Virtual worship map on Disciples Home Missions’ Well Fed Spirit website
Find a worship service near you or across the U.S. and Canada
As additional ideas, prayers and other resources are gathered, they will be posted here. Send your submissions to cwilliams@disciples.org
Music
- OneLicense.net webinar: Creative Musical Solutions for Worship
- Music, both printed and recorded, from the late Rev. David Edwards available (please credit composer/author upon use)
- NEWS ALERT: One License granting gratis licenses through April 15
- One License offers gratis license to help cope with corona virus arrangements (March 13, 2020)
- Video: Notes from Chalice Press re: music licensing and more (March 13, 2020)
Children
- Worship and Wonder Lent playlist from Disciples Home Missions’ Ministries Across Generations (March 20, 2020)
Prayers
- A collection of prayers for this time by Rev. Lee Hull Moses | link to folder with prayers as separate graphics (March 30, 2020)
- Prayer for this time of COVID-19 by Dr. Valerie Bridgeman of Methodist Theological Seminary of Ohio as shared with Disciples Justice Ministries working group (March 18, 2020)
Giving
- Easter offering promotional materials and giving link
- Third-party online giviing platform (used at General Assembly and General Board) Givelify (March 16, 2020)
- One-page FAQ about online giving from the Center for Faith and Giving (March 20, 2020)
- Church Administration or Stewardship of the Body in Trying Economic Times by Rev. Thad Allen, regional minister (March 20, 2020)
- Online giving information from the Center for Faith and Giving (March 11, 2020)
Livestream how-to’s
“Broadcasting” via Facebook Live, Zoom and more
- Using Zoom for worship (up to 100 people) from Rev. Chris Morton, regional minister
- From the National Council of Churches: During this time of National Emergency due to the COVID-19 virus, the NCC has temporarily revised our permissions policy so that churches that livestream or broadcast their church sermons may use the Revised Standard and New Revised Standard Versions of the Bible without any special permission requirements. (March 20, 2020)
- 14-day free trial of Switcher live stream software
- Short tutorial (text) for simple live stream of worship (provided by the Nebraska region) | Setting up live streaming (provided by the Christian Church in the Southwest) (March 10, 2020) Copyright advice from Chalice Press (March 12, 2020) | 14-day free trial of Switcher live stream software (March 14, 2020)
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Other
- Odyssey Impact offers free access to lectionary based videos (March 30, 2020)
- Online worship experience “Fear Not” offered by the Brim Project
Thoughts on worship suspension
By Rev. David Shirey, Central Christian Church, Lexington, KY
Our rationale for these decisions derives from principles grounded in our faith mandate to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Simply stated, “In this circumstance, what does love require?”
- Love requires us to protect the vulnerable.
This virus puts the elderly and people with compromised health conditions at special risk. Like me, our congregation’s senior members are motivated by a fervent desire and unwavering commitment to worship God together. I and they will make every effort, regardless of the risk or cost, to be present for worship, feeling guilty if we do not make such an effort. Cancelling corporate worship this Sunday and offering a service available for home viewing safeguards our most vulnerable and relieves the deeply ingrained impetus to worship weekly.
- Love calls for us to seek the common good.
By voluntarily taking a sacrificial action such as cancelling corporate worship, we love our neighbors by doing our part to take an action that we hope will slow down the spread of the virus, thereby preventing as-yet-healthy persons from contracting the virus or making it easier for infected persons who may not yet know of the infection to spread it unknowingly to others.
- Love calls for us to act in solidarity with persons of good will.
Heeding the Kentucky Governor’s request and heeding the best wisdom of public health officials, we join a community-, state-, nation- and worldwide coalition of concerted caring whose cooperative efforts will the well-being of all people.
- Love calls for actions that minimize regret.
If we were to proceed with events or activities that lead to the infection of persons or the unwitting spread of the virus, we would rue the decision to proceed with “business as usual” when we could have chosen otherwise. Though it is debatable whether faith communities cancelling their services this weekend will indeed make a difference for the good, we can proceed with this decision knowing we did not choose to disregard or ignore this call for vigilance and caution.