May 22, 2020
3:30 p.m.
 

STATEMENT FROM BISHOP THOMAS J. BICKERTON
REGARDING THE OPENING OF UNITED METHODIST CHURCHES
IN THE NEW YORK ANNUAL CONFERENCE
 

Today in his morning press conference, Governor Andrew Cuomo  announced that another 105 New Yorkers died yesterday from the COVID-19  virus.  Governor Ned Lamont announced yesterday that another 53  Connecticut residents died as well.  In the last seven days alone,  nearly 1,500 people who live within close proximity of our churches have  died from this deadly virus. These facts alone reveal that we live in a  region that cannot be compared with any other place in the country or  world.  What others are attempting to do in other regions would only  result in increased infection, hardship and death if we were to try to  do the same.
 

Two days ago, a team of leaders in our Annual Conference completed work  and issued a twenty-six page document giving specific direction and  instructions on how to prepare our church facilities and our people for  the potential re-opening of our churches based on the metrics and  guidelines provided by the State of New York and Connecticut, thorough  and carefully crafted steps provided several weeks ago by the Centers  for Disease Control, and additional measures set forth by my office.
 

In contrast to the above statements, today, the President of the United  States announced that all churches would be declared “essential  services” and gave them permission to open this weekend.  This directive  was given with no guidance for safety precautions, sanitation  guidelines, or sensitivity to vulnerable age-groups, those with  pre-existing conditions, or those who have been disproportionately  affected due to poverty, systemic racism, or economic hardship. 
 

I am writing to each of you, the clergy and lay leadership of the New  York Annual Conference to clarify this situation with some clear  guidance and direction from my office: 

1.  We will continue to live out of our theological understandings of  the Christian faith as well as the principles of “doing no harm” to  others, and our mission to provide safe places for all people to gather  when the time is right.
    
2. Our United Methodist churches will not be permitted to open this weekend.  Our churches have officially been closed until June 15th at the earliest and will open on a regional basis when advance  preparation is done, certification is granted, and final permission is  given by the District Superintendent’s office in consultation with my  office.
    
3. Each church within the New York Annual Conference is  still under specific direction from my office to begin work on  completing the necessary steps for re-opening as provided in the  document, “New York Annual Conference Covid-19 Guidelines for Church Re-opening.”   The detailed steps and guidance provided in this document will provide a  safe and clear pathway for our churches to prepare for re-opening when  the appropriate time comes.  I will be hosting a webinar next Tuesday,  May 26 at 10:00 a.m. for clergy and 5:00 p.m. for laity where more  specific information will be shared.  The link for the PDF file of those  guidelines can be found here: https://www.nyac.com/files/pdfs/nyac-covid-19-guidelines-for-church-reopening.pdf.
    
4. This is not the time to find loopholes or detours for the  guidance we have clearly provided.  If you have any questions or  concerns, I would be more than happy to address them with you through  your District Superintendent.  Please contact your Superintendent who  will contact me with your concerns.

There are numerous examples across the country of houses of worship  that rebelled against the advice of experts, decided to open their  churches for worship, choir practice, or some other activity, and ended  up infecting dozens of their parishioners as a result. We must act  smartly, safely, and in cooperation with one another as we seek the  right answers for how to re-open our churches.  In the meantime, we ARE  providing essential services that care for the well-being of our people  through livestream, internet, and zoom technology in worship, study,  reflection and counseling.  Those essential services must be maintained  as we respond to the needs of our people.
 

Finally, these are not days to be swayed by decisions that are made for  political purposes.  As Governor Cuomo has been fond of saying, this is  not a time for red or blue politics.  It is time for red, white, and  blue collaboration.  And, for us, this is not a time for independent  Methodists to act unilaterally.  It IS a time for UNITED Methodists in  New York and Connecticut to pull together and send a clear message to  each of our communities that we will exercise our “essential” services  by first and foremost taking care of our people in mind, spirit, soul  AND body.
 

I look forward to worshipping with many of you this weekend during your online worship experiences.

The Journey Continues, . . . 

Thomas Bickerton
Resident Bishop

May 8, 2020

Dear Friends & Colleagues,
 

Grace and peace to each of you.  I pray that this latest update finds  you blessed and centered on the grace of God available to us all.

