COVID-19 Update from Iowa Conference Disaster Coordinator Brice Hughes

It is my opinion that reopening churches for worship is a worse idea now than it was in March. Infection numbers are rising precipitously. Recent ratings on cases per capita basis having Iowa at #8, Nebraska at #21, and South Dakota at #27. Attending church is considered to be among the highest risk activities.

Risk Level 9: bars, large music concerts, sports stadiums, gyms
Risk Level 8: Amusement parks, churches, buffets

The National Setting offices will remain closed at least until the end of the year and your Conference Offices are following suit. Please do everything you can to keep your congregations, communities, and yourselves safe. Churches are strongly urged to be patient and not to return to in-person worship until it is safe to do so.

Resources can be found on the conference’s COVID-19 webpage (www.ucctcm.org/covid-19/) and also at:
–https://www.ucc.org/coronavirus
–https://www.insuranceboard.org/covid-19-resources/
–https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/community-based.html
–http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/COVID-19-Directed-Health-Measures.aspx 
–http://dhhs.ne.gov/Documents/COVID-19-Guidelines-for-the-Conduct-of-Faith-Based-Services.pdf
–http://dhhs.ne.gov/Documents/COVID-19-Faith-Based-Communities-FAQ.pdf

-Brice Hughes, Iowa Conference Disaster Coordinator