Dear Friends,

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld Governor Gavin Newsom's order suspending in-person religious gatherings.  What was asserted by opponents was the violation of First Amendment Rights.  However, the court found that the greater good was protecting the general welfare in preserving social distancing and public health.

Soon we hope this will change.  To that end, Governor Newsom's office has put out a PDF we can use.  From the Department of Public Health, we are, oddly, part of the "COVID-19 Industry Guidance" with specific reference to places of worship.  Being part of our state's "industry" is rather appealing from the standpoint of reminding us we are to be as caring of those who pack our frozen foods as of our neighbors in the pew next to us.  So with that illumination, we link you to our specific  "industrial" guidelines for reopening here  

In the meantime for everyone worshipping via Zoom or web pages or Facebook or however you're doing it, remember the pandemic is not over, and life will not go back to "normal".  It will take some adjustment by us all, but if we truly keep the faith, we will prevail.

Thanks to all of you who have written back concerning these email observations.  It's lovely to reconnect with many of you. You're a blessing to us here in Sacramento. 

Our last advice today from the sign on the elementary school in East Sacramento:  "Keep calm, and wash your hands."

Thank you.

Dear Friends,

As the president moves to force states to declare places of worship "essential", we offer viewpoints on the topic of resuming services in our churches, temples, mosques, and meeting houses.

We have received, through our allies at San Francisco Interfaith Council, the guidelines from California's Governor Gavin Newsom:

​We also received a thoughtful observation from Rev. Dr. William Barber, the founder of the Poor People's Campaign regarding our obligations to one another in this crisis. He pointed out that our first duty is the care for and of those around us. We need to put our longing for church community in the context of what harm it could cause to those whom we love and then to the broader communities around us.

In the opening verses of Matthew 10, Jesus sends his disciples to find and heal the sick. That takes precedence over preaching the Word. In the Age of Pandemic, our considerations need to be made in light of both faith and science, of our immediate beloved community and the broader reaches of our interactions with the world.  Early church, very primitive church, took place in the home. We can find our roots that way as well as in pews in our buildings. God is where the heart is. The rest is for deliberation. 

We hope the guidelines are useful. We know your good sense will help you find your individual and collective ways forward.

In addition, many of our member denominations have issued guidance and protocols for reopening and strongly encourage congregations to err on the side of compassion and safety.  For example, the California-Nevada Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church provides the following guidelines:

New Local Church Protocols for Preschools and Drive-in church gatherings

As new cases of coronavirus and deaths as a result of COVID-19 begin to decline in Nevada and California shelter in place restrictions are beginning to ease in phases. As we venture out with masks and hand sanitizer into our new normal, the Conference staff has been preparing new protocols for local churches so that as we begin to gather we continue to protect our faith family.

Many churches have wanted to take advantage of gathering for a 'drive in' worship in which folks gather in the church or alternate parking lot and stay in their cars. This may sound simple yet there are still necessary precautions to consider that keep folks safe and protected.

The drive-in protocol is posted on the conference coronavirus page. Click here to access the protocol.

Blessed be.

Dear Friends:

One of the scariest parts of being in lockdown to fight the coronoavirus in California is the possible lack of access to food. This is particularly hard for elders with limited mobility and incomes. Deliveries are great, when they exist, but they cost much more and strain limited budgets.

Here are resources that have been established in various counties to provide three hot meals a day to eligible seniors through June 10 of this year.  Please share this information widely in your congregations and communities.  

We want to share this information from our allies at In Home Supportive Services with you in case you want to participate or know others who could benefit from the "Great Plates" program that supports local restaurants and seniors on home isolation due to COVID-19. Here are the numbers to call or consult: 
 
http://211.org/ (Put in Your Zip Code to Find Number to Call)
 
L.A. County Joins Great Plates: here
 
Sacramento Zip Codes Call:
Dial 2-1-1
Or Toll-Free (800) 500-4931 Or Alternate (916) 498-1000
 
Sonoma County Zip Codes Call:
2-1-1
Or toll-free (800) 273-6222 or Text Your Zip Code to 898-211
 
Your income must be less than $74,900 to participate.
 
