Faith Leaders Call with Governor Polis UPDATE

December 8, 2020

Dear Colorado Faith Leaders,

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Thank you for your leadership and engagement during this difficult time. We appreciate that so many of you were able to join our webinar with Governor Polis yesterday, and hope that this follow up email is helpful for you and your colleagues. 

 Worship and ceremonies such as weddings and funerals are classified as critical. This means that they must do their best to follow public health recommendations but may make exceptions if they cannot conduct their essential activity within those restrictions. They still must require masks indoors and other prevention measures like 6 foot spacing between members of different households and appropriate sanitation. 

 While this does give houses of worship some additional flexibility, given the alarming rise in cases and hospitalizations -- an estimated 1 in 40 Coloradans are currently contagious with COVID-19 -- we are still strongly recommending outdoor, online, or small group worship at this time. We encourage you to review CDPHE’s events guidance to give you an indication about what our public health experts are recommending as safe gathering levels, given the level of virus in your community. 

 There is reason for hope as we look ahead, but we anticipate that December and January may be the most challenging months that we face of the entire pandemic. We thank you all for your partnership.

 Here are a few helpful updates:

·         Join Biweekly Briefings with State Epidemiologist, Dr. Herlihy and COVID-19 Incident Commander, Scott Bookman

Please reach out with any questions!

Xander Martin
Deputy Coordinator for COVID-19 Response, Stakeholder Engagement
Xander.Martin@state.co.us | www.colorado.gov/governor

Under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), all messages sent by or to me on this state-owned e-mail account may be subject to public disclosure.

December 7, 2020 Public Health Order Press Release Update
Third Amended Public Health Order 20-36 COVID-19 DIAL
Governor Jared Polis COVID-19 Update slides

 

MAKING A COVENANT FOR YOUR CHURCH FACEBOOK

By Megan Forgey, Communications Consultant.

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This year has emphasized that Facebook is a ministry tool to communicate with and reach newcomers, as well as to foster your church community. When hosting a page for your church, it is beneficial to make a covenant for members to remember and follow to ensure that your church’s Facebook page is an inviting and community meant to foster our life in Christ. 

These rules also set the tone of your group and clearly states what will and will not be tolerated within the group. 

You can add group rules anytime to your Facebook group, simply click the group rules feature to add up to 10 rules. If your group is a closed one, you can require that new members accept the groups before they are admitted to the group. 

If your church is classified as a page, use the description to display your covenant.

What to Include:

What is the purpose of your Facebook page? This not only helps you create content, but a clear message lets others in your group post accordingly. For instance, if the point of your church’s Facebook group is to minister to those in Northern California, members will feel invited to share local news stories, community-building stories, and news from the church. 

The group rules feature from Facebook offers four example rules that you can use immediately or edit. These example rules are based on some of the most common rules admins use across many types of groups:

  1. Be Kind and Courteous

    We're all in this together to create a welcoming environment. Let's treat everyone with respect. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required.

  2. No Hate Speech or Bullying

    Make sure everyone feels safe. Bullying of any kind isn't allowed, and degrading comments about things like race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender or identity will not be tolerated.

  3. No Promotions or Spam

    Give more than you take to this group. Self-promotion, spam and irrelevant links aren't allowed.

  4. Respect Everyone's Privacy

    Being part of this group requires mutual trust. Authentic, expressive discussions make groups great, but may also be sensitive and private. What's shared in the group should stay in the group.

Source: caffeinatedchurch.org



HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHURCH BULLETIN STAND OUT

By Megan Forgey, Communications Consultant

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When it comes to making a church bulletin, you can easily stick with the tried and true bulletin that’s been in the church’s system for years. However, making it unique and even changing it up by theme and season can set you apart. These tools are just as easy, but look a whole lot better! Check out these top tools for making your bulletin or e-bulletin stand out.

Venite

Also available as an app, Venite is a bulletin creator and Daily Office prayer app rooted in the Anglican tradition of the Episcopal Church. You can automatically generate bulletins for the Eucharist or Daily Office for any date, and even save your favorite verses and prayers. With a flawless and easy-to-read design, you can even add BCP page numbers for easier worship leadership.

Extra features: listen to the liturgy spoken in a  variety of voices, and easy to use formats for morning prayer, noonday prayer, evening, prayer, compline, Rite I, Rite II, and Enriching our Worship. 

