Author: John Chilton

The gist: For now, it is not safe to sing together.

As the Wisconsin Council of Churches recently wrote to its member congregations,
“What future we find ourselves in depends not only on the behavior of the virus, but on the actions of people–as individuals, churches, communities, and governments. The way forward will not be a matter of following a timetable, but of faithfully discerning the signs of the times, and responding accordingly.”

A third of young adults aged between 18 and 34 had watched or listened to an online or broadcast religious service, compared with one in five adults over the age of 55. One in five of those who have tuned into services in the past few weeks say they have never gone to church.

“Simply put, there are values that trump the singular goal of lowering COVID-19 infection rates. One of those is the compassion to accompany loved ones as they pass away and provide them with clergy.” – Charles Camosy writing in Religion News Service

The items, known as “church plate”, were gathered and transported securely to the Tower over the past few weeks. They include “rare and unusual” silver, paintings, art and artefacts from across London’s 400 churches.

My tradition teaches a simple idea expressed in the Latin aphorism Lex orandi, lex credendi—“Praying shapes believing.” Right now, people are praying at home, in their own surroundings, separated from community. And I believe that this may be the practice that shapes the belief of the post-COVID-19 era. – Bishop of The Episcopal Church in Europe

Megachurches with large buildings, which require large budgets funded by an assumption of high attendance, may be particularly impacted. So too might smaller churches in rural regions or poorer urban areas, with congregations whose livelihood may be more impacted by the economic slowdown. Rural churches would also be less likely to have congregants who have active internet use with broadband connections at home.

As advocates, we remain committed to revising our country’s appallingly lax gun laws. We lament the current surge in gun purchases, and we urge you to join us in mitigating the violence that accompanies it through small but courageous acts of attention, compassion and concern. – Bishops United Against Gun Violence

We ask clergy, without exception, to stop all live streaming from your church buildings for the time being. We want to thank you for the way in which many have creatively streamed worship from your own homes. – London College of Bishops

Are we prepared for a rising number of deaths? Deaths in our elderly congregations. Deaths where loved ones cannot be with the dying in their final days. Deaths where spouses locked down in retirement homes cannot be with family, where burials are delayed because spouses cannot attend.