Sharing a COVID-19 Story: Carrie Doehring, PhD at Illiff Seminary

Last week I asked Carrie to be a part of our Wednesday Zoom Conversation for Pastors and Church Leaders to offer Pastor Care for our Pastors during this time.

Carrie is a professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Iliff Seminary. As a minister member of Denver Presbytery, Carrie is an instrumental voice on our Committee on Preparation for Ministry Committee. Carrie shared her story for some reflection. Her written words and video are provided.

What’s my Covid-19 challenge?
My challenge is getting my 92-year-old mother, who lives alone in Montreal, to stay home. My sisters and I call ourselves the Mom Squad. We confer daily on how to ensure she has everything she needs so that she doesn’t leave her apartment. My mother has a fierce sense of independence. She doesn’t like being bossed around by us. She also has a strong Catholic sense of duty to authority.

Our Mom Squad includes the Premier of Quebec, the Pope, her pharmacist, doctor, and tax accountant. We invoke them freely to bolster our authority. Our COVID-19 challenge brings out the worst and best in us. The worst moments are being overwhelmed by fear that our mother will have a COVID-19 death. The best moments are loving conversations about mortality, past experiences of struggles, and what makes us resilient. We also laugh a lot with each other.

What helps me cope? What helps me when I feel overwhelmed?
My stress response is like a fingerprint with unique patterns shaped by my life experiences, especially of trauma, and my psychological vulnerabilities. My spiritual fingerprint is the unique patterns shaped by formative experiences, values, and beliefs that coalesce when we use body-aware practices to calm ourselves (Doehring, 2020). I offer my ways of coping in cultural humility, wary of insidious inclusive beliefs that there is ‘one God’ at the heart of all religious traditions (Prothero, 2010).

My ‘spiritual fingerprint’—my particular experiences of beauty and goodness, values and beliefs about suffering and hope—is shaped by childhood experiences of connecting with beauty through sacred choral music. I have been listening to British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams’ cantata Dona Nobis Pacem. He composed this in 1936, in remembrance of the horrific suffering of World War I that he witnessed during military service on ambulance teams. His unit brought the wounded out of the months-long Third Battle of Ypres at Flanders, where one and a quarter million British, French, and German soldiers were killed. The Latin title Dona Nobis Pacem means “Give us Peace.”

In this cantata, Vaughan Williams set to music Walt Whitman’s poem “Reconciliation.” Whitman was a “wound dresser” in the United States Civil War. Listen to Whitman’s word of hope as he recalls the trauma of caring for wounded soldiers :

Word over all, beautiful as the sky,
Beautiful that war and all its deeds of carnage must in time be utterly lost,
And the hands of the sisters, Death and night,
Incessantly softly wash again and ever again,
This soiled world. (Whitman, 1865/2015, p. 131)

When I listen to Dona Nobis Pacem, I try to take into my body the beauty of this poetry and music. I envision being part of a web of life that includes war veterans like Ralph Vaughan Williams and Walt Whitman.
I envision the ways my sisters and I are incessantly knitting a web of life that holds our mother.
I envision how so many of us, in our own ways, are knitting a web of life to hold the most vulnerable.

References
Doehring, C. (2020). Coping with moral struggles arising from coronavirus stress: Spiritual self-care for chaplains and religious leaders.
Fawson, S. (2019). Sustaining lamentation for military moral injury: Witness poetry that bears the traces of extremity. Pastoral Psychology, 68(1), 31-40. doi:10.1007/s11089-018-0855-8
Prothero, S. (2010). God is not one: The eight rival religions that run the world and why their differences matter. New York, NY: HarperOne.
Whitman, W. (1865/2015). Drum-taps: The complete 1865 edition. In L. Kramer (Ed.). New York, NY: New York Review of Books.

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1) Shawn Fawson, a Ph.D. graduate of the Iliff and DU Joint PhD program and chaplain at Children’s Hospital in Seattle has described how to use Whitman’s poetry in sustaining lamentation for military moral injury (2019).

Do you have a COVID-19 story to share? Contact Communications & Administrative Manager, Beth Carlisle.

Join Wednesday Zoom Conversation for Pastors, click here.

