Welcome to Resource Roundup
For the duration of the coronavirus emergency, occasional special issues of Resource Roundup — usually a newsletter for clergy, wardens, administrators and lay professionals in the Diocese of Los Angeles — will replace the Episcopal News Update.
The Episcopal News Monthly bulletin insert will also be suspended until churches of the diocese return to their regular in-person worship.
Thank you for your attention. We hope you find this information useful. Additional resources to be considered for future issues may be emailed to
news@ladiocese.org
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Credit Union will provide emergency loans to churches, institutions at reduced rate during COVID-19 crisis
[The Episcopal News - March 18] The Episcopal Community Federal Credit Union has set aside a $500,000 emergency cash fund to assist churches and other institutions of the diocese whose cash flow has been adversely impacted by circumstances caused by the Covid-19 virus pandemic. The program will offer, for a limited time, a 50% reduction to its published rate for church loans.
This means parishes, missions (with the bishops' approval) and other institutions of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles may apply for a loan within the next 90 days, for up to $25,000 at a 3.25% interest rate for a 42-month term. These loans may be used only to cover regular monthly operating expenses such as payroll, utility and other bills that keep the church in operation. The first payment on the emergency loans will be due 60 days after funding.
Read more
here. (Esta historia aparece en español después del texto en inglés.)
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Information and directives regarding COVID-19 from diocesan leadership
Bishop Diocesan John Harvey Taylor, Bishop Suffragan Diane Jardine Bruce and Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy have issued several letters to the diocesan community outlining actions taken in response to the rapidly developing COVID-19 crisis. These letters may be found at these links, or on the
Episcopal News website:
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Diocesan website offers resources for congregations
A page on the Diocese of Los Angeles website titled "
Responding to COVID-19" lists various resources for congregations and individuals as they cope with church closures and self-isolation. It includes information under the following headings:
- Resources for Virtual and Remote Worship and Meetings
- State & County Resources for Addressing Coronavirus Concerns
- CDC (Center for Disease Control) website links
- Stewardship
- Coping with Social Distancing
- Children and Families
- Additional health information
- Recovery resources (12-step programs)
- Managing work in a time of isolation
The list is updated as information becomes available. Send additional resources for consideration to
news@ladiocese.org.
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Online giving: Options to explore for use in congregations
Any congregation seeking to add an online giving feature to its website can begin by reviewing and comparing available options such as the following which are among various systems in use around the Diocese of Los Angeles and wider church. The following list is only a sampling and comes with no official endorsement by the diocese. Additions to this list are welcomed and may be forwarded to
media@ladiocese.org.
Vanco — Fees are said to be reasonable and an app is available for donors to download. Interfaces with CDM database. Can be viewed in place on website of St. James’, Los Angeles, www.stjla.org.
Featuring Tithe.ly, EasyTithe, Givelify, PayPal, Pushpay.
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Is your congregation live-streaming Sunday or weekday services? Let us know!
If your congregation is live-streaming services on Facebook, YouTube or other social media, please send us a note and let us know:
- Day(s) and time of services;
- Date if a one-time offering;
- Type of service (Eucharist, Morning Prayer, Evensong, etc.);
- URL for anyone wishing to log in:
- Language(s) in which the service will be held.
- Information about the celebrant or other participants, or about music or other aspects of worship (optional)
Send listings to
news@ladiocese.org. They will be included in a list available on the diocese's COVID-19 Resources webpage for the benefit of all who wish to take part in worship.
In addition, The Episcopal Church has launched an Digital Church Guide. You can also upload your service information there (click
here). You also can add this information to the Episcopal Asset Map (click
here.) More information about both these service is
here.
A few of the services streaming this Sunday, March 22:
8 a.m.
Morning Prayer with sermon (no singing)
10:30 a.m.
Morning Prayer with sermon and music/hymns
St. Augustine's Church, Santa Monica
10 a.m.
Morning Prayer
Bishop John Harvey Taylor, celebrant
Canon Kathy Hannigan O'Connor, lector
4 p.m.
Solemn Choral Evensong
St. Mary's Church in Palms, Los Angeles
St. Mary's Schola Marialis under the direction of Sean Smith will sing the
Responses by Philip Radcliffe (1905-1986), plainsong psalms, the
First Fauxbourdon Service by Philip Moore (b. 1943), and "Ego sum panis vivus" by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525-1594). Evensong will conclude with the Supplication, appointed in the Prayer Book for use "especially in times of… national anxiety, or of disaster."
