John Knox Presbyterian Church's Response to COVID-19 Concerns:
June 26, 2020
Dear friends,
In light of the dramatic upswing in hospitalizations due to COVID 19 in the Houston area, the Session of John Knox has again made the difficult decision to refrain from in-person worship until it is safe to do so. Gathering together this past Sunday has made this decision even more difficult for those who were there. We feel God’s presence when we are gathered, praying, singing, and reading God’s word. And we are confident that we will have that warm and comforting experience again, when things are safer. When we decide we can resume our activities, we will let you all know.
As a reminder, while we are physically separated from each other, there are still ways we can connect with God and each other:
Love in Christ,
Pastor Becky Downs
Jo Ann Zumwalt, for the Session
Dear friends,
In light of the dramatic upswing in hospitalizations due to COVID 19 in the Houston area, the Session of John Knox has again made the difficult decision to refrain from in-person worship until it is safe to do so. Gathering together this past Sunday has made this decision even more difficult for those who were there. We feel God’s presence when we are gathered, praying, singing, and reading God’s word. And we are confident that we will have that warm and comforting experience again, when things are safer. When we decide we can resume our activities, we will let you all know.
As a reminder, while we are physically separated from each other, there are still ways we can connect with God and each other:
- Read and pray the Daily Prayer, which is available through e-mail, Facebook, and our website.
- Watch the “virtual worship” service on Sundays at 10:30. This will be available on our website, johnknoxhouston.org, and the liturgy will be there and will also emailed to you ahead of time.
- If you need to contact us or even if you just need a listening ear, we are a phone call away. Call your care team leader, the church office or the pastor. Even though we are social distancing ourselves, we are still a community, and we will get through this by being there for one another. Please continue to offer your prayer concerns to our prayer chain.
- Keep in touch with friends, both from our church family and otherwise.
- Finally, if you are financially able, it is critical that we all continue to support John Knox with our offerings. Even though we are not worshipping in the sanctuary, our monthly expenses continue. JKPC staff still will receive normal pay, utilities still will be paid, insurance still will be paid, and more. There are two ways you can donate:
- Send check to the church at 2525 N. Gessner, Houston 77080. We will periodically check for mail delivery, and deposits will be made.
- We have recently set up an online banking tool. Go to our website at www.johnknoxhouston.org and scroll to the bottom of the home page. Click on the link to “give now”, and the instructions will lead you through the process. Call us at 713-462-5448 with any questions.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Becky Downs
Jo Ann Zumwalt, for the Session
For Help and Hope...
Below is some information from Hope Disaster Recovery regarding free food delivery for anyone you may know that is in need. There is also information for those interested in helping out.
CROWD SOURCE RESCUE:
This is a FREE food delivery service of the Houston Food Bank for those who are elderly or homebound. Those in need can go to www.CrowdSourceRescue.com to register for a free delivery of groceries.
VOLUNTEERS can go to the same site to register to make home food deliveries. Once they are authorized, they can start picking up prepackaged food from a Houston Food Bank Pantry and deliver it to the pre-approved recipient.
STEPHEN MINISTERS AND PASTORAL CARE PROVIDERS
VOLUNTEER NOW!
As this pandemic worsens, our protective measures are becoming more burdensome and costly. We understand the stress and emotional affect this is having on our neighbors.
The strains of constant togetherness or isolation are showing themselves in increased irritability, loss, depression, anxiety and fear. Many are feeling hopeless and lost in the darkness.
Can you share a few hours a week to be a listening ear and to share hope to help them cope?
Hope Disaster Recovery is in the process of developing HOPELine, a virtual call-in center to offer hope and encouragement to those who have nowhere to turn. While congregations are caring well for their members, many people are not connected to any community of faith and have nowhere to turn for support and comfort.
Please consider making your caregiving skills available during this unprecedented time by volunteering to serve from the comfort of your home.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Completed the Stephen Ministries course or received pastoral care training.
2. Attend an upcoming virtual hour-long training specific to compassionate care during this pandemic.
3. Be willing to serve one shift per week (4 hours)
Please register here to volunteer. Thank you!
If you have any questions, please contact Cathy.Beasley@hopedrtx.org.
Thank you to our collaborative partners!
SHUR (Southwest Houston United Responds)
Houston's First Baptist
Naomi Paget: Chairperson of NVOAD's Emotional & Spiritual Care Committee
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CROWD SOURCE RESCUE:
This is a FREE food delivery service of the Houston Food Bank for those who are elderly or homebound. Those in need can go to www.CrowdSourceRescue.com to register for a free delivery of groceries.
VOLUNTEERS can go to the same site to register to make home food deliveries. Once they are authorized, they can start picking up prepackaged food from a Houston Food Bank Pantry and deliver it to the pre-approved recipient.
STEPHEN MINISTERS AND PASTORAL CARE PROVIDERS
VOLUNTEER NOW!
As this pandemic worsens, our protective measures are becoming more burdensome and costly. We understand the stress and emotional affect this is having on our neighbors.
The strains of constant togetherness or isolation are showing themselves in increased irritability, loss, depression, anxiety and fear. Many are feeling hopeless and lost in the darkness.
Can you share a few hours a week to be a listening ear and to share hope to help them cope?
Hope Disaster Recovery is in the process of developing HOPELine, a virtual call-in center to offer hope and encouragement to those who have nowhere to turn. While congregations are caring well for their members, many people are not connected to any community of faith and have nowhere to turn for support and comfort.
Please consider making your caregiving skills available during this unprecedented time by volunteering to serve from the comfort of your home.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Completed the Stephen Ministries course or received pastoral care training.