See main link & PDF: here
 
Main Link to All Senior Food and Other Programs:  Here  

We hope these resources will help you help others.

Stay safe.  Wash your hands!

Dear Friends,

For many years California Council of Churches and California Church IMPACT worked with an outstanding organization, the Applied Research Center. Originally based in Oakland, CA, they created several powerful programs to examine racism in our nation particularly in California.  We found their work to be of the highest standards as they examined legislative voting records, bias in our state budget and bills, and followed factors in our society that too often barred both equity and equality for communities of color.. 

Renamed Race Forward their programs have become truly national in scope. We now invite you to explore one of their new webinars looking at racism as a factor in how our nation is responding to the coronavirus pandemic, and how the pandemic is revealing the racism that already exists.

Please feel invited to share their work May 8 in the first of a series of webinars on this important topic.  Whether your concern is the unduly high mortality of Black and Brown people dying from COVID 19 or the rise of anti Asian hate crimes, these webinars hold important information for those of us dedicated to justice in our world.

To learn more please go here  We think you will find their in-depth analysis as helpful as we always have. 

Please stay safe and practice the best in pandemic prevention and in the creation of a humane society.

Thank you!

Dear Friends,

We came across a deliciously wonderful story about a young girl who "reached out and touched someone" through her letters.  We got permission from her father to repost it here.  We think this is something that will brighten your day and will remind all of us that we can contact people the "old fashioned way" - via letters.

We hope you enjoy this story.   


Em's Story as Told by Her Father
  
Emerson, my 11 year old, is on a bit of a wild ride with the @USPSand our local mail carrier, Doug.

And, I think there’s a deeper message to it all.

First, the backstory...

Em has a serious letter writing habit. She maintains active correspondence with over a dozen of her favorite people. And, if you’ve been the lucky recipient of one of Em’s hand decorated letters and envelopes, then you have a pretty good idea of the joy they bring. 
 
A letter from Emerson is likely to include some art, a joke or two, a mention of her younger brother, confessions of her love for Taylor Swift and enough questions to guarantee a response.

So, when she decided to thank our mail carrier for the service he provides us, she left nothing out. In went Taylor Swift, in went the little brother, in went the jokes.

Q: Why do you never see elephants hiding in trees?
A: Because they’re really good at it.

Em wrote, “I’m Emerson. You may know me as the person that lives here that writes a lot of letters & decorated the envelopes. Well, I wanted to thank you for taking my letters and delivering them. You are very important to me. I make people happy with my letters, but you do too.”

She continued, “The reason you are very important in my life is because I don’t have a phone so how else am I supposed to stay in touch with my friends? You make it possible!”

She put it in the box, smiled when he took it & that was enough.

The next day a package arrived with some stamps & two letters.

Doug had shared Em’s letter with his supervisor, Sara, and they both wanted to share how touched they were by her note. 

Sara said that, as an essential worker, Doug might not be able to maintain regular correspondence, but she sure could. Em started writing that very afternoon.
​
This is when things get interesting. The next week, we got a letter address to “Mr and Mrs Weber.” It seems that Sara had shared Em’s note as a “Token of Thanks” in the internal newsletter for the Western US and there were some postal folks that wanted to thank her.

​Today, we saw Doug getting out of the truck with two BOXES of letters from around the country. We snapped a quick photo through the door as he and Emerson met for the first time. It was a beautiful moment on silent reciprocity.

​These letters are so deeply human. They are filled with family, pets, hobbies, community and an overwhelming sense of kindness.

​Because Em was fully vulnerable, they were too.

Em shared jokes, so they shared jokes.

Em share her brother, so every gift that was sent came in duplicate.

Em shared @TaylorSwift13 and it turns out that the US Postal service is filled with lots of undercover Swifties.
One maintenance manager from Minnesota wanted to inspire her to start collecting stamps so he sent along two stamps of his own from the bulletin board in his office to start her collection.

​And, they sent stamps to be used as well. Stamps for her to write back. Stamps for her to write others. Stamps, stamps, stamps. (218 by Em’s count.)

​But, there was something more in these letters. People felt seen - some for the first time in a long time.