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Clergy: Keep count of online participants in worship
As the wider Episcopal Church determines how to determine Average Sunday Attendance numbers during the COVID-19 crisis, Bishops Taylor and Bruce and Canon McCarthy request that clergy in charge of congregations keep count of how many people are taking part via Facebook, YouTube, Zoom or other forum in worship services offered at your church. The information may be needed for parochial reports. Add the numbers to your red register with the notation LS (live-stream) to capture the history being made at this time. Please refer to the March 19 letter to clergy for more information.
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Can you sew? Hospitals, other agencies need face masks for medical providers, patients, at-risk elderly
The Rev. Canon Jaime Edwards-Acton, rector of St. Stephen's Church, Hollywood, and pastor of St. Be's (St. Barnabas), Eagle Rock, writes, "A friend and parishioner of mine who is a nurse practitioner has been deployed on the front lines in the San Francisco area to deal with COVID19. She said she and her colleagues have no protective masks for their patients. She asked me if the saints of my church could sew some. After thanking her for everything she does, I said: Yes, we can!" And I bet a group of my friends and colleagues, real and virtual, can do it too."
Edwards-Acton is compiling a list of places that can use such masks and how to send them. The nurse-practitioner has told him that she sees an urgent need for masks not only for health care professionals, but for the elderly in general, nursing homes and smaller hospital systems. She adds that bigger hospital systems may need them too.
An article from the Courier-Press of Evanstown, Indiana, contains information and links to instructions, patterns and a video: click
here.
Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.
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Episcopal Relief & Development
COVID-19 Response Fund
"Join us in prayer and action. Help us be there in times of uncertainty.
Your gift enables us to prepare for emergencies around the world — including the recent outbreak of the coronavirus. With your help, we can equip our partners on the ground with crucial support to assist local communities and meet the changing needs as this crisis unfolds." Click
here to contribute.
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From the wider Episcopal Church
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Application process open for Episcopal Church Constable Fund Grants
Application Deadline: March 31, 2020
The application process is now open for the 2020 Constable Fund Grants. The Constable Fund provides grants to fund mission initiatives not provided for within the budget of The Episcopal Church, as approved by General Convention 2018, with a stated preference for work in the areas of religious education. In 2019, Constable Grant awards ranged from $20,000 to $60,000 with $209,000 distributed among five grant recipients. Applications may only be submitted by:
- one of the Provinces of The Episcopal Church;
- one of the interim bodies of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church; or
- a program office of The Episcopal Church.
Please note that individuals, congregations, and dioceses must submit their grant proposals to their Province. Each Province may approve one grant application for submission to the Constable Fund Grant Review Committee. Read more (in English, Spanish or French)
here.
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Episcopal Migration Ministries offers a new resource:
Supporting Asylum Seekers: A Toolkit for Congregations
Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) is offering a new resource for individuals and congregations who wish to welcome and support asylum seekers.
Supporting Asylum Seekers: A Toolkit for Congregations
is a free resource designed for congregations interested in supporting people seeking asylum. The toolkit will be updated as new resources, case studies, and information become available. Click
here
to request the toolkit; additional information and resources will be emailed to you. Read more
here
.
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Community Small Group Facilitation Guide and Curriculum supports 'Way of Love'
A year after the introduction by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of the Way of Love, Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life, The Episcopal Church continues to offer new resources for congregations interested in following the Way of Love as a way of life. New this fall are the FAQ’s for Small Group Ministry video, a social media infographic, as well as a postcard-sized infographic. Read more
here.
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Updated Manual of Business Methods in Church Affairs now available
First full revision since 2012
The Episcopal Church Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, N. Kurt Barnes, is pleased to announce the online publication of the latest version of the Manual of Business Methods in Church Affairs. It may be downloaded
here and
here. A simple print version may be ordered by contacting the Finance Office at
nduverseau@episcopalchurch.org. The cost, including postage, is $20.
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Checks to the diocese
The bank used by the diocese will only accept checks made out to: “The Protestant Episcopal Church” or “Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.” Checks may no longer be made to the Cathedral Bookstore, Treasurer of the Diocese, etc. This is due to the Bank Secrecy Act and accompanying regulations ("Anti-Money Laundering rules").
P.O. Box closed
Please note that the diocesan post office box
has been closed and will no longer receive mail. Please use the street address for mail addressed to offices at St. Paul's Commons (formerly The Cathedral Center): 840 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles 90026.
Mail addressed to the post office box will be returned to sender.
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Resource Roundup is an occasional release for clergy, wardens, church office staff and lay leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Items for inclusion may be forwarded to
media@ladiocese.org.
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