Worship, community, care & mission resources

Could this time of social distancing and isolation be Jubilee, Sabbath or Retreat? This could be a time to explore some different ways of being Christian and being Church.

Faith Practices

What fresh faith practices could you or your household try? What new faith habits could you begin?

• The Creative Ministries Network Congregation have created a set of 5 studies for personal, family or group use. “Covid-19: An Unprecedented Crisis? Creating a safe space for Faith, Reflection and Hope for small groups and congregations.” These studies create conversations between our experiences of the Pandemic, and the prophetic texts of the Old Testament.
• Faith 5 Five simple steps for everyday household engagement in faith
• Kitchen Table Project Ten easy things to try as a household
• Top five faith resources for households, from the UCA Assembly website
• Way to Live offers resources for growing Christian practices with Teens
• Holy Habits offers resources for growing Christian faith and practices for all ages
• Messy Church at Home is an opportunity for you to use Messy Church in your home context
• Church at Home offers ideas for practicing Christian faith in a household context
• Faith in the Home Links to ideas to help families through the week
• Faith in Homes Faith nurturing tips, activities, podcasts and resources
• Engage at Home are providing daily family prayer and worship activities (or via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag #EngageAtHome.

Prayer

• Sally Douglas has offered us a Midday Prayer resource that can be used with weekly lectionary or other bible readings. This is a great resource to use for a household, group or congregation to use midweek.
• Sally Douglas has offered us some prayer resources in video and text, titled “Praying in Real Life”. Praying for Others, an Awareness Examen, and Praying in Silence are some of the types of prayer that Sally reflects on and leads us in.
• The Banyule Network has created five resources on learning to pray in different ways; Praying with Images, Lectio Divina (Easter to Pentecost), Examen, Prayer Practices, A Movement-Based prayer resource for walkers, cyclists and runners. Try a different one each week.
• Rev Jennie Gordon, Presbytery Minister Gippsland and poet, has written this Affirmation of Faith as we shelter at home, based on Psalm 23.
• And this one for Psalm 130 “From Cries of comfort, to affirmation of hope".
• Interfaith Litany for Wholeness from Rev Andy Calder (see Related Documents below).
• StoryPath (linking lectionary to children’s literature).
• The Abbey of the Arts is giving a Novena for Times of Unravelling – nine days of prayer. To learn more about this free resource, click here.
• Poetry Unbound – a new, short-form podcast from On Being is presented by Padraig O’Tuama, and may be like a mini retreat in the new structure of your day.
• Thank You Prayers
• For families learning about the Lord’s Prayer, When You Pray – Children and When You Pray – Adults

Financial giving to your church

For many of us, our financial offering is a spiritual practice – part of our Christian discipleship, and a practical response to a generous God. For churches, offerings resource ministry and mission. The costs of our church’s mission and ministry continue during this time, and our ongoing financial support is important.

We encourage you to have a conversation as a church and inform your congregations of the best options.

In a season of physical distancing and forced closures, here are a few options to allow congregants to still give their offering.

• Put cash in an envelope (plain or a planned giving envelope) in an offering bowl at home. Contact your treasurer or elders to discuss how this should be collected.
• Mail a cheque to your church’s treasurer or stewardship contact.
• Use online banking through your bank, or set up a direct debit to your church’s account at UEthical (contact your treasurer for account details)

For more information about some online giving options, click here.
Your Presbytery has also been thinking about this and have specific responses for your situation – please contact them directly for more information.

Live streaming worship services is a simple and effective way of participating in worship that doesn’t involve physically going to church. Facebook and YouTube are two platforms you can use.

For more information on how to live stream a service or church event, click here. If you intend to live-stream worship from your church building, please follow the latest advice from official government sources about the numbers of people who can be involved, and appropriate physical distancing.

The latest directive from the Victorian and Tasmanian state governments is that up to five people can be involved in a live-streamed service, provided social distancing guidelines are maintained.

