COVID-19 Response

“…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39

COVID-19 Precautions at Zion UMC
6/14/20

NOTE: Due to coronavirus precautions, we are adjusting how we worship, serve, and learn.

Sunday worship services will be held in our parking lot at 10:25 a.m. via low-power FM radio. Please keep a distance from other cars in order to safely roll down your window so we can hear each other singing and speaking. Please wear a face covering if you leave your car for any reason, and observe the 6-foot rule. We will celebrate Communion on the 1st Sunday of each month. Please bring bread and juice for everyone in your car.

The Food Pantry is open on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month from 4 -6:30 p.m. We are using a drive-through plan to minimize exposure and maximize safety for all.

We are collecting single-serve portions of non-perishable fruits and single-serve “main dishes” requiring minimal preparation (mac-n- cheese/pasta cups, etc.) to include in weekend food its for AW students at risk for hunger. (Please, no perishable items. We have plenty of chips, cookies, etc.)  Please place donations in the storage container near the door in our parking lot, and then contact us to let us know it’s there (so we can make sure it goes to students and not to critters!).

We meet on Thursday evenings at 7:00 via Zoom for Bible Study. Please contact Pastor Carol if you would like to join us and she will send you the link.

Please continue to check our web site or office phone, or “like” our Facebook page, for updates as we grow into this new way of worshiping. The congregation at Zion is keeping all in prayer as we move through this difficult time together.

As the coronavirus and its associated illness (COVID-19) become a fact of life in the U.S., it is necessary for all of us to take measures to slow its spread. An explosive increase in serious cases has the potential to overwhelm our health care system, especially our hospitals. If that were to happen, not only would COVID-19 victims not have access to hospital beds and equipment such as ventilators, but those with other serious conditions (like heart attacks, strokes, and so on) would also face a potential lack of available care.

Jesus tells us to love our neighbors in the same way we love ourselves. This means we have a responsibility to care for our own health and to care equally about the health of others. Taking steps personally and as a congregation to limit exposure as much as possible helps us to live out Jesus’ commandment and be loving members of our community.

All of us can take some basic personal precautions. The main one is to frequently wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds—the time it takes to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”  or — even better — a verse of your favorite hymn. (Use hand sanitizer as an alternative when soap and water aren’t available.) Cough and sneeze into a tissue and discard it immediately. (Viral particles coughed into an elbow can survive for days.) Contact your doctor and stay home if you develop COVID-19 symptoms: dry cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Educate yourself with accurate information, which may be found at sites like these:

Centers for Disease Control 
National Institutes of Health
Ohio Department of Health

Use of Building by Outside Organizations/Individuals
We will follow state guidelines about use of our building. When we can open it again, you may be asked to use these additional precautions:
* Users will be asked to bring disinfectant products and to sanitize surfaces, doorknobs, etc.
before leaving.
* Users will be asked to notify us if a member of their group becomes infected.