As we continue working our way through this pandemic, there are some  clear realities still very much in play around us.  The level of  pain  and death all around us is sobering.  When you look at maps and  projections, it is clear that we are at the epicenter. Within our  context of life and ministry, we having to deal with the magnitude of  this virus on a scale found nowhere else on planet earth.  It has  affected our families, friends, and local churches.  It has highlighted  injustices, people on the margins, and revealed the depth of systemic  racism that has lessened the importance of certain individuals at the  expense of the privileged who maintain control and power-- whether it is  found in the safety of our homes or  in the  ability to stockpile food   or to have access to services to keep us healthy. 
 

Some days it seems like too much. And yet, there are inspiring stories  of  determination and hope that give us reason to believe that God is at  work in and through us to truly make a difference in the people we are  called to serve.
 

Getting Back to “Normal”
One of the realities we are facing is that we are beginning to enter  another phase in this pandemic.  It is a phase that you can see emerging  across the country related to,“When can we get back to normal?”  It’s  a phase where tensions and anxieties and outbursts are beginning to  happen on the steps of state capitols and in the living rooms of our  homes.  Whether it’s the desperate need for a paycheck or the simple  reality of cabin fever, some days it seems like it’s too much to handle  and the outbursts appear to be more  about our anxiety than it is about  the particular issue being raised.
 

I truly worry about us in this next phase, especially as it related to  our mental health and our spiritual well-being.  I worry about us  falling into the trap of unnecessarily focusing on things that are minor  in the midst of this big major that we are dealing with. I worry about  doing harm through the words we inappropriately speak or the actions  that we don’t intend to do but can’t find a way to avoid because we are  smothered  by emotions and anxieties about our world and our lives being  turned upside down. 
 

It reminds me of the dilemma Paul described in Romans 7:   “I  do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do  the very thing I hate. . . .  I can will what is right, but I cannot do  it.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.  (Romans 7” 15, 18-19) 
 

It is so important for us, in this vulnerable time, to breathe, think  before we speak, be in touch with our inner drivers, and set as an  intentional pattern the need to be careful with one another each moment  of the day. 
 

A Time for Self-Care & a Weekend of Sabbath
I want to remind each of you to take good care of yourselves.  If you  are having a tough time, confide in a friend or a therapist.  If you  don’t know where to turn, reach out to us and we’ll help you find the  assistance you need.  And, remember to find time for quiet reflection,  solitude, prayer and reading.  Think twice about your reactions and  over-reactions.  Just breathe.
 

As you are aware, our Annual Conference session has been postponed until  this fall.  We are still working out the details of this much  abbreviated session and will let you know about the dates and plans as  soon as we know. 
 

But the postponement of Annual Conference gives us a window for the  renewal and rest I have been talking about.  Our Annual Conference was  scheduled for Thursday, June 11 – Sunday, June 14.  Those are dates that  should already be  marked on your calendar, dates when pastors were  already expected to be away from their pulpits and away from their  day-to-day activities.
 

I am announcing today that the dates originally scheduled  for Annual Conference, Thursday-Sunday, June 11-14 are being set aside  for a period of pastoral respite and renewal.  I am asking  for local churches to support their pastors taking these four days for  rest, renewal and reflection.  Our Conference staff will be organizing  an online worship service on that Sunday, June 14, to be made available  as a substitute for every worship service across the conference so that  our pastors and their worship teams can have a break from their  preparation on that Sunday. 
 

There is much being asked of all of us.  I pray that we can be  supportive of this need to provide our leaders with an intentional time  of rest and that our leaders can take advantage of this opportunity.
 

Remaining Centered on our Values
One of the things that I frequently celebrate is being able to claim my  faith as a United Methodist Christian. The combination of the gospel  message and directives of Jesus to love God and love neighbor with the  unique features of our Wesleyan understanding of faith based on Personal  Holiness & Social Holiness, as well as the directive to do no harm,  do good, and stay in love with God, and the core principles of Saving  Grace, Justifying Grace, and Sanctifying Grace; these cause me to  celebrate how I have been formed and am being formed into the likeness  of Christ every day.

• When I walk outside and witness the beauty of God’s creation  emerging in the springtime, as a United Methodist Christian I  immediately begin to think about our emphasis on the stewardship of  creation and need to care for the earth that God has provided.
• When I read the paper or listen to the news and hear about how the  people on the margins--, the immigrant, the vulnerable in the nursing  homes, the people victimized by systemic racism--  and others who are  suffering greatly from the effects of the Coronavirus, I immediately  begin to draw upon my Methodist upbringing and our emphasis to be  involved in transmitting the gospel through acts of social justice,  dismantling racism, and care for the poor.
• When I look at a communion chalice or a baptismal font,  I  immediately begin to celebrate a Methodist theology of acceptance,  inclusion, and welcome for everyone to join us at the table and on the  journey toward Christ-like holiness.
• When I see an offering plate, I immediately begin to draw upon a  faith that says that for those who have been given much, much is  required.  That tithing and faithful giving, even in the midst of  hardship and uncertainty, will be blessed by God.
• And when I stand in a pulpit, I immediately begin to focus on the  opportunity to transmit the word of God in some way that will create a  spark, light a fire, or cause someone to find hope and joy as we  evangelize the world for Christ. 

