Coronavirus Response

  • Home
  • A-Z List
  • About
    • About the NCC
    • Connectional Table
    • Staff
  • Calendar
    • Events
    • Google Calendar
    • Past Events
  • Churches
  • Contact
    • Find Us
  • Districts
    • District Office
    • Beacon
    • Capital
    • Corridor
    • Fairway
    • Gateway
    • Harbor
    • Heritage
    • Sound
  • Employment
  • Search

NC Conference

Healthy Congregations and Effective Leaders in Every Place Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

  • Discipleship
    Developing Disciples
    • Christian Formation
      • Children
      • Church & Society
      • College
      • Differently Abled Persons
      • Educational Ministries
      • Older Adults
      • Status & Role of Women
      • Young Adults
      • Youth
    • Church Revitalization
      • Coaching
      • Disciple Making Way
      • Evangelism
      • Grants
      • MissionInsite
      • Real Discipleship Survey
      • Shift
      • Spiritual Life
    • From the Bishop
      • Bishop’s Bookshelf
      • Bishop’s Sermons
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
      • Connections
      • Discipleship & Learning Plan
    • Multicultural
      • Asian
      • Hispanic/Latino
      • Native American
      • Strengthening the Black Church
    • Stewardship
      • Apportionments
      • District Remittances
      • Financial Discipleship
      • Grants
      • Insurance
      • Mission & Service
      • Pension
      • Treasurer Training
  • Leadership
    Strengthening Leaders
    • Bishop’s Office
      • Appointment Book
      • Bishop’s Sermons
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
      • Connections
      • Discipleship & Learning Plan
    • Ministerial Relations
      • Board of Ordained Ministry
      • Called to Ministry?
      • Extension Ministries
    • Board of Laity
      • Certified Lay Minister
      • Lay Servant Ministries
      • Local Church Lay Leaders
      • United Methodist Men
      • United Methodist Women
      • United Methodist Youth
    • New Faith Comm.
      • Called to Plant?
      • New Room Society
      • Our Communities
    • Conference Offices
      • Center for Leadership Excellence
      • Christian Formation
      • Communications
      • Conference Secretary
      • Connectional Ministries
      • Information Technology
      • Multicultural Ministries
      • Outreach Ministry
      • Treasurer’s Office
  • Service
    Ministering To The World
    • Local Outreach
      • Church Construction
      • Church Loans
      • Restorative Justice and Mercy
      • Disciple Bible Outreach
      • NCC UMVIM
      • Seed Funds
      • Mission Projects
        • Health Ministry
    • Global Outreach
      • Imagine No Malaria
      • Love for Liberia
      • Missionaries
      • Project AGAPE
      • Sierra Leone: Mission of Hope
      • ZOE
    • Disaster Ministries
      • Donate to Storm Response
      • Hurricane Florence
      • MERCI
      • Response Plan
      • Response Team
      • UMCOR Kits
    • Giving
      • Advance/Rainbow Covenant
      • Apportionments
      • Give to Storm Response
      • Mission & Service
      • The Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment
      • New Room Society
      • Special Sundays
    • Ministry Partners
      • Camps & Retreats
      • Partners In Ministry
      • Robeson Co. Church & CC
      • UMF
  • Resources
    Supporting Ministry
    • Conferences
      • Annual Conference 2019
      • Annual Conference 2020
      • Charge Conference 2020
      • General Conference
      • Pilgrimage
      • SEJ Conference 2016
    • Media Center
      • Catalog
      • Labyrinth
      • Ministry Tools
      • Online Resources
      • Weekly Newsletter
    • Online Resources
      • Archives & History
      • Church Lookup
      • Online Data Collection
      • Online Learning
      • Pastor Lookup
      • Podcasts (NCCUMC.FM)
      • Ramus: Web Hosting
      • Video (Vimeo)
    • Publications
      • Advent 2020
      • Appointment Book
      • Bible Study
      • Conference Directory
      • Conference Journal
      • Every Day Grace
      • Lenten Reflections
      • Mission & Service
    • From UMC.org
      • Agencies
      • Communications
      • Discipleship
      • Finance & Administration
      • Global Ministries
      • Graphics Library
      • Relief
      • Status & Role of Women

October 1, 2009

Worship in flu season
 
As many churches prepare for the Celebration of World Communion Sunday on October 4, congregants are expressing fear about the sacrament and the rapid spread of the H1N1 Virus.  Just how safe is it to observe the Sacrament of Holy Communion?  It is one of the great gifts of faith to receive the sacrament, and there is no need to avoid the Table.
 
Precautions may be taken to lessen danger of exposure to the H1N1 Virus or any other disease that is spread by human contact. 
 
—-The most significant precaution may be in the Passing of the Peace.  Invite worshipers to greet one another without physical contact, using instead a raised hand or a gentle bow to acknowledge the other.
—-Place hand sanitizer at the entry of the worship space or small containers in every pew. 
—-The Celebrant and servers sanitize their hands prior to serving the bread and cup.
—-Servers break the bread and place it in the hands of the worshiper, rather than allowing the worshiper to tear off the bread in turn.
—-The cup server may tilt the cup so that it is not likely any will dip their fingers into the cup and make contact with the juice.
 
For further reading and understanding of the best practices for worship in this time, please go to the website of the General Board of Discipleship, www.gbod.org, and in the left hand column, click on Worship.  The second article on the page is H1N1 Virus/Swine Flu, What’s the Deal, What to Do and What Not to Do, by Taylor Burton-Edwards, and the entire article may be reprinted for your congregation’s newsletter or bulletin.
 
Please do not allow fear to discourage full participatory worship!  God is graciously offering us the Bread of Life and the Cup of Forgivenesss!  People of faith all over the world will be united around the Table this Sunday, and there are many in the world that desperately need to feel our love and support on this Sunday.  The suffering from natural disaster, poverty, war and persecution are everyday realities for many.  This does not minimize the threat of communicable disease; rather, we all are called to prayer and trust in the One whose love is greater than all the fear and struggle we face from any source.
 
May God be with you in your worship this Sunday and every Sabbath!
 
—Carol Goehring

Helpful Resources


Church Lookup

Media Center

Pastor Lookup

Online Data Collection

Get Email Updates

Sign up below to receive email updates from the NC Conference. You'll get daily News & Events, messages from the Bishop and more.

The NC Conference respects your privacy. See our Privacy Policy.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube
Learn more about the NC Conference

RSS Recent Site Updates

  • Day 14 – Kennedy Gray
  • La Semilla Helping to Vaccinate the Community
  • April Designated “Second Chance Month” & Conference-wide Service on April 11
  • Freedom Global Advance #S00302
  • Local Church Internal Controls and Audit Online Workshop – March 25, 2021
  • Redeeming Creation Conference
  • The Pause Made Us Better – NCCU Wesley Fellowship
  • Day 13 – Rev. Tim Catlett
  • Remembering Dr. Efird & Rev. Dotson
  • Day 12 – Rev. Mattheue Locklear

RSS UM News Service

  • It is time to separate
  • Another GC2020 delay brings relief, chagrin
  • A vision of new United Methodism
  • The content of our character

NC Conference of The United Methodist Church · 700 Waterfield Ridge Place · Garner, NC 27529
Phone: 919.779.6115 · Toll-free: 800.849.4433 · Fax: 919.773.2308

Copyright © 2021 · Privacy Policy · Powered by WordPress · Site Admin

  • e
  • k