City on a Hill Brookline Updates
March 12, 2020
CoaH Brookline Friends,
Since we gathered on Sunday, the situation with the Coronavirus has gotten much more serious in our area, as we are all aware. The elders and staff are taking it very seriously. We do not want to see any CoaH person get sick or be a part of passing the virus on to anyone else. With this in mind, I want to let you know about some developments that impact our church. I will send a more detailed email tomorrow with links, resources, best practices, etc, but in the meantime, here is an update.
1) Brookline schools have closed to all evening and weekend meetings until April 30 (closed to students March 13-27). CoaH will not be able to gather again at CCS until May. We are saddened by this situation but affirm the school's desire to prioritize the safety of the children, faculty, and staff as well as diminish the possibility of the school being a place where the virus spreads further in our community.
2) CoaH Elders have formed an advisory board of in-house medical experts (a virologist, infectious disease specialist, a public health researcher, and other healthcare professionals). We are truly blessed to have access to this level of medical expertise in a situation like this! This team will work with the elders to decide best practices moving forward in relation to how we gather in large and small groups as a church.
3) The most immediate and significant development is that we will not physically gather for corporate worship again as a church until the team and elders feel like it is wise. This means we will not be pursuing other rental spaces or secondary locations while we wait for CCS to re-open, unless the elders (with insight from the advisory team), feel like it is safe to consider.
4) Beginning this Sunday, we will move our weekly worship gatherings online through a live feed from the 133. We are working on the logistics and I will send more details about how you can participate in the service online.
5) We are asking all Community Groups to move online using Zoom, Google Hangouts, Gotomeeting, etc. in lieu of gathering. Again, this is a precaution and may or may not last until the end of April, depending on what the elders and advisory team feel is wise. Be sure to check in on other group members and leverage technology to stay connected with your CG.
The advisory team and elders will be in regular conversation throughout this period to ensure we love our neighbors well and seek the good of our city.
While the Coronavirus is serious and we should approach this time with wisdom, we should not let fear and anxiety rule our hearts. As we talked about in our last gathering on Sunday, Christ is King. Because he is King, we can face this situation with faith, trusting that just as he has moved in his church, during times like this for the last 2000 years, Jesus will move now. Let us look to him and seek him in prayer as we move forward.
The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:5b-7
Pastor Bland
March 12, 2020
Hi CoaH family,
Thank you to those of you who have reached out to share concerns about our gatherings in light of all the information coming out about the spread of coronavirus through our city. Brookline held a meeting last night and shared that all community gatherings and non-school related events that are held in their buildings are canceled through April 30th. You can read more here. This means that we will not be meeting at Coolidge Corner School until the town allows community gatherings again.
Our elders, staff, and medical professionals in our congregation are prayerfully discussing the next steps we should take. A response team will be discussing the situation and making recommendations this evening, so we will share what is decided with you tomorrow about plans for moving forward. In the meantime, please use caution if your CG is scheduled tonight or tomorrow night. If you aren't feeling well or have been in close proximity to someone who is sick, please consider staying home as a precaution and use video chat to participate.
Please be in prayer for our leaders as decisions are made. Pray that God would be glorified through our response to this situation and that He would use this time in a powerful way to draw us and others closer to Himself. Please pray for the vulnerable populations who will be most impacted by this virus, and pray that we would find ways to love and serve them well.
- Ashley
March 11, 2020
Coronavirus Response
As concerns about the new strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) mount in the US and worldwide, we would like to encourage everyone to remain calm but be informed about how to best care for each other and our community. Below is advice recently received from the office of Congresswoman Katherine Clark (MA-5) that should be helpful for us:
“With reports indicating an increase in Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the Unites States and across the globe, I wanted to share prevention measures you should take to stay healthy and update you on the important work we are doing in Congress to effectively respond to this growing public health concern.
Prevention
Here are simple, preventative steps recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC):
● Wash your hands with hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
● Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
● Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.
● Stay home when you are sick.
● Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using household cleaning sprays or a wipe.
● Avoid touching frequently-used public objects with your hands like elevator buttons, doorknobs, and public transportation handles.
● Get a flu shot, not because it will prevent the spread of COVID-19, but so that you stay healthy and out of the hospital.
Fighting Misconceptions and Misinformation
As the situation continues to develop, the amount of information being circulated about COVID-19 will continue to grow. In order to stay well-informed and avoid failing for falsehoods, be sure to follow these helpful “dos and don’ts”-
DO: Rely on trusted sources like Massachusetts Department of Public Healthy and the CDC for important public health updates.
DON’T: Fall for false information circulating online. It’s very easy for inaccurate or even dangerous information to be shared rapidly on social media platforms.
DO: Stay updated on travel advisories and warnings issued by the State Department. You can view the complete list of travel advisories issued by the State Department here.
DON’T: Stigmatize others. It is important that we reject stigmatizing falsehoods disparaging and negatively impacting the Asian American community in the United States and abroad. According to the CDC, stigma and discrimination can occur when people associate an infectious disease like COVID-19 with a specific population or nationality, even though not everyone in that population or from that region has the disease and members of particular groups are at no greater risk of contracting it.
DO: Stock up on food, home supplies, and medicine. As with any emergency, it is recommended that you stock up on a 30-day supply of any needed prescriptions as well as food staples, laundry detergent, tissues and all-purpose cleaners, and also diapers, if you have small children.
DON’T: Stockpile on surgical face masks or other similar types of specialized protective gear. According to the Surgeon General, they are not effective in preventing the general public from catching COVID-19 and need to be readily available for health care providers and those who are actually sick. Stockpiling these items can cause shortages and negatively impact those who need them.
Most of all, it is important that we be prepared and don’t panic. The majority of COVID-19 cases are mild with symptoms similar to the common cold. Should you begin to feel unwell, call your primary care provider right away. If you do not have a primary care provider, please contact the Boston Coronavirus Hotline at 617-724-7000. This is open 8am-8pm daily.
City on a Hill Brookline, in light of this advice, we kindly request that if you are actively sick or were recently sick, please stay home from Sunday services and Community Group gatherings, especially if you have had a fever of 100.5 or higher, coughing, or vomiting anytime in the past 72 hours. This is especially true for children experiencing vomiting. This is not a means of isolation, but of care for you and for others.
If you believe you have possibly been in contact with someone who has COVID-19, please don’t panic. Simply take further measures as outlined at the two government sites mentioned above. While we do not want to give into fear, we do want to be wise and act in love towards others by following the above guidelines. For more information on COVID-19 and how to best care for you and others please visit the following CDC resources.
Lastly, we’d like to share these concluding proactive steps to best serve our church and community.
Sundays for Now: For Sunday morning worship gatherings, we will continue meeting unless Brookline Public Schools and the city advise otherwise. We will clean thoroughly, receive communion via pre-filled communion cups with wafers and pause our coffee and bagel stations for the time being. We will keep Bibles and connection cards on a table at the back of the Multipurpose Room to be picked up if needed. Offering will be taken at the back instead of being passed through the rows.
Online Tools: The CoaH Network is exploring potential online connecting options like Facebook Live for Sunday gatherings and Zoom for Community Groups for use, should Public Schools or larger public gatherings be advised to be put on temporary pause.
CoaH Kids: If Sunday gatherings do move to temporary online tools like Facebook Live, we will send family devotional material that can be read together by families.
If you self-quarantine and need help with groceries or other items, or if you are unable to work at this time and need help, make it known to us. We are here to help you as we can.
Serving our community: We exist for God’s glory, one another and our community. We will do all we can to serve any and all we can at this time. If you know of needs we can meet, please let us know and we will do the best we can to help.
If you need prayer or help for any reason, please reach out to us! As a church family, we need not fear or panic. We calmly trust God and take wise and proactive steps to care for each other and our community.