Those are the values we hold dear as United Methodist Christians and  they are the values that will continue to inform every decision we make  moving forward in the midst of this pandemic.  We cannot do anything  less than that.
 

Specific Actions Moving Forward
That leads me to some specifics related to where we are and where we are going as an Annual Conference.
 

As you know and as you feel, the questions about when to re-open our  churches is a burning question.  As I have stated before, we are going  to take our lead from the state governments in New York and  Connecticut.  In those governments there are game plans being developed  for a gradual re-opening based on the fulfillment of certain criteria.   We will comply and follow those guidelines completely.  Here are some  specifics:

1. Our churches will remain closed through at least the end of May. 
2. We are in the process of working with the governments guidelines to create our own plan for potential re-opening. 
   1. We do not have a specific date set for a re-opening.
   2. We are in a very unique situation.  We are not Florida or Georgia.  We will plan according to the extremities of our context.
   3. Our plan is to do a phased in approach depending on the region, very much like what is being planned in NY & CT.
   4. We are currently working on guidelines and protocols for each of  our churches to follow on how to re-open when the time comes.  Those  will be in your hands in the next week or so once they are completed.
   5. We know that it is important to you, as it is to us, to re-gather  at some point in our local churches.  But we will only do so at the  appropriate time with the strict guidelines for cleaning, social  distancing, and smart strategies.  We have to remember that a large  portion of our membership falls into the category of the most  vulnerable.  We also know that some of the biggest spikes of the virus  and some of the biggest indiscretions of in-person gatherings have  happened in churches. 
   6. Most of all, we will draw upon our values through it all:
      1. We will not do harm to others. 
      2. We will act smartly but lean heavily on our faith that God will guide our paths and see us through.
      3. We will love deeply, even if it means further sacrifices. 

As a result of the major impact on our region due to the Coronavirus, there are  several announcements I am making:

1. Move Day
   Normally our move day for pastors is July 1.We have greatly reduced the  number of moves this season by nearly 50%. Still, churches have  vacancies and they are filled by our itinerant system and process.But,  since our churches have been closed for some time and will need to be  re-started and re-focused at the appropriate time, I am moving move day from July 1 to August 1 to give pastors in their current settings a chance to get the church  back on its feet before leaving.Churches will need to prepare to receive  their new pastors and pastors moving will need to make plans for their  transition on August 1.
    
2. Retirements
   Retired pastors are being asked to remain in place as well during that  interim period.Since Annual Conference is begin delayed, retired pastors  will be officially retired AD INTERIM on August 1 so that they  may begin to receive their pensions at the appropriate time.They will  then be officially retired when the Annual Conference convenes this  fall.
    
3. UMCOR/Impact Grants
   Through the generosity of UMCOR, the NEJ Multi-ethnic Center, a  re-allocation of Annual Conference funds, and the UM City Society, we  are preparing to make significant contributions to feeding and outreach  ministries of local churches in parts of our Annual Conference where  ethnic and racial minority and other vulnerable populations are being  disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. We are currently working  to organize these grants and will be making distributions to identified  areas/programs within the next 7-10 days.
    
4. Technology Grants
   We are continuing to develop online training and webinars on how to  improve online worship, zoom meetings, and other ministries that are  being developed in the “new normal.” A redistribution of our funds is  being made to provide grants in order to continue to grow our outreach  and to make deeper connections with the people we are now reaching  through livestream and other internet technologies. We need to be  planning for this form of outreach and evangelism to continue long after  we have permission to regather in person. Guidelines are being  developed regarding the parameters around how these grants can be  secured.
    
5. Re-Imagining NYAC
   I am forming a Re-Imagining NYAC Task Force of laity and clergy to help  us think through what we have learned from these past few months and  what we need to set in place as a re-imagined Annual Conference.I pray  that this will be a very open and engaging conversation about how we  must adapt many of the norms and protocols of our ministry as a result  of the pandemic and its life-changing and culture-changing impact. 

