already doing or take the pressure off if you simply need them; as always, they are not intended to replace what you are offering. More information will be available here as the resources are completed.

FROM VTS: For those looking for resources and ideas to help develop Holy Week and Easter offerings online, Virginia Theological Seminary produced a two-part webinar, "Triduum in Quarantine: Planning Holy Week Services That Honor Social Distancing" to help churches provide sacred worship opportunities in this unique and challenging time. Presented by the Rev. James Farwell, Ph.D., professor of Theology and Liturgy, and Lisa Kimball, Ph.D., and James Maxwell Professor of Lifelong Christian Formation at Virginia Seminary, these webinars help to imagine (and plan for) Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and the Great Vigil of Easter when congregations cannot assemble in person.

GUIDANCE REGARDING POSITIVE TESTS FOR COVID-19
Should a member of the clergy, a lay leader, staff member or parishioner (or a member of any of these households) receive a positive test result for the coronavirus, there are steps you'll need to take.

FINANCIAL GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT
The Diocese understands the financial ramifications not just of the suspension of services, but the pandemic as a whole, and we are working to help alleviate that strain. Now is the time to start paying attention and making adjustments, and the Diocese has created a financial guidance and resource page to get you started in a number of different areas.

STAY CONNECTED

Read the many great ideas being shared around staying connected even when we can't gather in person.

ONLINE COMMUNITY

Building Community Online (eFormation - VTS)

ONLINE VESTRY MEETINGS

The bishop and chancellor of the Diocese recnetly issued the following guidance: A parish or mission vestry that has no by-law to authorize meetings by teleconference may meet by teleconference if the first item of business is to adopt a by-law consistent with Canon 33.1, so long as a quorum of the vestry is present on the teleconference. If the new by-law is adopted, the remainder of the meeting and subsequent meetings may be conducted by teleconference subject to the new by-law and Canon 33.1. Learn more.

DROPBOX: THE COLLECTION

The Diocese has created a resource folder on Dropbox, in which you'll find things like social media art and audio/video files of sermons provided by the bishops and diocesan staff, and any other information we can create that might prove useful. All videos can also be found on the diocesan Vimeo channel.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Episcopal Relief and Development, “Faith-Based Response to Epidemics” – this is a fantastic curation of information about the virus, resources for church bulletins and bulletin boards, liturgical guidelines and resources, and tips for churches, a preparedness checklist and more.
CDC Guidance for Community and Faith-Based Organizations
Preparation Checklist for Faith-Based Organizations (CDC)

What You Can Do: Direct Service Ministries

While in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, we are asking church staff and volunteers running feeding and housing ministries to follow the risk reduction guidelines below (based on CDC recommendations).

If you run a direct service ministry at your church and would like to share your experiences with COVID-19, please fill out this survey.

Actively encourage sick employees and volunteers to stay home.
Instruct employees and volunteers to wash their hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds upon arrivial and with frequency afterward.
Take the temperatures of all staff and volunteers at the beginning and end of their shifts, and keep a log of all workers' temperature readings.
Document which volunteer handle groceries, maintain reserves and prepare quarantine boxes.
Provide hand sanitizer and disposable gloves.
Routinely clean all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops and doorknobs.
Encourage volunteers and staff to refrain from touching their faces. Anyone coughing or sneezing should cover their mouth and nose with a tissue and throw used tissues away in trash baskets, then wash their hands.
Keep volunteers to the fewest possible per shift. Volunteers should maintain as much distance as possible from one another, ideally six (6) feet. Stagger shifts if necessary, and remove non-essential positions like greeters and hospitality.
Refrain from shaking hands.
Instead of self-serve buffets or self-selected groceries, package single-serving meals to go or have volunteers back bags of groceries to take home.
For food pantries where the majority of clients have automotive transport, consider moving to a drive through model of food delivery, having volunteers directly load food in to the trunk or back seat of a client’s car. Gleaners Food Bank offers an example of how to do this.
If your congregation has a relationship with a congregational or community nurse, ask for their guidance as situations arise.
Employees should notify their supervisor of any concerns or changes needed to keep everyone healthy
Communicate clearly with your clients, volunteers and community partners what the new procedures are and why they are being implemented.
Post notices on doors and entry points.
Be a reliable source of information for your clients and volunteers. Amplify the voices of reputable sources of information such as the Centers for Disease Control, Indiana State Department of Health and Episcopal Relief & Development. The CDC has helpful print resources in English, Spanish and Chinese that would be appropriate to include with food packages.