COVID-19 Updates and
Resources for Congregations
The latest statements from Bishop Scarfe can be found on our News page here.
Planning for a virtual annual meeting? Read our guidance here.
COVID-19 updates and resources from The Episcopal Church can be found here.
OUR ABOUNDING IN HOPE GUIDANCE FOR CHURCHES can be found here.
Practicing the Way of Love in the time of COVID-19
TURN: Pause, listen and choose to follow Jesus
Like the disciples, we are called by Jesus to follow the Way of Love. With God’s help, we can turn from the powers of sin, hatred, fear, injustice, and oppression toward the way of truth, love, hope, justice, and freedom. In turning, we reorient our lives to Jesus Christ, falling in love again, again, and again. In this time, this practice may involve turning off the news and social media stream from time to time and turning towards activities that spread love and hope outward—a call to a friend, a message of love chalked on your driveway for neighbors as they pass, etc.
Worship: Gather (ONLINE, by PHONE, OR AS A FAMILY) weekly to thank, praise, and dwell with God
FOR CHURCHES wishing to meet entirely online or stream a service from the church building: Visit https://www.iowashare.org/online-worship for ideas and tips.
Church publishing has made the use of hymns in the Hymnal 1982 available for licensing through OneLicense during this time.And things to think about as you are weighing your decisions about meeting online that includes other helpful suggestions for ways of connecting instead of or in addition to meeting online.
FOR CHURCHES who wish to meet by teleconference only: https://www.freeconferencecall.com provides free teleconference service. It is easy to set up your free account and share the dial-in number and password with people by mail or email.
The Eformation Learning Community at VTS has lots of resources, including these videos on how to livestream a service here and here. Also there is pre-recorded Zoom meeting on Leading Creative Worship online here.
Here is an example of an approach that doesn’t involves streaming.
Calculating online attendance: We have a template for calculating and tracking online attendance at worship. We invite you to track live views (on Facebook this is called Peak Live Viewers and on YouTube it is Peak Concurrent Views) and total views (on Facebook we will use 1-minute views for this number and on YouTube, total views). We also have a simple step-by-step guide to finding the numbers you need from Facebook and YouTube. Attendance will = Total Views x 1.4, as videos are often watched by more than one person from the same screen. The General Convention Office is continuing to examine the realities of reporting church attendance in the age of COVID-19, and will provide additional guidance as it is developed.
Check out Imagine Church - a new online worship opportunity offered by the Diocese of Atlanta.
Resources for Sundays, Major Feasts and Life Passages while under Quarantine: A folder of resources from VTS that includes ante-communion, agape feasts, a life passages resource (births, adoptions, weddings, sickness, dying and death, etc). Watch the webinar.
Resources for planning for Lent and Holy Week, including Ash Wednesday
Resources for planning for Advent and Christmas during the pandemic: View our curated collection of Advent and Christmas resources for churches and families.
Pray: Dwell intentionally with God daily
The Book of Common Prayer is available online (if you do not have a copy at home), and families can pray any of the Daily Offices together or use the Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families. You can find the readings for the day at https://www.lectionarypage.net
Forward Movement offers an easy-to-use daily office (morning prayer, noonday prayer, evening prayer, or compline) at the Forward Movement Daily Prayer website. You can choose a variety of options to customize the prayers according to your preference. There is also a daily podcast, A Morning at the Office, with various people leading the prayers and reading the scripture lessons for the day.
Mission St. Clare has a Morning Prayer resource you can access on a computer, phone, or tablet or download the Apple or Android app.
Do you have an Alexa-enabled device at home? Try out the Episcopal Prayer skill for a simple service of morning prayer.
The New Zealand Prayer Book Compline offers a peaceful prayer service for end of day with the family or with others online.
Have folks that you know are not online? Print these and mail them.
Tucked in: Bedtime stories and Prayers with Episcopalians and others
Liturgy and prayer resources from the Church of England
Learn: Reflect on Scripture each day, especially on Jesus’ life and teachings.