Mid-Council Partners: The following letter will be sent to all loan customers

Mid-Council Partners:
The following letter will be sent to all loan customers 

Dear Partners In Christ,

 As many of you know, the CARES Act recently passed by Congress that provides financial assistance in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic includes an SBA loan provision. This Small Business Administration (“SBA”) provision offers $349 billion in loans with preferred terms to assist for-profit and non-profit organizations during this challenging time.  The specific program is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  Legal counsel for the denomination has reviewed this CARES Act and believes that churches do qualify to apply for these loans. 

In order to apply you must go through a financial institution that is an SBA lender. The Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program is not allowed to be an SBA lender due to government restrictions. You may want to contact your local bank to see if they are an SBA lender or if they know of one in your area. A list of lenders in your area can be found on the SBA website. In case you do not have sufficient information on the PPP loan program and the application process we have provided you with some resources that we believe are helpful.  

The Treasury Department has published a list of resources which they recommend you read to keep up-to-date on the PPP.  You may reach Treasury's resources through the following website: https://home.treasury.gov/cares  This website has an excellent summary of what is being offered and a direct link to the application.  You can apply beginning this Friday, April 3, 2020.  There is a limit on the funds available so timing may be important. Here is a quick summary of the PPP:

• Loans are administered by SBA Approved Financial Institutions

• Loans are lesser of $10 million or 2.5% times average monthly payroll costs incurred during the 12-month period prior to the loan date

• Calculations for seasonal and new business can vary

• Interest rate on residual loans is 4% or less

• Term of the loan is up to 10 years

• Deferral is 6 to 12 months (interest accrues during deferment)

• Prepayment is eligible

• 501(c) (3) nonprofit organizations are eligible

• Usage can be for payroll and related benefits, interest on mortgage payments, other debts, rents and utilities

• EIDL loans may not be refinanced into a PPP loan

• No collateral needed from church or its members

• No guarantees needed

Please also refer to the denomination’s legal counsel summary of the CARES Act.  You will find information on the PPP in the first section of this CARES Act summary.

We recommend that you inform your presbytery of your congregation's intent to apply for PPP. For further information you should refer to the Department of the Treasury website or your SBA lender.

You remain in our prayers.

Sincerely,

James G. Rissler
President & Chief Executive Officer
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Investment & Loan Program, Inc.

Community Prayer Beyond Distance and Quarantine

Thank you to Rev. gretchen N. Sausville (Arvada Presbyterian Church), for sharing her prayers with us. Please feel free to adapt for your faith tradition and community and please cite the author.

Premise:  As I pondered the past Sunday in a new way, I thought about all the communities I have served, nationally and internationally, urban and suburban, and what those communities all have in common.  I then considered the connection that comes from prayer as a way for individuals and households to be in and for the world, while being distanced from one another.

          This Community Prayer is intended to be done by driving, walking, biking, or from a kitchen table.  It is meant to allow us to leave our personal place of loneliness, fear, and isolation, and remember we are a part of something much greater.

          Consider the community where you live, and then plan a route to these places. Maybe venture out to all 12 places in a day, or choose 1 place every day.  The prayers are written to be multi-faith, inclusive, and inter-generational. 

A House of Worship

           O Divine Presence, You have many names and your creation cries out to you in all the languages of the earth.  Bless this House of Worship and its people.  May we remember that we are all connected in the divine plan of your world. Help us help each other, no matter the creeds we speak or the mantras we meditate upon. May our words ever be “loving kindness.” Amen.

A Community/Recreation/Senior/Social Service Center

          We pray, Infinite Spirit, for the safe haven of these walls and for those who come here to connect in body, mind, and spirit.  We pray for the staff and the many services they provide, for their well-being in this time of sickness and closure.  We pray for its patrons, who dream and long for the return of community, of laughter, of athleticism, of acceptance.  We pray that all may be seen and heard while being absent from one another. Amen.

A School or Library

          Within the mortar of brick and reflection of glass, in the bookcases of mystery and science fiction, and from the lips of storytellers and historians, we find ourselves.  We remember our favorite teachers, our favorite books with weather-worn pages; we remember the stomp of shoes and the excitement of a new lesson learned.  Bless our teachers of past, and bless students of every age.  May we remember that we are never too old to learn a new thing. Amen.

