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ACC Weekly Announcements    April 3, 2020
Pastors, Church Administrators and Secretaries, Bulletin Editors:
 
These weekly announcements are meant to be a helpful resource, especially for those of you who put your congregations' bulletins together on a weekly basis. If there are ways we could present this information more effectively please don't hesitate to pass on your ideas or give feedback.

Some churches forward the following information and community life announcements to their members using email while others post various events in their weekly bulletin, on their church website, or Facebook page. This and past columns are available on the ACC webpage at atlanticcoastconference.net/ba.
 
Please let us know if there are additional ways we can assist you as we serve together. 

Brook Musselman
Conference Coordinator, Atlantic Coast Conference 
(717) 394-8107

New Resources for Pastors
To help make the numerous resources available to congregations more accessible, any resources shared over the last few weeks, along with those below, will be compiled at atlanticcoastconference.net/covid-19-resources/ .
Employee Assistance Program Available via Teletherapy
During the State of Emergency due to COVID-19, the State of Pennsylvania has allowed behavioral health counseling providers the option of using teletherapy for short-term counseling sessions. WellSpan Employee Assistance Program has identified over 50 providers that are able to facilitate this type of counseling session.

If you are interested in accessing a provider via teletherapy:
  • Visit www.WellSpan.org/EAP and choose Teletherapy on the Provider Search Tool under Specialty
  • Add your ZIP code and click Search and providers offering this service will be listed
  • Call a provider directly, let them know the company you work for, and ask to schedule an EAP counseling appointment using WellSpan EAP

View Wellspan's Teletherapy flyer here.
AMBS webinar for planning online Easter services
AMBS is offering a free webinar on planning online Easter services. Click here for more info and to join. Please pass this on to pastors – It’s tomorrow.

Free registration for EMS online pastors forum
The spread of COVID-19 brings unprecedented challenges for congregations. Pastoral leaders are navigating their own personal transitions while scrambling to take worship services online and care for their congregants. With social distancing practices in place, how can pastors resist isolation in their ministry during this time? Now more than ever, pastoral leaders need networks of support and spaces for innovation. Join Sarah Bixler, EMS instructor in formation and practical theology, for an online facilitated conversation about the realities, challenges and innovative ideas you have for ministry during this time.

Compete this registration form to participate in the EMS Online Pastors Forum: Leading Congregations amid COVID-19 on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, 3:00 p.m. EDT.
Parish Resource Center offering Zoom 101 course
Churches, businesses, and personal gatherings have shifted to using video conferencing technology like Zoom. But do you know how to host meetings? PRC staff will cover the different levels of Zoom available and how to lead meetings in Zoom.

Resources on receiving stimulus funds
Church Treasurers/Pastors/CRM's;  churchcovid19.com will provide information about several informative webinars being offered this week regarding the stimulus package as it relates to churches and non-profits in relation to retaining employees during this time. Please feel free to access these webinars if the information is helpful to you.  If you have additional questions, please leave a message at the ACC office for ACC Treasurer or Finance committee reply. More specific info will be posted to the ACC resources webpage.
ACC Video Conversation for ministers
On Thursday afternoon, Executive Conference Minister Merv Stoltzfus will lead a video conversation with any ACC ministers interested in informally connecting and sharing with one another. No registration necessary.

Thursday, April 2, 3:00pm
MCC Announcements
Webinar on Selective Service
Join MCC's Washington, D.C. office for a webinar this spring:

  • April 8 at 2:00 p.m. (EST): "You've got questions, we've got answers: Selective Service and the National Commission on Service" After several years of work, the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service will release its recommendations to Congress on March 25, with implications for the future of Selective Service, whether women will be required to register, incentives for national service and more. Join this webinar to learn about the Commission's recommendations, particularly as they relate to issues of interest to Anabaptists.

For more information and to register for the webinar, call MCC's Washington Office at (202) 544-6564 or email mccwash@mcc.org


MCC hygene kits needed
Keeping clean is an important part of remaining healthy, but families who have fled their homes because of disaster or war often struggle to afford these necessary supplies. MCC hygiene kits also are given through schools or orphanages to encourage healthy habits for children. 

Last year, 48,160 hygiene kits were shipped to Jordan, Haiti, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), Syria, Ukraine, Lebanon, Burkina Faso, and the U.S. Will you help MCC support children and displaced families through donating hygiene kits?

For a full list of hygiene kit contents and kit drop-off locations, visit mcc.org/hygiene-kits or call the MCC East Coast Material Resources Center in Ephrata, PA at (717) 733-2847.
Have you found yourself needing to use Zoom's video conferencing software more often lately? If you'd like additional training, you can sign up for a live demo by the company at https://zoom.us/events.

You can also get help from Brook Musselman in the conference office (610-463-6225, brookm@atlanticcoastconference.net).
Landis Communities Announcements
During these unprecedented times, it can sometimes feel odd to read things written when COVID-19 was not present. Before this era began, Landis Communities worked on the inaugural issue of FLOURISH, a new magazine sharing the stories of people from all parts of the organization and how they are living out our new tagline “Cultivating Life, Together.” Please go to this link where you can read the virtual version of the magazine.  http://www.landiscommunities.org/spring-2020-flourish-magazine/.
MC USA Announcements
“Staying healthy and hopeful” is the theme of Mennonite Church USA’s resource website for responding to COVID-19. The continually updated site includes COVID-19 prevention tips and information, resources for at-home worship and a video message from Executive Director Glen Guyton. Select content provided in Spanish and Indonesian. http://mennoniteusa.org/resources-covid19 (Download a PPT slide for congregational display.)

Menno Snapshots
Mennonite Church USA is calling congregations to unite in prayer around COVID-19. We invite you to speak and share this intentional prayer.  http://mennoniteusa.org/menno-snapshots/a-prayer-for-covid-19/

Lent is a time of purposeful turning toward God. Remember God’s faithful, loving presence and connect with the Rock of our salvation using the free, downloadable Lent At-Home 2020 Worship Guide

Join an intentional community with peers, serve with a local nonprofit, and plug into your neighborhood and local congregation. Join MVS and do work that matters. Age: 20+; term: 1–2 years. Learn more at www.MennoniteMission.net/Serve.