Canva

Put your budding graphic design skills to use with this free tool. Use the Church Newsletter templates to create and customize a beautifully-designed bulletin for your church.

Church Scribe App

For $59/month (try it for free for 10 days!) the digital Church Bulletin gives you access to unlimited bulletin themes with drag and drop building to shave off time. You can also track who views your bulletin, schedule it to go live at a certain time, embed the bulletin on your church website, and easily attach PDF files. 

Concordia Supply 

Concordia has a number of free bulletin templates using Microsoft Word for ultimate easiness. Choose from a traditional or modern design available in a 11” or 14” format. The template includes room for weekly services, upcoming events, and any featured content you wish to share. Concordia also has many more templates available for purchase for special events like Christmas, Easter, as well as themed bulletins. 

Ask Around!

Seen a neighboring or other church whose bulletin you love? Many churches are more than happy to share their design and send you a copy of their bulletin for your church’s use. Shoot them an email, it’s a compliment!

Source: caffeinatedchurch.org

General Assembly Commissioners Share their Experiences

Rev. Louise Westfall, Central Presbyterian Church

Rev. Louise Westfall, Central Presbyterian Church

I attended the Assembly while working from Washington DC and caring for my infant grandson after his parents’ child care plans fell through due to Covid.   There was something poignant and powerful about the presence of a baby as we deliberated, debated, praised God and protested injustice, journeying from lament to hope.   The newly-elected co-moderators displayed an image from Ghana called “sankofah”---a bird with its feet forward, turned backward to carry a precious egg from the past into the future.  The symbolism resonated in my heartfelt prayers for a church that has continuity with the past, yet trains its eye towards a thriving tomorrow, for my grandson and all the little children of the world. 

The Assembly affirmed what it means to be reformed, yet in need of reformation.    Black lives matter.   The major piece of legislation passed (from the much-reduced docket) was a sweeping call to acknowledge the sin of racism and eradicate it.  Every congregation and council is urged to consider its identity and mission through an anti-racist lens.    The Poor People’s Campaign “Open Letter to National Lawmakers about Systemic Racism” is a great resource and guide for action.   The Assembly offering was designated for a Baltimore presbytery program of Black youth empowerment, and was over $60,000.  

Yet the old patterns persisted.   When a commissioner asked to name the particular impact of racism on Black women and girls, she was essentially ignored.  Flashes of resentment were exhibited by white people on more than one occasion, our privilege showing like a piece of toilet paper stuck to the heel of your shoe.  We seemed more concerned about the relatively small expense for social justice programs than funding for larger, but more traditional programs.  We were quick to claim “hope” rather than staying in the uncomfortable space of lament.  We have much more work and listening to do.

There was a certain exhaustion at the end----partly from the intensity of technology, but even more from wondering why things seem so slow to change.   Co-Moderator Greg Bentley told us a story in his final charge.   There was a Colorado mountain man known for his good deeds, honesty, generosity, and kindness.  Day in and day out, year after year, he showed up to support people in need.  A young seminarian was curious about why he kept at it.  He chuckled and pointed to his dog.  One day that ole’ hound lit off after a rabbit.  His furious barking riled up other dogs who joined in the hunt.  They ran and ran and ran, but after awhile the other dogs dropped off.  Only my dog kept on.  And why was that?  He paused and finished:  Because he was the only one who saw the rabbit.

At this General Assembly, we had many opportunities to “see the rabbit”-----to keep our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  Now let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.  

Thank you for the privilege of serving as a commissioner. 

---Louise Westfall, Central

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Rev. Bill Davis, Member at Large

Rev. Bill Davis, Member at Large

It’s a bit appropriate that we’re giving our report about the 224th General Assembly the week after Reformation Sunday.

For this past June we saw ways that the Presbyterian Church (USA) has reformed and ways that we must continue to be always reforming.

Reformed because we met safely, gathering online from coast to coast, and beyond the borders of these United States, utilizing technology was a gift during this global pandemic.

Electing Elona Street-Steward and Gregory Bentley as Co-Moderators, and re-electing J. Herbert Nelson as Stated Clerk were Spirit-led, “for such a time as this”, decisions.

Always reforming, because as a general assembly, and as a denomination, we still have much work to do.