“I work alone in a small rural post office...”
“My kids all live far away...”
“Not a lot of people think about how hard we work...”
One wrote,
“I can’t tell you how much it means to read your letter...”

Another,
“I have a son in Kuwait and if you have a second to send him a letter he would love it.”

And another,
“I know you can’t write back to all of us, but maybe I can drop you a line from time to time?”
With dozens of new pen pals, Em did what she does best.

She wrote the dad.
She wrote his son.
She assured the secret swifties not to be embarrassed because her dad likes TSwift, too.
She acknowledged that there WERE a lot of letter but that she had time.
She sees them all.

​I’m not sharing this because I’m a proud dad.

I’m sharing it because it is relatively easy, if we take the time, to give others the one thing they need to be well - human connection.

I have a friend that says we all just want to be seen, known and loved.

Em does this boldly.
It’s #MentalHealthAwareness month and I want to be bold and brave like Em.

We’re all in a moment of physical isolation that is amplifying a real epidemic of loneliness, anxiety and depression.

I’ve been feeling it personally since long before we locked our front door.
In the second week of quarantine, I responded to hundreds of DMs from creatives who are feeling this disconnect in a significant way.

I heard from college students to senior executives who personally and professionally are stressed, worried and/or afraid.
Two weeks ago, I personally started working with a Talkspace therapist for the 1st time.

For years I’ve travelled the country talking about relationships of influence, but I’ve used that travel as an excuse not to seek the support I know I need.

This pause gave me time to act.
I have incredible family & friends, but the truth is that I needed more.

And, sending texts via an app has been the small step I needed.

Moral of the story: it’s the small things that matter most, friends.
Send a letter.
Make a call.
Practice self care.
Take a step of boldness.
For yourself or for others.

And, thank your mail carrier (from an appropriate distance.) They are working extremely hard to keep us all connected.
And, if any of you are feeling isolated, anxious, scared or depressed, those feelings are valid.

I’m feeling them, too.

And, I’m here if you need me.

❤️
We weren’t sure that a day could be more emotional than yesterday, but - my friends - you’ve topped it. We’re seeing all of your replies & retweets. We’re reading them aloud as a family. We’re absolutely in awe of the ripples of impact that have come from one letter. #WeSeeYou
And, if you’ve gotten this far, just know that you can start the same waves of goodness with the people that you count on, respect & love. (Maybe even your @USPS mail carrier.)

Just tell them that you miss them, love them or just see them. And, then, let us know what happens. ❤️

Dear Friends,

We are posting a statement from our former Council of Churches board member, Rev. Dr. Art Cribbs, Jr.  We found it insightful and want to share it with you.

 An Open Message:

Don't let the worst of us lead the rest of us!   

Nobody is a lesser or worse person than any other person, but, some of us are worse in our thinking.  When it comes to the pandemic and all the opinions and protests expressed across the nation along with pronouncements emanating from the White House, we are being bombarded with poor thinking broadcast through a mega microphone captured on radio, television, and across the Internet.  We need sound and sane leadership.  No compromise!  We can ill-afford to follow leadership that is laden with poor judgment and inexperience.

We need a commitment to pay close attention to the medical scientists who are NOT obligated to any political party or person.  We need to heed the directives of medical scientists whose lives are dedicated to the health and wellbeing of every person.  We don't need to follow the advice and misdirection of politicians or corporate business heads who place a higher value on money, the bottomline, and the economy than on the quality of our lives, Mother Nature, and the welfare of every person on Earth.  We need leadership dedicated to the restoration and preservation of our ecology, including air, water, and soil.

We are witnessing a public display of lesser minds in powerful positions.  On the one hand we need to pray for sound leadership rooted in compassion and good judgment.  On the other hand, we need to discern the voices and seek the truth without compromise.

This is the time when the past is behind us, the future is ahead of us, and only now is what we have and when we are living with reality.

Spread knowledge, compassion, love, and kindness.  Be gentle and stay safe!

Committed to Faithfulness,
​
Arthur 

Rev. Dr. Arthur Lawrence Cribbs, Jr.
Pastor
Los Angeles Filipino American UCC
Ethics Instructor for Law Enforcement Executives
California Department of Justice
Executive Director Emeritus
Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity
Former Broadcast News Director and Journalist

Dear Friends,

Despite the continuing gloom from being locked down and at risk of serious illness, today had two bright spots.