This is NOT Sunday School: A free resource from ChurchNext and Forma for individuals and families.
Family worship and formation: Lectionary based readings and reflections online or delivered to your inbox from forma and Forward Movement https://www.dofaithathome.org/
Sparkhouse is currently providing FREE family Sunday School lessons that include a weekly video (following the Revised Common Lectionary), a discussion guide, an activity sheet, and a coloring sheet.
Keeping Faith at Home with Children: blog post with several suggestions for continuing Christian Formation at home.
Watch the Way of Love video series together.
Adult formation opportunities free from Church Next: Prayer and Worship in our Homes, Bridging the Political Divide, Make Me an Instrument of Peace
Household Bible Reading with Lectio Divina introduces families and small groups to the practice of studying the Bible using Lectio Divina.
Host a bible study on Zoom. You can create a free account and host a group for up to 40 minutes. How to share videos/pictures/presentations over Zoom. And here are some simple instructions to share with parishioners who might be using Zoom for the first time.
Church Publishing has made an online resource free for children, a digital book Candle Walk, that prepares children for sleep by taking them on a candlelit wander through the woods and inviting them to experience Compline, a centuries-old practice of contemplative evening prayer. (Toddlers-elementary aged children)
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York has offered pages from their stained glass window coloring book for people to download and print.
Episcopal Migration Ministries offers reflections on the Stations of the Cross that can be delivered by email or listened to as a podcast.
How2charist is digitally instructed Eucharist and could be a great activity to learn about all that goes on during a church service.
Offering formation opportunities as a church for your congregation? Be sure to check out this short video on Safe Church and Online spaces that cover guidelines for maintaining our Safeguarding God’s People guidelines in this new way of being church.
Online formation opportunities
St. Alban's in Spirit Lake is offering an Adult Bible Study on Wednesday nights at 7:00pm. Learn more and sign up here.
St. John's in Dubuque offers an online Adult Forum/Bible Study at 9:00am each Sunday. Register here.
Is your congregation offering an online formation opportunity that is open for others in the diocese to attend? Let us know so we can help get the word out!
Bless: Share faith and unselfishly give and serve
How can we continue to bless each other and the world even when we need to be physically distant from each other? Here are some ideas:
Make and use a phone tree so members can check in on one another. Consider splitting the congregation up into groups and assigning each group to a vestry member who will check in each week. Make a targeted list for those who are not online, their contact will include a read through of all communication, if they would like that, and be more frequent.
Find ways to volunteer safely during the pandemic here: http://volunteeriowa.galaxydigital.com
I-Serv Iowa is seeking volunteers to serve during this pandemic, including chaplains.
Deliver meals or food as needed in the community.
Blessing Children in the Home is a simple practice for reminding children how loved they are.
Most nursing homes and assisted living facilities are suspending or severely limiting visitors, and many residents are being isolated even from each other to keep them healthy. Call or email the ones in your community to see if you can email them with notes, pictures, and art creations that they could print and share with their residents.
Establish prayer partners and pray for each other over the phone. Commit to keep praying for and with each other.
If you don’t have one already, create a Facebook group for your church where you can host a “virtual coffee hour” as a way for people to still connect with others at the church.
Organize a way for younger, lower risk people to provide childcare for essential workers.
Hospitals in the state are requesting face masks that people who sew can make at home. Jo-Ann Fabrics in some locations is even giving away the fabric and material needed. READ MORE.
Ask everyone you interact with from a distance how you can pray for them.
If your church hosts a regular feeding program or food pantry for the community, can you instead prepare packaged take home meals? Practice scrupulous sanitizing methods of all smooth surfaces and areas where people touch. Volunteers should be healthy, low risk, wear gloves that are changed frequently, practice appropriate hygiene, and maintain physical distancing.
AA groups: Individual churches should make the decision about whether recovery groups can continue to meet as long as they practice physical distancing, appropriate hygiene, and are willing to help sterilize surfaces they use. There is an online option available for those who are vulnerable or at risk in your area.
