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Greetings First Church Brooklyn Family and Friends,
Many people have expressed questions and concerns about how First Church Brooklyn should respond to the COVID-19 virus. Every week our church provides worship and educational opportunities for our members and guests through our ministries and gatherings, tends to the needs of our members, welcomes groups that rent or use our space, serves the hungry, and operates an office with routine obligations. In response to unfolding events, we are striving for balance in being welcoming as well as being wise in response to handling this current public health crisis.
At this time, we will continue all regularly scheduled services, ministries, and meetings until it is determined to be necessary to suspend by the direction of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and/or the New York Department of Mental Health and Hygiene (DOHMH). We are also in communication with the New York City Presbytery. The situation is developing hour by hour and is continually evolving. We will keep you updated. The Session of First Church Brooklyn will also be discussing the current implications of COVID-19 and our response to it as a congregation at our retreat scheduled for this Saturday and the next stated meeting this Monday, March 16th.
Knowing that we are a congregation that serves people with chronic health concerns, suppressed immunity, and general susceptibility to illness, we request the following assistance from you:
- Please help us protect each other by staying home if you are sick or contagious.
- Please feel free to stay home if you live with susceptibility and health risks.
- Please respect the personal boundaries of others who may have reasons to avoid contact.
- Please keep connected with the church during any absence through a call or email so we know you are okay.
- Reach out to Annie in the office 718.624.3770, info@firstchurchbrooklyn.org, Pastor Adriene 718.514.3152 (mobile), athorne@firstchurchbrooklyn.org, or Rev. April astace@firstchurchbrooklyn.org if we can be of any help or assistance during this time of uncertainty.
For those who choose not to attend worship or church activities due to health risks, we are working with the assistance of technology and printed resources to provide opportunities for worship, connection and care. Worship bulletins are always posted each week here on our website. Please use the bulletin as a guide for worship, study, and reflection with your family. If you live alone, phone a friend to be in community and for discussion. Opportunities for connection and care will be forthcoming. We honor the diversity of our community – some want to be in worship this Sunday and some feel more comfortable staying home and livestreaming. Please take care of yourself.
Every individual is unique and has different physical, mental, and spiritual concerns when they join us for worship and weekly gatherings. To help alleviate these concerns, we will strive to practice habits and rituals in ways that can include as many people as possible without causing undue stress, anxiety, or embarrassment. Therefore, we will continue to assess and adapt practices like personal greetings, communion, shared surfaces like offering plates and bulletins, hospital visits, and more. At this time, we are suspending fellowship hour until further notice.
Our goal is to include as many people as possible in the life of the church and to help each other during this time of need. As a spiritual discipline of loving our neighbor as our self, we want to be diligent in practicing both good hospitality towards all of God's children as well as being attentive to good health practices during this current health crisis.
Thank you for your understanding as this continues to be an evolving process that will take everyone's support and cooperation.
In Christ's service with you,
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COVID-19
The following are prevention recommendations issued by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) - as well as best practices or required policies and procedures issued by U.S. religious bodies for worship or religious gatherings in an attempt to stem the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and protect the elderly and medically vulnerable. We recommend only CDC and DOHMH protocols.
GATHERING TO WORSHIP
Science and our creator-given reason demand that we employ every means available to protect ourselves and the vulnerable against the spread of COVID-19 and all public health hazards, least our houses of worship become points of transmission. At this time, discontinuation of public gatherings is recommended for groups over 500. However, health officials are advising that the elderly and those with chronic lung disease, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or a weakened immune system should avoid unnecessary events and gatherings. Additionally, those who feel ill or sick should not attend worship/gatherings to avoid exposing people to their illness.
- Post signs at all entrances and communicate that people feeling ill should not attend worship/gatherings. Please participate by internet or livestream at FPC.CHURCH.
- All houses of worship should provide hand sanitizing stations in their entry or sanctuary. Bathrooms should be well stocked with soap and paper towels.
- Religious leaders and the faithful should refrain from hand shaking, touching, or embracing. Fist bump, elbow bump, wave, or simply bow. Liturgical greetings should be replaced by a reverent bow.
- Congregant families may sit together, but distancing of 4-6 feet between worshippers should be considered in an enclosed space.
- Consider removing shared books and encourage congregants to bring their own or replicate all songs and prayers into photocopied bulletins that can be discarded after one use.
- After every liturgy, all surfaces and ritual objects should be disinfected carefully.
- Post-liturgy greeting lines should be moved outside or suspended.
- Consider equipping your worship space with livestream capability to allow the ill, elderly, or vulnerable to participate - which will prove useful in case of future quarantine. Find us at FPC.CHURCH
- Pastoral visits can be conducted virtually via laptops, desktops, and cell phone, or, at a congregant's home by asking them to come outside and take a walk, weather permitting, for private conversations.
- Cover sneezes and cough with your elbow or a tissue. Do not touch your face with unwashed hands.
Caution: COVID-19 information on social media and even from some elected leaders or news outlets is not based on medical facts – stick to the science and public health messaging. Additionally, Congregations can help prevent the stigmatization or targeting of groups of people by proactively sharing the messages found in this document. This outbreak is no excuse to spread racism and discrimination. Congregations should encourage their personnel and congregants to stay informed, remain vigilant, and take care of each other.
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If you begin to feel sick, stay home and call your medical provider. If you do not have a medical provider, or it is after hours and you develop symptoms of COVID-19 and were in close contact with a person who spent time in an area known to have widespread community spread of COVID-19, please stay home and call 311 to be connected to a provider.
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If We Cancel Church
If the city requires us to cancel in-person worship, we are working to make or keep the following practices in place:
- We will continue to livestream worship at fpc.church at 11:00 AM on Sundays
- Rev. April will send families a link for how to do Kid's Church at home
- Rev. April will host Zoom calls for The Church Thing
- Rev. April will offer personal and private Facetime calls with families
- New Member Gatherings will meet via Zoom
- Confirmation will meet via Zoom on March 29th and possibly on-going
- We are working to offer regular online/phone care and connection for members of the community.
a. Get the Wednesday devotionals by texting DEVOTIONAL to 66599.
b. Connect with us via the First Church Brooklyn Facebook page
c. Download the YouVersion Bible App, connect with Pastor Adriene and other church members, request prayers on the prayer list
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Online Donations: Set up a recurring gift to the church through a secure online account. To set up an account or to edit an existing gift, go to First Presbyterian Church's website.
Flower Donations. We welcome flower donations of $30 or more in memory or in honor of friends and loved ones. Call Annie Solages in the Church office at 718-624-3770 or see Barbara Cummings during fellowship hour on Sundays.
Appointments with Ministry Staff: Contact the Church at 718-624 -3770.
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