THE ECUMENICAL CONSULTATION ON PROTOCOLS FOR WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, AND SACRAMENTS
Guidance for churches about how they CAN resume worship in person Guidance that brings scholars, leaders, and WHY THIS practitioners of the churches together in dialog CONSULTATION? with medical experts and the CDC producing… guidance that is theologically, liturgically, practically, and medically as rich and helpful as possible.
Share a common “catholic” theology about the nature of worship and the sacraments WHY THESE PARTNERS? The Hymn Society is the leading promoter of the (ELCA, UMC, TEC. practitioners or church music most widely in use among our churches in the US. HYMN SOCIETY, CATHOLIC And because we are committed to ecumenism, we wanted a leading scholar of Catholic Church CHURCH) sacramental theology as an integral part of our work
Ed Phillips (Emory University’s Candler School of Theology), Bishop Larry Goodpaster (United Methodist bishop, retired, and on faculty at Candler) and Taylor Burton Edwards (Chair of the Consultation on Common Texts) invited partners across our denominations to substantial HOW DID WE ecumenical dialog and work on these issues. PROCEED? We worked on the ecumenical platform of principles and practices across three broad topics, Safe Entry, Safe Core Practices, and Safe “Typical” Practices.
Publicly: We met once per week via Zoom and streamed to Facebook Live to discuss the papers presented (also made available to the public via our website and Facebook page) HOW DID WE PROCEED? Behind the Scenes: The Co-conveners kept track of all proposed and agreed changes and to bring the many papers into one coherent document Release of core document was June 8. Release of Spanish version was July 15.
We would follow all public guidance and written suggestions given by the CDC. WHAT DID WE We strongly commended the three-level approach CONCLUDE? keying staged opening to progressive weeks of DECREASING cases AND pulling back should increases occur.
We share five core commitments that inform our guidance about what CAN be done and WHEN it can be done. Love WHAT DID WE Human Bodies and Fellowship CONCLUDE? Sacramental Life Inclusion… without Stigmatizing Beauty
We became very clear about things that should NOT be done until there is an effective vaccine in wide use: Sing as choirs or congregations in worship Do unison responses Talk or preach loudly WHAT DID WE NOT be physically distanced CONCLUDE? NOT wear cloth face coverings (with some exceptions) Stay around for fellowship time before or after Meet for worship or other events indoors for as long as you used to Have more than one person in most restrooms at a time
And especially what we CAN do in care-filled ways… How you CAN make worship beautiful How you CAN make music How you CAN celebrate communion in both kinds WHAT DID WE How you CAN celebrate baptism CONCLUDE? How you CAN celebrate confirmation How you CAN extend the table safely to those unable to attend ALL of which received careful review from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, infectious disease specialists from the VA, and CDC staff
At our Consultation’s website: https://sites.google.com/view/worshipsafely On our Synod website: WHERE CAN WE https://www.elca- ses.org/newsdetail/southeastern-synods- FIND THESE response-to-coronavirus-13430007 RESOURCES? At the Ministry Matters website: https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/10369 /resuming-care-filled-worship-and-sacramental- life-during-a-pandemic
RESUMING WORSHIP UNDER THESE AND SYNOD GUIDELINES FAITH EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, WARNER ROBINS, GA
HOUSTON COUNTY GA. AVERAGE CASE COUNT 6/15: 5 RETURN TO WORSHIP JUNE 28 BY JULY 8 AVERAGE CASE COUNT: 23 PAUSE 7/31 AVERAGE DAILY CASES: 40
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