Please see the Synod’s most recent FAQ for guidance on who may be involved.

With online worship, questions of safety look very different. Please read the Synod’s “Guidelines for Safe Online / Digital Ministry”. With in-church worship now on hold for the foreseeable future, more and more congregations are looking to broadcast their services in other ways. Some are:

• pre-recording, such as Manningham UC
• live streaming, such as Hobart North UC
• podcasting, such as Richmond UC
• live streaming of pre-recorded services (YouTube Premiere), such as Living Faith Greensborough UC
• Live church via Zoom, such as East Kew UC.

If you have found other ways to broadcast your worship, please email Nigel Hanscamp. We’d love to spread the word. For a more complete list of VicTas congregations streaming, see 'ONLINE CHURCHES' below.

Studies

John Bottomley and the Creative Ministries Network Congregation have created two bible studies which can be used by small groups as they seek to be faithful communities of Christ in a time of pandemic. 

• Covid 19: An unprecedented Crisis?
• In Lockdown with the Galatians: Paul’s Good news for burdened people 

How do we think about being Church in a time of Pandemic?

Church is always the people, not the building. We are called to be open to the Spirit for new ways of ministry and mission in this time of physical distancing and social connection in different ways. During this disruption we are finding new ways of being church to ensure we live into the call of being “sign, foretaste and instrument” of God’s kingdom in our world.

As many of us are forced to consider new ways of doing and being church from our homes, the metaphor of “home” can offer life-giving perspectives and starting points for our new ways of gathering, care and mission.

God’s offer of Jubilee in Leviticus 25 sets out a program of pause and reset, every 50th year.  God calls his people to justice, liberty and security for all.  The land is left to be left fallow, to rest.  “You shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family”. (Leviticus 25: 10) It is a time to more actively care for kin and neighbour.

While the ancient economic program of Jubilee does not equate with our current experience of pandemic, we have seen our Church's response to this time "sheltering at home" characterised by care for the vulnerable, the marginalised and the unemployed. As we continue to work and worship from home, God's Spirit is at work in us and among us for the wellbeing of our communities, our families and the whole Earth community.  May we be active participants of Jubilee in our communities, and in our world.

Many leaders, congregations and presbyteries are creating great resources for this time. Some of them are linked or reproduced here. This page will change over the coming weeks – and we would value your feedback, and suggestions for additional resources. Please contact Nigel Hanscamp at [email protected]

Mel Perkins (eLM, Lay Leadership) has collated some Mental Health resources to support mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Gathering again

Many congregations are considering when they might start meeting again for meetings, worship or missional activities.

The Synod has provided the following resources for Church Councils to use in making their decisions around this. It is imperative that you use the most recent information in making your decisions, and review your processes regularly. Remember that your presbytery can also assist you.

The Synod Covid-19 FAQ page – updated weekly, including:

• Weekly updated FAQ for Victoria and Tasmania
• A Recovery Action Plan checklist to assist you in deciding if you are able to be COVID-19 compliant. It should be completed by the church council before making any plans to reopen your doors.
• Posters that meet mandated requirements for both Safechurch instructions and Safechurch attendance numbers

Other information about gathering

• “Ministry Matters” has provided a useful set of guidelines and suggestions for ministry leaders preparing worship in this time.

• For Youth groups and their leaders, Bradon French has an informative video with things to consider before meeting together.
• Mat Harry offers some thoughts about using what we have learned in lockdown.

Re-imagining Church

• Going to church differently (Multivocality)
• Where did all the children go (Grow Ministries)
• Inclusion of children in on-line worship (Tori Smit)
• Three changes you need to know about (Fuller)
• Create new entry points (Ministry Matters)
• How to create a culture shift (Ministry Matters)

Presbyteries:

• Gippsland
• Loddon Mallee
• Port Phillip East
• North East Victoria
• Port Phillip West
• Western Victoria
• Yarra Yarra
• Tasmania
• UCA Assembly