Episcopal Church Foundation has a robust list of COVID-19 response resources that they will continue to update here.
Contact the blood center in your area and make an appointment to give blood safely.
Diocesan youth can find links to gather together online HERE.
Pastoral Care & Health Resources for Wellness:
The Episcopal Church in Colorado has a resource page for pastoral and personal well-being in this time.
Join in the “Take A Breath” video series with Rev. Dr. Catherine Quehl-Engel, Cornell College Chaplain, in Mt. Vernon, IA: Offerings range from meditations, gentle yoga, centering prayer, and qigong, to simple daily energy medicine routines working with acupressure points, energy centers and pathways of the body, and new classes are added regularly. Includes healing meditations for others, planet, and self.
Understand the elongated emotional lifecycle of dealing with a pandemic from Episcopal Relief and Development. Chart/Explanation
The Red Cross offers an online free course in mental health resiliency, stress reduction, and supporting others as we deal with this pandemic.
Please continue to support your church by sending in your offering.
Congregations are encouraged to make their collection plate available via the internet. Different donation services are available (Tithe.ly, Vanco, Giving Tools, PayPal, etc). If your congregation already has an online giving option, just be sure to place a prominent collection plate link visible on your homepage. You can then direct people to this link using email updates and social media. If you have questions about beginning online giving, contact Anne Wagner.
Go: listen deeply and live like Jesus
Go online. Go inward. Go deeper in your faith. Go outward to check on neighbors by phone. Go outside as often as possible to take walks. Go virtually into some of the great museums and to watch theater and listen to music. Go listen to a book—Audible just made hundreds of titles free to listen to. Just don’t go into large groups!
Rest: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration
Take this sabbath time seriously. Stay home as much as you can. Put down the busyness of life and live into new habits and new ways of being. Let this be a time of being present to each other in love, if not in physical proximity. We may be apart, but we are never alone, and God is with us!
Have an idea or resource to share?
Episcopal Churches offering regular online worship in Iowa
Let us know if you are offering regular online services and/or formation opportunities and would like to be added to this list!
Morning Prayer
St. Alban’s, Spirit Lake 8:30am M-F
St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Des Moines 9:00am Wednesdays - email for link
Trinity Church, Iowa City 9:00am M-F
Trinity Church, Muscatine 9am T, TH
Noonday Prayer
St. Paul’s, Grinnell 12:00pm M-F
Evening Prayer
St. Mark’s, Fort Dodge 6:00pm M-F
St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Des Moines 5:45pm Thursdays- email for link
Trinity Church, Iowa City 4:30pm M-F
Compline
Good Shepherd, Webster City with Grace Church, Boone 7:00pm Wednesdays - email for link
St. John’s, Mason City 8:00pm M-F
St. Paul’s, Grinnell 7:00pm daily
Trinity Church, Waterloo 7:30pm Sundays - email for connection info
Sunday Morning Worship
In addition to the weekly online diocesan service
Participate in the online diocesan service, offered by a different church across the diocese each week at 10:00am. The service will be found on the diocesan Facebook page, the diocesan Youtube channel, and will be available on the diocesan website. Call-in option for members who only have access to phones (participants on the phone will NOT be able to be heard but will be able to hear the service): 312 626 6799 and enter the Meeting ID as prompted: 365 765 527#
The following churches are offering online worship each Sunday.
Christ Church, Cedar Rapids available Sunday mornings
St. Andrew’s, Des Moines 10:00am
St. Luke’s, Cedar Falls 9:15am - email for a password.
St. John’s, Dubuque 10:00am
St. John’s, Mason City 10:00am
St. Mark’s, Fort Dodge 10:00am - email for password
St. Paul’s, Grinnell 10:30am
St. Peter’s, Bettendorf 9:30am
St. Timothy’s, West Des Moines 10:15am
Trinity Cathedral, Davenport 9:00am
Trinity Church, Iowa City 10:00am - email for connection info
The Way Station, Spencer 3:00pm