What all of this means is that in some areas we are moving quickly  (outreach and intentional caring ministries) while in other areas we are  moving slowly and methodically (re-opening and intentional steps to  take extreme care for how we re-enter once again) in others.
 

In the midst of it all I urge you to: breathe, remember our values,  treat each other with grace and patience, and in every situation you  face, especially in the places where you are tempted to react in ways  that may do harm to others by the words you say/actions you take,  demonstrate your deep love for God and for one.
 

In his unique book, Guerillas of Grace, Ted Loder writes:
 

O God, complete the work you have begun in me.
Release through me

• A flow of mercy and gentleness that will bring:
• Water where there is desert,
• Healing where there is hurt,
• Peace where there is violence,
• Beauty where there is ugliness,
• Justice where there is brokenness,
• Beginnings where there are dead-ends.

Waken in me 

• Gratitude for my life,
• Love for every living thing,
• Joy in what is human and holy,
• Praise for you.

Renew my faith that you are God

• Beyond my grasp but within my reach;
• Past my knowing but within my searching;
• Disturber of the assured, assurer of the disturbed;
• Destroyer of illusions, creator of dreams;
• Source of silence and music, community and solitude, light and darkness, death and life.

O Keeper of Promises, composer of grace
Grant me

• Glee in my blood,
• Prayer in my heart,
• Trust at my core,
• Songs for my journey,
• And a sense of your kingdom.

I like that.  Glee in our blood.  Prayer in our hearts.  Trust at our  core.  Songs for our journey.  And a clear sense of God’s kingdom.
 

That is my prayer for you.
Be well.  Stay healthy.  And know that you are loved.
 

The Journey Continues, . . . 

Thomas Bickerton
Resident Bishop

Watch The State of the NYAC on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/NYACUMC/

Poem take from: Loder, Ted, Guerrillas of Grace, 1984, Innisfree Press, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

April 22, 2020
 

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only  do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but  through love become servants to one another. For the whole law is summed  up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Galatians 5: 13-14 (NRSV)
 

Dear Friends and Colleagues,
 

Yesterday I opened my mail to find a “prayer square” sent to me by a  friend in Ohio.  This is the fourth “prayer square” or “pocket prayer  shawl” I have received in the last couple of weeks.  This kind and  wonderful gesture encourages the recipient to hold the piece of cloth in  their hand or place it in their pocket as a reminder to trust in God’s  grace in times of need.  With the news of my father’s infection from the  Coronavirus, as well as the steady number of reports flowing into my  office of others who are infected, these gentle reminders of the ties  that bind us together in loving devotion and prayer mean so very much.
 

Even though there is not a prayer shawl attached with this latest update, there is attached  a sincere prayer and a genuine concern for each of you.  You remain in  my prayers each day and, as the Apostle Paul said, “I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.”  (2 Timothy 1:4)
 

The news filling the air waves is providing words of encouragement about  the flattening of the curve of this virus.  Hospital admissions,  intubations, and death rates are dropping.  Yet, the news is also filled  with emerging anxieties.  Mental health difficulties, cabin fever,  economic struggles, and questions of when to re-open are now growing.   Adding to the struggle is the reality that different regions of the  country are responding in different ways based on their context.
 

Here is the latest update from my office: 

1. Churches in the New York Annual Conference will Remain Closed.
   We will continue to take our lead from the decisions made by our state  government officials.  Governor Cuomo of New York has extended his stay  at home order until May 15th.  Governor Lamont of Connecticut has extended his until May 20th.  For that reason, our churches will remain closed through May 24th at the earliest.  I  know that this is difficult.  But we must stay the course and continue  to remain focused.  We all will be tempted by reports coming from other  parts of the country where restrictions will be significantly reduced  and eliminated. 
   
   But please remember, there is no place in the country that has faced  more illness and death than our region.  For example, over 95% of all  the cases in New York are found within the bounds of our Annual  Conference.  The containment strategies put in place are for our  protection.  We also must remember that, for the most part, our local  church constituency base is populated by the people most vulnerable to  this infection.  We will evaluate our next steps moving forward once we  receive direction from these officials but, for now, we will remain  closed.
    
2. Be Mindful of Grief, Anxiety, and Self-care
   These are days that demand much from everyone in leadership, both lay  and clergy alike.  Much of what is being asked of us is a part of our  own personal “new norm.”  Many of us have never experienced or been  asked to lead in the midst of such times
   
   On a normal day, when a person loses a loved one to death, grief can be  consuming.  But in the midst of days when proper goodbyes and  respectful funeral services are not possible, grief can be  overwhelming—not only for the loved ones involved but also for the ones  called of God to provide pastoral care.
   
