News & Ideas

Thursday's News & Ideas - 3/19/2020

  • UMC GC postponed
  • Church becomes testing site
  • COVID-19 & black churches
  • Prayers during pandemic
  • Impact of online learning
  • Permission to be sad

United Methodist Church postpones General Conference amid coronavirus
Religion News Service: The United Methodist Church has postponed its 2020 General Conference -- where delegates were expected to take up legislation to split the denomination -- over concerns about the spread of COVID-19.

A megachurch has nearly 1,000 people tested for coronavirus in two days*
Washington Post: On Sunday, Alabama’s largest church stopped its in-person worship services. By Tuesday, it started hosting drive-through coronavirus tests in one of its parking lots.

Coronavirus is forcing black churches to make tough choices
Zora: What responsibilities do pastors owe to their congregants to keep them safe?

20 prayers to pray during this pandemic
Christianity Today: As COVID-19 sends the globe into crisis, it also sends us to our knees.

Will the shift to remote teaching be boon or bane for online learning?
Inside Higher Ed: Because of COVID-19, most professors and students suddenly find themselves forced to use technology as they teach and learn. A panel of experts explores whether that will help or hurt attitudes about online education.

The Spark

Sorrow and gratitude in the American twilight
“I wanted permission to be sad about other things, too. Smaller things,” Thomas Lake writes at CNN. “No one had given it to me, so I gave it to myself. And now I give it to you.”

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Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative

A new grant is available to support endeavors that help children come to know and love God and grow in faith.

The Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative aims to support programs that help congregations strengthen worship and prayer practices that respect how children experience God and express their faith, include children with disabilities, draw upon the arts, create opportunities for Bible storytelling, and connect worship to the daily lives of children and families.

Proposals are due by 5 p.m. (ET) on May 6, 2024.

Learn More