The Paycheck Protection Plan that was supposed to offer small businesses loans that became grants when used to help employees, has been fully funded for a second time.  Despite the abuses of the first round - money given to large corporations rather than small businesses and non profits - this round seems as if it will actually help us and our communities.  Never say never, but the public outcry was sufficient that several large firms gave their money back.  Your voice does matter here.

If you have an application in or need to start one, it will be through your bank or (I'm unsure of this, sorry) credit union.  They will have the applications and will walk you through them.  Remember, if the money goes to your employees, the loan converts to a grant. And that is very good news!

Second good bit of news is that the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act at this point by authorizing (demanding, but we're being polite) that the federal government pay insurers for the coverage they provided the last few years for people with pre-existing conditions.  The petitioners who wish ACA to die claimed Congress had ended ACA. That is not actually true, and the justices upheld the continued operation of the ACA.  That's particularly good news for states that continued to enroll and support their residents. It means the states, already stressed from covering pandemic costs, will not have to pay insurance companies themselves.

Small steps. But big ones in their way. 

Take heart from success.  It's too easy to miss it these days!

But still - wash your hands.

Peace.

Dear Friends,

In this new Plague Year, we are being confronted with decisions and actions that rarely impact people in civil society.   The hardest burden of fighting this pandemic is falling on every person in the medical community. It is for them we wish today to speak.

In addition to the techniques we all must manage to stay healthy and out of harm's way, our brothers and sisters in the medical community now face, day after day, decisions about who will live, who will die.  This is qualitatively different from the norm.  In our usual life and death encounters in cities and towns, medical personnel rarely have to triage - make instant choices about who is pretty much OK, who desperately needs medical intervention, and who is too grievously hurt for our medical actions to matter.  These are the stuff of rare emergencies such as 9/11.  It is the experience of the battlefield and MASH mobile hospital units.  It's not the experience of urban or rural practitioners, practitioners on reservations,  who are now overwhelmed with patients, many of them desperately ill, but for whom there are far too few treatments.

California Department of Public Health, at the request of hospitals, has created a checklist on standards of care in a world of pain coupled with a shortage of supplies.  Chief on the checklist is "longevity expectation" of the person in question. What this means is that older people, those with pre-existing conditions, those with disabilities, and various others will rate lower on the scale of treatment than will others.  California Church IMPACT, our sister organization that does advocacy, has protested, along with many allies,  the original plan ranking people almost exclusively be age and disability. The protest was entered at 6:00 last night. Some of our concerns were met by 8:30 this morning. But removing life expectancy as a factor was not.  

We know these are harsh conditions. We understand that there are often no good decisions. If you have 20 patients needing ventilators but only 15 ventilators, choices will have to be made.

And here is the moral injury.  There is not a doctor, nurse, anesthesiologist, respiratory therapist or any other provider who was taught to accept allowing someone to die as an answer to a shortage of supplies right here in America. 

We are now asking our medical professionals, the people also risking their own health and safety, to do what they were trained not to do, what society does not want them to do: let people die.

However much we understand the real dilemmas today, when this is over, we are going to have tens of thousands of people who were on the front lines of medical care now suffering from both PTSD and acute moral injury. 

It will be up to us in the faith community to help with the latter.  We should begin now to learn how to intervene, to help, to nurture and treat those who have served us sl valiantly but who were too often forced into choices no human being, much less a trained medical person, should ever have to make. Helping our fellow congregants, our neighbors and friends, cope with their own suffering will be acts of both trained professionals and of us, compassionate allies. and friends.  

There are numerous books on moral injury after war.  While this is in some ways worse since it's actions taken on home ground, the findings may be useful to you. One of them, Soul Repair, by Gabriella Lettini and Rita Nakashima Brock, has set a standard for our future understanding and our work.  Many others exist and may help guide us in our efforts to help make our medical community whole.

We hope we can begin now, even in the midst of the physical crisis, to prepare for the spiritual and soul-devastating impacts being experienced as part of the solutions. 

Thank you.