2. Attend an upcoming virtual hour-long training specific to compassionate care during this pandemic.
3. Be willing to serve one shift per week (4 hours)
Please register here to volunteer. Thank you!
If you have any questions, please contact Cathy.Beasley@hopedrtx.org.
Thank you to our collaborative partners!
SHUR (Southwest Houston United Responds)
Houston's First Baptist
Naomi Paget: Chairperson of NVOAD's Emotional & Spiritual Care Committee
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
713.874.6588 | www.CatholicCharities.org offers support for seniors.
The Senior Program supports older adults age 60 and up so you can live independently and with dignity. Our compassionate staff visits with seniors on an ongoing basis. We work with you to assess your needs, then provide assistance and connections to resources.
Personal attention. No fee for services.
Please see the attachment below for more information.
713.874.6588 | www.CatholicCharities.org offers support for seniors.
The Senior Program supports older adults age 60 and up so you can live independently and with dignity. Our compassionate staff visits with seniors on an ongoing basis. We work with you to assess your needs, then provide assistance and connections to resources.
Personal attention. No fee for services.
Please see the attachment below for more information.
| 2019_senior_program_12-20-19__2_.pdf |
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS
FROM PRESBYTERY OF NEW COVENANT:
An expansion on what was in today's Tuesday Connect regarding Hurricane and Tropical Weather preparedness:
With COVID understandably taking over most of our bandwidth, Hurricane Season preparedness may have slipped the minds of many. This week there is potential for a tropical event that most meteorologists predict will be nothing more than a rain event for the coming weekend. As we know though, a rain event could still cause flooding and other issues for us in Southeast Texas which means we need to be prepared.
A few tips for preparedness:
*Utilize this list from ready.gov to help you in making sure you have what you need on hand. https://www.ready.gov/kit
*This list for clean up buckets from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is meant for collecting buckets for donation, but is also a great list for tools, cleaning supplies, etc that you may need in case of a disaster. https://pda.pcusa.org/page/kits/#bucket
*Ensure you have a detailed inventory of household items: furniture, electronics, keepsakes, clothing, etc. Pictures always help as does having serial numbers for your electronics when it comes time to file claims.
*Make sure you have all important documents and a list of phone numbers in a waterproof and fireproof container. You may also want to ensure you have digital copies stored in the cloud instead of only on your computer or physical hard drive. (OneDrive, Drop Box, Google Drive, and Amazon Drive are some examples of cloud storage services.)
*Make sure your flood insurance is up to date. If you do not have flood insurance, you may want to consider getting it as more places with no history of flooding have started having flooding issues. Generally, your homeowner's policy does not cover flood damage. More information about flood insurance can be found here. https://www.floodsmart.gov/
While it may not be feasible to purchase all of the items in the lists linked above at one time, you may want to consider picking up a few items with each grocery trip or online shopping order. For example, each time my family gets groceries we get a few gallons of water and canned goods to keep on hand. This keeps the cost spread out over time and allows us to avoid any shortages that could come from the rush when a storm is headed our way.
If you or your congregation are interested in getting involved in disaster preparedness and recovery, please email me, Jamie Hannan, Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Coordinator for the Presbytery of New Covenant, at jhannan@pbyofnewcovenant.org. I look forward to connecting with you.
Stay safe,
This may be a good time to check to make sure you have your hurricane season supplies on hand.
See this website for a thorough list of supplies you may want to get: https://www.ready.gov/kit.
An expansion on what was in today's Tuesday Connect regarding Hurricane and Tropical Weather preparedness:
With COVID understandably taking over most of our bandwidth, Hurricane Season preparedness may have slipped the minds of many. This week there is potential for a tropical event that most meteorologists predict will be nothing more than a rain event for the coming weekend. As we know though, a rain event could still cause flooding and other issues for us in Southeast Texas which means we need to be prepared.
A few tips for preparedness:
*Utilize this list from ready.gov to help you in making sure you have what you need on hand. https://www.ready.gov/kit
*This list for clean up buckets from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is meant for collecting buckets for donation, but is also a great list for tools, cleaning supplies, etc that you may need in case of a disaster. https://pda.pcusa.org/page/kits/#bucket
*Ensure you have a detailed inventory of household items: furniture, electronics, keepsakes, clothing, etc. Pictures always help as does having serial numbers for your electronics when it comes time to file claims.
*Make sure you have all important documents and a list of phone numbers in a waterproof and fireproof container. You may also want to ensure you have digital copies stored in the cloud instead of only on your computer or physical hard drive. (OneDrive, Drop Box, Google Drive, and Amazon Drive are some examples of cloud storage services.)
*Make sure your flood insurance is up to date. If you do not have flood insurance, you may want to consider getting it as more places with no history of flooding have started having flooding issues. Generally, your homeowner's policy does not cover flood damage. More information about flood insurance can be found here. https://www.floodsmart.gov/
While it may not be feasible to purchase all of the items in the lists linked above at one time, you may want to consider picking up a few items with each grocery trip or online shopping order. For example, each time my family gets groceries we get a few gallons of water and canned goods to keep on hand. This keeps the cost spread out over time and allows us to avoid any shortages that could come from the rush when a storm is headed our way.
If you or your congregation are interested in getting involved in disaster preparedness and recovery, please email me, Jamie Hannan, Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Coordinator for the Presbytery of New Covenant, at jhannan@pbyofnewcovenant.org. I look forward to connecting with you.
Stay safe,
This may be a good time to check to make sure you have your hurricane season supplies on hand.
See this website for a thorough list of supplies you may want to get: https://www.ready.gov/kit.