A Police/Fire/Rescue Squad Station

          “Look for the helpers”, said Mr. Rogers and so we look to you, and pray for you, those of you on the front lines of emergencies day after day.  From fires and flat tires, to animal rescues and flat lines, you respond to us with courage and compassion.  May we continue to help each other in all circumstances. Amen

A Medical Practice

          It is not easy to work here; and yet every day you come, no matter the weather, no matter what is happening in the world, to care for all creation.  You tend our bodies and minds, our eyes or feet, even our teeth, and maybe even our pet’s teeth.  You place our needs above yours, and you work to make us healthier.  We pray for your health, safety, and spirit on this day, and that of your patients, too. Amen.

A Place where food is purchased, cooked, stored, or shared

          We know that bread is life; and yet for many, they wonder from where their bread will come. We know that many go hungry even though there is an abundance to be found.  We pray that all may have enough to eat and drink today, tomorrow, and always.  We pray for those whose livelihood is food that they may continue to cook, and share, and live by bread. Amen.

A Local Business

          You are a staple in our community, you who have been here for three generations and you who have only just begun.  You add color and life to our community:  You fix cars and shoes; you sell amazing wine and bake delicious cupcakes; and you have been the best tax person anyone could ever ask for.  Your small businesses are what make Saturdays fun and remind us that anything and everything is possible.  So, we pray for you, the strong and mighty pioneer of local pride. Amen.

A Park/Green Space

          Spring dawns with her buzz cut of green and her full body of color and texture.  The birds return their songs to her, the sun bows and the moon adorns her with diamond skies.  Spring parks herself on a bench beside the tulips, and she inhales. The scent of color calls forth “thank you,” “bless you,” “Blessed bee”.  In this place, Spring is stung by the beauty and the fragility of our environment.  She prays to all that will hear, “Bless the bees of the field, the flowers of the field, and the sweet honeycomb. Blessed are all things that come from the earth.” Amen.

A Cemetery

          As the cycles of life change us from birth to death, we remember all who came before, all who walked this road, all who journey with us, and we honor them.  Whether or not they are here in this hallowed ground, they are here among the humble and not so humble who have gone before us.   We come to thank them, the unknown and the unnamed, and say “thank you”. You remind us that we are given this one organic body and this one amazing life, and we are named Beloved. May we live fully, create beautifully, and remember that we are dust of the heavens and of the earth.  We honor you, and your families who grieve  and celebrate you.  Thank you, well done, good and faithful ones. Amen.

A Care Facility (child, senior, recovery, rehab)

          Care comes in many forms, and your caregiving is a gift.  You may be a saint with children and a gem with elders, you may be a wise one with those who need a new way home.  Big decisions are made here for the welfare of each resident.  You care! Care comes thru smiles, laughter, handshakes, silly songs, and solid conversations.  How lucky we are to receive care from you.  We lift up your goodness and patience and perseverance for the care of all God’s people. Amen.

Your Neighborhood

          This is my exit and my street. The dog howls, the children swing, the dads dwell in deep thoughts, the moms time out, the widow makes her way to the Apple Store and the widower Snapchats her later, after his grandchildren have showed him the way. My neighborhood, where I see the Divine in all I meet. Some of my neighbors have always lived here, some are brand new, some I have never met, I must rectify that. I pray for my neighborhood, my street, my microcosm of community, the loud man, the noisy car, and the dog that signs his name on my part of the side walk.  I love my neighborhood in sickness and in health. I do.  Amen.

Your Home

          I’ve lived here long enough to know, I would love it or hate it.  But this home is mine by the grace of family and friends, by the grace of the right deal at the right time, by the grace of the One called God/Parent/Creator. This home in this neighborhood is where I dream and cry, where I write my memoir and share my life.  This home, whether it is my body, my house, or the place I long to find in a dream, may I see it safe, secure, and strong . . . so that future generations may say “Home is safe, secure, and strong.”  May it be so.  Amen.

Rev. gretchen N. Sausville gives permission to use these prayers. Please feel free to adapt for your faith tradition and community and please cite the author.