COVID-19 Resources

December 2021 Conversation for Health and Faith Leaders

Arlington County’s Public Health Director’s presentation to the Arlington Interfaith group.

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Virginia’s Emergency Temporary COVID-19 Workplace Requirements

In July, Virginia became the first state to announce mandatory workplace requirements for all businesses within the Commonwealth. (Read the official announcement here: §16VAC25-220, Emergency Temporary StandardInfectious Disease Prevention: SARS-CoV-2 Virus That Causes COVID-19)

The Virginia Conference Chancellor has made the materials his firm prepared to assist Virginia businesses available to churches in the VAUMC because these also apply to all local churches. You can find those documents HERE.

Emergency Temporary Workplace Requirements

From Bishop Lewis

 

Back-To-Church Resource Page

Return to In-Person Worship

For some time, we will be living with the impact of Covid-19. Therefore, we are planning to resume in-person worship gradually and with great care.

 

-The Bishop’s Back to In-Person Worship Workgroup of the Virginia Conference, May 13, 2020

Return to In-Person Worship Information

Bishop Lewis calls for Noon Prayer

Bishop Sharma D. Lewis has issued an invitation to the Virginia Conference to join her at noon every day in praying a prayer she has provided. “Let us invoke the power of the Great Physician to do a mighty work in eradicating this disease all over the world,” she writes.

Click here for the invitation and the prayer.

From the DSs
CARES Act
Leadership During Crisis
Mental Health
Discipleship Ministries
Fairfax County

Alexandria Information

Arlington Information

Arlington District Information

DS Sarah Calvert holds a weekly ZOOM call with Arlington District Clergy at 3:00 p.m. on Thursdays.

 

Arlington District Churches will find the May 17 worship pieces from Sarah here.

The CARES Act

    • The CARES Act May Save Your Church
    • The CARES Act Will Save Some Churches
    • CARES Act: Aid for the Local Church
      Wespath and The United Methodist Church general agencies, along with other organizations, have issued summaries of the provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).  The CARES Act provides assistance to employers (churches) by establishing a loan program called the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) through the Small Business Administration (SBA). More… (pdf)

 From GCFA

In response to inquiries that GCFA staff members have received, we offer the following informational content as you navigate how to proceed with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

To the extent that a United Methodist local church may need to provide evidence of its 501(c)(3) status as part of the application process for a Paycheck Protection Program loan made available by the CARES Act, or in relation to any other financial assistance that is available pursuant to the CARES Act or any future economic stimulus legislation, it can provide a letter from GCFA stating the local church is included in the denomination’s group exemption ruling. If a local church does not have such an inclusion letter from GCFA, the local church can quickly obtain one via the group ruling website, which is available here:

http://umgroupruling.org

If all of the information generated through the site is accurate, a local church can obtain a letter in about 5 minutes. If some information is incorrect, a local church can submit a comment to have that information corrected. (Unless a change is needed, a local church should leave the comment field blank, so as to not delay receiving a letter.) We are aware that local churches may need inclusion letters quickly, so we will be closely monitoring the need for any changes and will respond as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, while an inclusion letter from GCFA does verify that a local church is a 501(c)(3) organization, it does not preclude the possibility that some banks will ask for different supporting documentation or may not understand the significance of the documentation they are being provided by the local church. IRS Publication 4573 provides important information about the meaning of an organization being included in a group exemption ruling. If a local church runs into a problem, providing a copy of Publication 4573 may be helpful in educating the bank, or other relevant entity. That publication is available here:

https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/group-exemption-resources

gcfa@gcfa.org

 

The GCFA Legal team has reviewed the recent Federal legislation. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) concerning paid leave for employees and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act related to unemployment insurance and church staff.   We’re honored to provide you with a list of frequently asked questions with our interpretation of the legislation.  You’ll find a document for each Act attached as well as link to those documents on the GCFA Website below. 

GCFA Provides Training and Resources for Local Churches

SBA Paycheck Protection Program

Many of you have churches in your areas of responsibility that are considering or have already decided to apply for a loan through the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). I am writing today to let you know that The United Methodist Credit Union (TUMCU) is a participating institution in the program and would be happy to assist any UMC church or related organization in this regard. Please forward this email to anybody that might need this resource.
Our online application and other information about the SBA program is available at https://www.tumcu.org/sba-paycheck-protection-program/. Once the initial application is made, the same site will also provide a secure online portal to upload the documents required in the loan process.

Discipleship Ministries Resources

From Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church

Are there resources that you are needing during this crisis?  Are there resources you can share with the wider connection as we all seek to support one another? Please send your needs and ideas as well as helpful resources to pulse-497968063@stakeholderrelationships.monday.com

Discipleship Ministries asks for your help in by answering a breif survey, which focuses on online worship needs and practices, and congregational needs at this time. https://www.research.net/r/ONLINEWORSHIP2020

April 23, 2020 – Start Planning Your Church’s COVID-19 Recovery Ministry Now!

Mental Health

Leadership in Times of Crisis

Fairfax County Resources

From Fairfax County

In an effort to ensure you are receiving accurate and timely information, Fairfax County has created a webpage that includes updated information and community resources at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/covid19. You can also view the emergency blog, and stay in touch using the County’s social media platforms and through text messaging (Text FFXCOVID to 888777 to receive updates).

The Health Department has a dedicated phone line that residents can call if they have questions 703-267-3511 (9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends) . If you have congregants  who are in need of support please have them call Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) 703-222-0880 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays). Residents can also visit the Human Services Resource Guide (HSRG) at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hsrg/ , an online, searchable guide to available health and human services resources in Fairfax County.

 An updated list of community-based resources for food assistance and donations can be found at: https://www.fcps.edu/news/coronavirus-update-food-resources. Residents who want to contribute are encouraged to consider making monetary contributions and grocery gift card donations to our community-based organizations partners.

Additional Resources

The Virginia state Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Health Equity are hosting Stakeholder Engagement Calls this evening and tomorrow. Please see below for information and registration links:

 

Outreach.com helps by offering discounted supplies (sanitizer, masks, etc.) to churches

As churches prepare to open their buildings in the coming months, the following products will be necessary (in some states required) to hold services and keep church members safe. Learn More

 

DHS Center Coronavirus Updates for Faith Leaders

 

Faith Communities Guidance Document

Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office of the Governor VEST Health Equity Work Group   PDF Document

 

Healing Icons with Cathy Abbott

This project is part of Arlington Arts Center (AAC)’s Art and Wellness series, exploring the connection between art and healing from various cultural and spiritual perspectives.

CREATE YOUR OWN HEALING ICON

You will find several templates of healing icons created by Cathy Abbott on the following pages. The first two were created directly in response to the current coronavirus crisis, with the virus depicted as the “demon” in the center. Print out the templates and color them in as you wish. As you color, the artist suggests that you meditate or pray about someone in need of healing, the coronavirus situation, or any other threat to health.

________

Cathy Abbott’s Art:  abbotticons.com