"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."— J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Rings
My dear colleagues,
The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you-
As you prepare for the second Sunday of closed buildings and lack of face-to-face contact with your members, know that you are in the daily prayers of the Presbytery staff and your Council leaders. It is time to begin planning for longer periods of physical separation than we might have originally thought. HRP is using 8 weeks as a reasonable guess. Today the governor issued a warning that everyone should stay inside except for “essential” personnel and that ALL offices close and send their workers home. This includes all of us. Please stay abreast of these changes.
Here are some resources that may help you. All will be posted on the Hudson River Presbytery website for you to access.
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Over the past few days, many of you have utilized Rev. Casey Carbone as a resource. Please reach out to him, wherever you are on the “technology curve” to talk about connecting with your community in new ways. Remember: our purpose is not
production
, it is
connection
in all the many ways that we can do that!
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Recently the New York Legislature passed a bill regarding the New York Paid Family Leave Act. Please familiarize yourself with the options for your staff as well as yourself. More information can be found on HRP website.
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If your insurance provider is the Insurance Board, I have seen verbiage across the country regarding lost income reimbursement. Please check with your agent.
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There will be a ZOOM webinar entitle “What does COVID19 mean to the church?” hosted by Diana Butler Bass, Brian McLaren, Jacqui Lewis Traci Blackman and Cameron Trimble on Monday. Here is the link for registration:
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The best Facebook resource that I have seen for Clergy is entitled “Multifaith Clergy and Spiritual communal responses to Covid19”. Join the group.
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PC(USA) in Louisville will be livestreaming a denominational Easter service.
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Keep in touch with the Board of Pensions through their website
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Utilize The Foundation for online giving. Remember: 8 weeks minimum
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Your Council will be meeting once a week on Tuesday until further notice
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You will should have been invited to a ZOOM webinar to check-in, listen and be together. We will attempt to answer your questions, hear your concerns and be community with each other. Do join us.
Finally, during this time you should have received a call from a leader of Council. We are attempting to touch base with every pastor in hopes of understanding what your needs are and how HRP might resource you. Please take a moment to talk with them. We are a connectional church and you are not alone. It is so important that we stay connected with our colleagues during this time.
In closing, is with deep sadness that I share with you the passing of Mary Louise Van Winkle (Freedom Plains/CoM) and Barbara Dever (Peekskill/CRE). Our sisters in faith have completed their time here on earth and have joined with so many others in the Church Triumphant. We hold their loved ones in our prayers.
May God bless you and keep you. We are but a call or email away-
Deborah Milcarek (Deb)
March 20, 2020