There were still too many moments where old white men spoke disrespectfully and inappropriately to our newly elected moderators. 

There is still too much mansplaining of the good, faithful work, female staff members, and specifically females of color, do in the national office.

Even the silence to close the assembly on Saturday afternoon, being held to honor and remember the lives of the many people of color who have been unjustly killed by police was interrupted by a white man with a divergent point of view.

So to end my reflections on this virtual GA, I ask us to hold one minute in silence to reflect on the ways the white majority of our denomination has been complicit in injustices perpetuated upon people of color, and specifically black women.

Rev. Bill Davis

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Ruling Elder, Daphne Rice-Allen, Peoples Presbyterian Church

Ruling Elder, Daphne Rice-Allen, Peoples Presbyterian Church

I want to thank Verniece Vafeades and Wanda Beauman for encouraging me to apply to be a delegate for the 224th General Assembly.

I admit I was very apprehensive at first. Although I teach Sunday School, and have served on Session off and on for some 17 years, my honest knowledge of the history of the Presbyterian church and the bible for that matter could use some real work. So, I talked with others from the Denver Presbytery and did what most people do I “googled” and found myself getting excited.

After phone and in person interviews, I received a phone call and a formal letter saying I had been selected to be a represent at the 224th General Assembly.

Once I got the hang of getting online and receiving all kinds of online and printed documentation, as well as attended one or two training sessions, then COVID 19 hit.

Everything and everyone went into over drive, as we all wondered how would the GA committee crunch a 7 day in person General Assembly into an electronic online interactive program that included voting for some 400 plus people, all over the US, with four different time zones, into 8 hours for two days? With God’s Help they did it!

I remember Friday mornings opening pray was a long but thankful statement of pulling this undertaking together in such a short time With God’s Help.

What struck me the most over the 2 days was the complexity of being a “Presbyterian.” We spent over half the day on Friday dealing with, and voting on, approving how to conduct the General Assembly electronically. There was a lengthy explanation of rules and procedures even though a lot of the information was provided in the training sessions.

The issue was there were no rules in the Book of Order for dealing with electronic voting at a GA. So, language had to be put into the minutes of the 224th General Assembly addressing electronic voting.

Another thing that struck me over the 2 days was how words matter, and who they matter to, and why they matter. There was a lot of social justice/social injustice language that people used throughout the entry conference; as well as my cause vs your cause. I found myself feeling like things where getting little nit-picky depending on the Overture or the Motion. But I realized if a word, or action mattered to me, I too would want to be heard and respected.

Being a Christian is hard work, and it is even harder work when you have skin in the game, as the saying goes. Now, factor in which side of that issue you are on. I am grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the 224th GA and I look forward to the 225th General Assembly.

Sincerely,

Daphne Rice-Allen
Peoples Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

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This was not my first General Assembly.  I attended the one in Atlanta in 1983 when the “Northern” and “Southern” churches merged to form PC(USA).  It was a joyous occasion with us marching in the streets after the vote.

Ruling Elder Pat Queen, Green Mountain Presbyterian Church

Ruling Elder Pat Queen, Green Mountain Presbyterian Church

There was as much dissention in the 224th GA as there was prior to the merger.  There were very pointed comments from the ‘good old boy’s network’ as Bill mentioned and very anti-Black, anti-women sentiments expressed by white men.  White privilege and power were very evident in all the proceedings.

By the end of the scheduled business I was feeling very discouraged because even the items that passed on systemic racism, racial injustice and declaring Black lives matter were not all inclusive, excluding Black women and girls, and had no teeth.  The disruption Bill referred to during the 8:46 of silence was nothing short of shameful.  I could see no way for bringing us all back together.

Then came the closing worship service. 

The Scripture was the familiar Ezekiel 37:1-10, Dry Bones.  The prayer and the music accomplished for me what I didn’t think was possible – especially the 3 songs chosen:

I Am Your Servant, Honey Tree

I Am Your Breath, Camille Metoyer Moten and Jim Mertz

I Will Never Leave You Alone, Janet Paschal

And the closing charge from Co-Moderator, Elona Street-Stewart:

“Let us be resolved and to repent and to live out the justices of God’s kingdom.”

We have our marching orders for the 225th GA.

 

 

 

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