July 30, 2021
Virginia Annual Conference,
On July 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new recommendation regarding mask-wearing. First, we would like to remind all our churches that the CDC functions as an advisory board, and the Governor encourages Virginians to follow the CDC guidelines. Second, we allowed fully vaccinated members to unmask in our transition from Healthy Church Teams (HCT) to Post-Covid ReEntry Groups (PRG). Therefore, unvaccinated members should be wearing a mask in all functions of the church. We still believe that the best practice is for everyone, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, to wear a mask at public gatherings.
According to the new CDC guidelines, it says, “wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.” Churches and their PRG team should observe the transmission rate within their community and decide whether or not to ask fully vaccinated members to wear a mask.
The PRG team’s recommendation on mask-wearing has been consistent. Asking fully vaccinated members to mask does not negate the efficacy of the vaccine. Instead, it shows how we need to continue loving and protecting everyone. The best-proven method to prevent further loss and protect each other from this variant is by having everyone fully vaccinated. We ask each church to continue encouraging everyone eligible to be vaccinated to get the shot.
At this time, the Bishop and Cabinet appreciate the local church’s effort on setting parameters to stop the spread of COVID-19 and keeping their community safe. We ask each PRG team to utilize the resource below and other resources, such as PRG page, CDC, and VDH, to make safe and sound decisions.
Thank you for your leadership.
In Christ,
Bishop, Cabinet, & VAUMC PRG Team
Resources
CDC COVID-19 Intergrated County View – https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view
This page helps churches to see the level of community transmission in their county. Can be used as a tool to learn if the county your church is located in is in the high transmission area. If you have members residing in adjacent counties, please make sure to check their transmission rate as well.
CDC guidance for implementing COVID-19 prevention stratagies – https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7030e2.htm
This page offers guidelines on how to best use of the data in determining if your church is in need to revisit your plan on masking.
Virginia Department of Health COVID Data – https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-in-virginia-lo
This page helps churches to search various COVID-19 related data in their community, surrounding their local church.
Reporting Positive cases – https://vaumc.org/prg-best-practices/
On this page, please scroll down and find, “What happens when the church is informed about a positive case?” It provides a step-by-step procedure to report and inform in helping your church to respond.
Proactive Response to surging cases – https://doc.vaumc.org/PRG/Proactiveresponseexample.docx
A customizable plan to proactively respond to situations where their community spread surges. Special thanks to St. Luke’s UMC, Danville District, for sharing this information.
For more information email the Rev. Seungsoo ‘RJ’ Jun at Serving@vaumc.org
Post-COVID Re-entry Group
Bishop Sharma D. Lewis announced a shift in the way the Annual Conference will address the current pandemic at a progress report webinar held on April 26. A new Post-COVID Re-entry Group (PRG) convened by the Rev. Seungsoo ‘RJ’ Jun will take over the duties of the existing COVID work groups (Back to In-Person Worship and Mission & Ministry) as of May 1, 2021. The new PRG will incorporate members of the current workgroups and will begin the proactive work of resourcing churches for ministry in the coming post-pandemic environment.
New Post-COVID Re-entry Group Introduced at April 26 Webinar
April 27, 2021 — Bishop Sharma D. Lewis announced a shift in the way the Annual Conference will address the current pandemic at a progress report webinar held on April 26. A new Post-COVID Re-entry Group (PRG) convened by the Rev. Seungsoo ‘RJ’ Jun will take over the duties of the existing COVID work groups (Back to In-Person Worship and Mission & Ministry) as of May 1, 2021.
The new PRG will incorporate members of the current workgroups and will begin the proactive work of resourcing churches for ministry in the coming post-pandemic environment. The group will also continue the focus on assisting churches to engage in safe practices as they conduct in-person worship and ministry.
“The pandemic is not over and there is still a need for vigilance,” said the Rev. Alex Joyner, chair of the existing worship workgroup. “But churches and leaders are ready to look ahead with hope to what comes next. This new group expects that God will do a great new thing among us and will help us be open to the possibilities of this moment.”
NEW Technical Assistance Manual (TAM)
New TAM – Stage 3 (pdf)
New TAM – Stage 3 (Word)
FORMER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE MANUAL
Technical Assistance Manual (pdf)
Technical Assistance Manual (Word)
Mitigation Assistance Plan (MAP)
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