GREENDALE PEOPLE'S CHURCH
UPDATES ON COVID-19
Peace and prayers!
As the world and our communities grapple with how to handle the global spread of
Covid-19 (Coronavirus Pandemic) we want to share important information and updates and actions that we are taking to protect our community and slow the virus' spread.
GPC UPDATES
Due to Covid-19 Coronavirus all in-person activities except for our
Food Pantry and Worcester Regional Food Hub operations
have been suspended until further notice.
The Food Pantry is open Wednesdays from 10 am-noon.
Worship will be streamed online through our website and Facebook Live.
or call or text Rev. Kevin at 774.764.1021.
or call the office at 508.852.7727 and leave a message.
We will check messages daily.
You can also visit greendalepeopleschurch.org and our social media
platforms for updates and more information.
Stay informed and prepared
There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID -19, the best way to prevent illness
is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The virus is thought to spread
mainly from person-to-person. Between people who are in close contact
with one another (within about 6 feet).
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose,
coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains
at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together
until they feel dry.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Sanitize surfaces daily his includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
- If you are feeling sick, stay home and separate yourself from
other people and animals in your home.
- Stay informed using RELIABLE sources of information, including:
- Sign up for Alert Worcester (or similar alerts if you live in another town)
- If you are feeling overwhelmed with emotions and anxiety, visit The American Psychological Association website to learn more about managing anxiety around coverage of COVID-19.
Also, CDC has created this resource to manage anxiety and stress during the coronavirus outbreak.
If you, or someone you care about, are feeling overwhelmed with emotions like sadness, depression, or anxiety, or feel like you want to harm yourself or others call
911 - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA's) Disaster Distress Helpline: 1.800.985.5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 (TTY 1.800.846.8517
What you can do to help
Pray for our community and those directly affected by COVID-19. Pray for the health care workers that are treating the sick and those public health administrators making difficult decisions. Pray that God would protect our community from further spread of the virus.
We encourage you to continue faithfully supporting the ministries of the congregation, whether we have physical or virtual worship gatherings in the next few weeks. Many
of our expenses will continue despite the suspension of physical meetings.
Any help you can give by continuing to send in your donations and contributions
will be greatly appreciated.
Here are some ways you can do this:
-
Mail-in your check to the church at 25 Francis Street, Worcester, MA 01606.
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Drop your check in an envelope in the mailbox slot outside of the Francis Street side door.
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Send a check to Greendale through your bank bill pay system.
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Submit a donation via PayPal online here
Your continued support of Greendale People’s Church and its ministries helps us to show God’s love and grace to others.
What is GPC doing
Members of the Governing Board met and agreed to the following actions:
1. GPC Worship services:
March 22, 29 and subsequent weeks, we will operate under the assumption that worship will occur as planned, HOWEVER, we may need to cancel the physical worship gathering.
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If worship is canceled, we will send an email, post the information on
Facebook and our website.
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Should worship be canceled, we will use Facebook Live for a virtual worship service which will include prayer, scripture readings, a message, and virtual communion. Links to the video stream will be subsequently posted to our website and sent via email.
2. Sunday School:
Sunday School will operate this Sunday as planned, the tables, chairs, etc. will be on the list for volunteers to help clean Saturday or early Sunday morning. As with worship we will need to monitor the situation and decide what to do on a week by week basis.
3. Meetings and Events:
As of Sunday afternoon, all face to face meetings and events will be canceled or rescheduled. This includes GPC and non-GPC users of our space. Please note:
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The Lenten Wednesday Program will shift to a virtual conversation which will include recorded reflections, Facebook live events, and several ways to participate in the conversation virtually. We will send out more information about this early next week
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The March QCC Student Dinner has been canceled, we will use the
Luau theme for April.
We encourage teams to continue to meet using free conference call technology – for GPC teams, Rev. Kevin has a conference number already established and will be happy to help teams schedule calls.
4. Food Pantry:
The GPC Food Pantry will operate this Wednesday. As with worship, the team will be asked to rethink their operations to minimize contact and create “social distance” to protect volunteers and clients. The team will need to wipe down surfaces before and after Food Pantry operation. We will work with the team to determine
what to do in the following weeks.
5. Mustard Seed:
Mustard Seed meal preparation and serving on March 19 is still on as of today.
We will include future updates regarding any changes.
6. Worcester Regional Food Hub:
Food Hub will continue to operate out of GPC. The Food Hub will take responsibility for cleaning and sanitizing the kitchen and other access areas. Worcester Regional Food Hub may decide to cease or continue operations at their discretion.
7. Stewardship & Giving:
All of our congregation are in our prayers for strength and safekeeping during this
trying time. Even though the building is not being occupied at this time,there are still bills to be paid.
8. Communications and Questions:
PLEASE ensure that we have your updated email and phone numbers so we can keep
you up to date. If you have a Facebook account and have not done so,
please “LIKE” our Facebook page
We are working with the Deacons and Care Ministry to create a phone tree of congregants to help quickly spread the world regarding updates and check-in to see
how everyone is doing.
The GPC Office will remain open this coming week, though we are looking at ways to minimize the need to be present in the office and may reduce or suspend office operations. Volunteers and staff will be encouraged to wash their hands frequently, protect themselves when handling mail, and self-protect (following the same items above).
If you have any questions, want to talk or need to share information call the office 508.852.7727 or call/text Rev. Kevin at 774.764.021
A MESSAGE FROM REV. KEV
In this time of great uncertainty, a good place to begin is with our faith. I encourage you to rest confidently in the love of God who is with you ALWAYS. Pray to God in Christ, that the virus will end, that those infected may be comforted and healed, that the medical professionals and first responders may be protected, and scientists around the world may identify faster ways to detect infections and find a way to bring the outbreak to an end. Whether you become infected or not, remember that this virus is a force of nature and as Jesus reminds us in the Gospel of Mathew (5:45) forces of nature do not discriminate: “God makes the sun to rise and rain to fall on the good and bad, the just and unjust all the same.” (Matthew 5:45)
May God keep you and Christ’s light guide you and us through these times – together!
