(RNS) — Each Sunday, Larry Little and his wife, Mary, get ready for church. They dress casually, fill two tumblers with water, climb into their golf cart and drive two miles to The Grove, a grassy field next to their church. There they find a parking place, turn off the engine and settle in for a live service in front of a Jumbotron and a stage. The Littles, who live in a retirement community called The Villages, about an hour’s drive northwest of Orlando, Florida, are among the lucky few. Since mid-March, when state shutdowns forced churches, synagogues and mosques to close amid the coronavirus pandemic, Americans have had to mostly rely on online worship services. But Live Oaks Community Church has been able to offer continuous outdoor services — one on Saturday and two on Sunday — with dozens, sometimes hundreds, arriving via their golf carts. “The only negative is that you don’t have much interaction with the rest of the congregation,” said Larry Little, 77. “Our … [Read more...]

(RNS) — An ecumenical group of clergy, scientists and other experts has released a guide to help congregations consider best practices for reopening for worship. Among their suggestions: Refrain from congregational singing. Clap or stomp instead. Preachers, shorten your sermon. Congregants, mouth your response during Communion instead of speaking. Pass the peace to other worshippers with a gentle nod or a reverent bow, but no physical contact. The 36-page document notes that church leaders will make different decisions depending on the recommendations of denominational and health officials. “Christians will refrain from judging the witness of others as long as others are not endangering the common good,” it states. “Resuming Care-filled Worship and Sacramental Life During a Pandemic” includes links to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionand to guidelines issued by regional denominational groups as they respond to the CDC’s … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE (PNS)  — More than 200 national staff of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and others joined hearts and minds virtually Monday to mourn police violence against people of color and call out white supremacy for what it is — sin. The 45-minute worship service featured a reflection by the Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, who credited three people with organizing the powerful service on short notice: the Rev. Denise Anderson, coordinator for racial and intercultural justice; the Rev. Shanea Leonard, associate for racial and gender justice; and the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the Office of Public Witness. “We are slow to confront our complicity and investment in white supremacy and dominance,” Anderson said during the prayer of confession. “When the cheeks are turned, they are met with another hand to the face or knee to the throat … Too many of us still waver and are unconvinced that there is a problem … Open our … [Read more...]

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — As an African American pastor who serves as a chaplain in the Minneapolis police precinct where the white officer charged with murdering George Floyd worked, the Rev. Charles Graham believes he is exactly where God intended. "God is putting us where he wants us to be," said Graham, pastor emeritus at Macedonia Baptist Church in Minneapolis and chaplain at the 3rd Precinct for six years. "I know it's my job to show the hope. We might as well learn how to live together." Graham and other Twin Cities faith leaders who minister to communities historically ravaged by racial injustice know their neighborhoods are also the most vulnerable to poverty and crime. Most of the worst looting and vandalism this week struck long-established Native American and African American areas that more recently became home to large groups of Hmong, Somali and Latino migrants. Firm in their denunciation of brutality and racism, the religious leaders believe that using faith to … [Read more...]

(RNS) — On Pentecost Sunday, after a night of unrest that swept the country in the wake of the brutal death of George Floyd at the hands of police, the Rev. William J. Barber II delivered what he called “a pastoral letter to America” urging that leaders hear — and heed — the calls for justice from blacks and other minorities. Barber, a North Carolina Disciples of Christ pastor and co-leader of the Poor People Campaign, said Pentecost, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ apostles, is a time of discernment. Floyd’s May 25th death is a moment when Americans ought to wake up to the ways systemic racism is “choking the life out of American democracy,” he said. He urged immediate reforms to make America more just including universal health care, a living wage, sick leave and affordable housing — part of the platform he has long championed with his Poor People’s Campaign. Speaking from the pulpit of an empty Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North … [Read more...]

(RNS) — According to mental health professionals, when human beings encounter a threat we respond in one of three ways: fight, flight or freeze. We can choose to confront the threat by fighting, either physically or verbally. We can run away from the threat in an act of self preservation; again, this can be literal or it can be an emotional and psychological retreat. Finally, we can freeze, an experience of physical or psychic paralysis that won’t let us fight or flee but temporarily immobilizes us. The fight, flight or freeze reflex may kick in when people of conscience see or hear about the latest incident of Black death. I had this reaction when I first saw the video of George Floyd’s killing this week. A white cop calmly pressing his knee against the back of the neck of a prostrate Floyd, who was Black. Floyd pleaded with the officer, “I can’t breathe,” until Floyd lost consciousness and soon died. Another human being reduced to hashtags: #JusticeforGeorge and … [Read more...]