PA Council of Churches Urges Governor to Bring Elderly and Vulnerable Incarcerated People Home
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One of the concerns raised during this COVID-19 crisis has been for incarcerated persons. Prisons and detention facilities are particularly vulnerable to the virus, and once it enters it is likely to take over an entire facility. We've already seen the beginnings of this in Pennsylvania. Seniors and persons with chronic illnesses are particularly vulnerable.
Please consider adding your name to a letter to Governor Wolf calling on him to issue reprieves or temporarily suspend the sentences of elderly and vulnerable incarcerated persons most at risk from the coronavirus..
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New Resources:
We pray...
...For the church
- For our congregations as they navigate this uncertain time, especially those who are financially fragile.
- For Presiding Bishop Eaton, Bishop Davenport, and all of our bishops, and for our Deans, assistants to the bishop and administrative staff as they lead the church in this uncertain time.
- For our rostered ministers who are working hard to transition church services and programs to the digital realm, that they might find rest and refreshment.
- For the food ministries across our synod who serve growing numbers of food insecure people, that they might find the funds, volunteers and food supplies to meet their needs.
- For our ministries among the marginalized, especially Welcome Church and The Well and Feast of Justice, as they serve the people entrusted to them.
...For those who mourn
- For the family and friends of Pastor Cindy Ray, who has died.
- For the family of Pastor Charles Leonard on the death of his brother
- For the family of Rev. Dr. John Vannorsdall (LTSP president 1986-1990) who died of complications of COVID-19. His wife, Patricia, is currently hospitalized with the same diagnosis
- For the family of Pastor Kay Braun on the death of her father, Mike Bender, who died April 3.
- The family of the Rev. Charles H. Eiss, Jr who died on March 1.
...For those in need of healing
- For all who are infected with COVID-19
- For the brother of Pastor Violet Little, who is infected with COVID-19
- For colleagues in the Lutheran World Federation who have contracted the virus or are exposed.
...For those who are at risk of COVID-19
- For all healthcare workers who are facing this growing crisis with no end in sight.
- For all those called to be hospital chaplains, doing their best to walk with patients, families and medical staff in spiritually trying times
- For all the college students quarantined on their campuses, including Kendall
- For the staffs of our Lutheran retirement and nursing communities, and for the volunteers making cloth masks for their work.
- For our doctors, nurses, respiratory and pulmonary specialists, as well as the maintenance workers who keep hospitals sanitized and functioning, that the love of God surrounds them as the place themselves in danger.
- For essential workers - firefighters, police, EMTs, grocery clerks and stockers, workers in the financial sector -- who are in harm's way.
- For the families of healthcare and public safety workers who assume greater risk of contracting the virus.
- For our police and all who are victimized by the spike in violent crime in Philadelphia
...For all affected by this pandemic, physically, mentally, or economically
- For our children, of all ages, isolated from their lifeblood of time with friends. And for parents and guardians, school guidance counselors and therapists who recognize and help them deal with their fears and anxieties.
- For those who are unemployed and underemployed
- People who live alone or are hospitalized away from family.
- For those who grieve and who are not able to gather with family to mourn their loss
- For those experiencing anxiety, depression, and/or risk of suicide during this crisis.
- For the college students who remain on campus away from their families, while taking digital courses.
- For the high school students, particularly seniors, missing graduation and end-of-year activities.
...For the whole world
- For those who are unjustly imprisoned, especially refugees, that they may soon know God's mercy and care in the joy of freedom.
- For our national and local leaders, our president, our governors and their administrations, and public health workers as they race to contain this virus outbreak.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers!
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