Beloved, as coronavirus reaches our borders with the first recorded case in Berkeley, we are readying to respond so that our touchy-feely community doesn’t become a disease vector! We also want to make sure we are taking good care of our most vulnerable and isolated members.
- Most importantly: if you feel unwell, stay home from church and watch worship on the webcast.
- If you do come to church, make sure to wash hands often (watch the beginning of last week’s webcast as Molly and the church kids demonstrate effective handwashing strategies!), avoid shaking hands or hugging, opting for elbow-bumps and namastes instead.
- If the epidemic becomes widespread, we will have web-only worship broadcasts, and provide instructions for videoconferenced church meetings and gatherings. Stay tuned.
As you prepare yourself personally for the possibility of widespread quarantine, you will find a good checklist and guide here. For those who live alone, who can’t afford to stockpile 2 weeks of food or medicine, or who are otherwise worried about your ability to manage on your own during a quarantine, please email Congregational Care Program Manager Louise Halsey at [email protected] and let her know what kind of support you might need: at the very least, you will be paired with a First Churcher from your neighborhood who can check on you in event of crisis or quarantine.
If you are willing to serve as a neighbor to a vulnerable First Churcher near your home, please email Louise as well. We belong to one another, and the connections we make now will make our village a little stronger in ways that will serve us through all kinds of circumstances.