   These are tender times, ones that will demand days of hard work.  But  they are days that will also demand times of intentional self-care.   Read the scriptures.  Dive into daily devotions.  Remain in touch with  your need for a spiritual friend or colleague to talk with.  Take care  of yourself even as you are caring for others.
    
3. Begin Planning for What’s Next
   It is my prayer that we will be re-opening our churches in the not too  distant future.  But until then, we have the gift of being able to begin  imagining what that day will be like.  We can also begin working for  that day with intentional planning.  Over the last few days I have read  two articles about those plans.
   
   In this letter I want to adapt for our context an article by Ken Braddy entitled, “24 Questions Your Church Should Answer Before People Return.” In  the article, Braddy provides some excellent things to ponder as you  begin planning for the day when we will re-open our churches for public  gatherings.
   
   Here are some suggestions I would commend to you in your discernment: 

• Plan for multiple services
  If our churches are limited in the number of people who can gather,  even churches that worship less than one hundred may need to begin  thinking about multiple services during the course of a day in order to  provide proper social distancing.
• Plan to continue live streaming
  It would be a tragic mistake if any of our churches ceased having  virtual worship once we are allowed to reassemble in person.  This  opportunity is providing us with an insight into 21st century  evangelism and is revealing the needs that people have for hope and  meaning in their lives. Make plans now to invest in the kind of  equipment that will help you go to the next level in this ministry.
• Rethink how you receive an offering
  In this new normal of virtual worship, every one of our churches is  going to have to think about compelling ways for people to give.  Before  the virus we were worrying about the sustainability of many of our  churches.  That has increased due to the pandemic.  Online giving must  become a part of our future.  And, besides that, given social distancing  and fears of a resurgence, passing the plate in a worship service may  not be the best way to collect an offering in person moving forward.
• Begin thinking now about how things like Vacation Bible  School and ongoing Sunday School & Children’s Church may need to be  altered for this season.
• What are you doing now to sanitize and sterilize your church building?
  Now is the time to be doing these important functions.
• If social distancing regulations are recommended, how  will you deal with things like “Passing the Peace,” Greeters, and  creating an atmosphere that is respectful but also welcoming?

These kinds of issues and more are discussed in depth in the two articles below:

• 24 Questions Your Church Should Answer Before People Return
   
• 7 Shifts Churches Need to Make Because of the Coronavirus 

1. Continue to Live into our Principles
   In his daily press conference, Governor Andrew Cuomo says that our  first rule should be to “Do No Harm.”  We’ve heard that before, haven’t  we?  In fact, it comes directly out of our own history.  But there is  more.  We are not only to “do no harm,” our Wesleyan roots also direct  us to “do good,” and “stay in love with God.” 
   
   Please remember, this is not a time for “me,” it is a time for “we.”  As Galatians states, “do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become servants to one another.”  Don’t  use your freedom to harm someone else.  Don’t take a chance or make  decisions that may have negative impacts on the people you serve.   Continue to create opportunities for high touch with no touch.  Remember  that there are 430 other churches in the New York Annual Conference  besides yours who are trying their best to be faithful as well.
   
   Pray for one another.  Intercede for one another. And above all else, love one another. 

In her wonderful book, Out of the Ordinary: Prayers, Poems, and  Reflections for Every Season, Joyce Rupp shares this wonderful poem,  entitled “Blessing Prayer for Healing:” 

May you desire to be healed.
 

May what is wounded in your life be restored to good health.
 

May you be receptive to the ways in which healing needs to happen
.
May you take good care of yourself.
 

May you extend compassion to all that hurts within your body, mind, spirit.
 

May you be patient with the time it takes to heal.
 

May you be aware of the wonders of your body, mind, and spirit and their amazing capacity to heal.
 

May the skills of all those who are caring for you be used to the best of their ability in returning you to good health.
 

May you be open to receive from those who extend kindness, care, and compassion to you.
 

May you rest peacefully under the sheltering wings of divine love, trusting in this gracious presence.
 

May you find little moments of beauty and joy to sustain you.
 

May you keep hope in your heart.

This is my prayer for you and for all the people you faithfully serve.  I  pray it today, for you, holding a pocket prayer shawl from someone who  cares.

The Journey Continues, . . . 

Thomas Bickerton
Resident Bishop

“Blessing Prayer for Healing” taken from Out of the Ordinary ©2000 by Joyce Rupp.  Used by permission of Ave Maria Press.   All rights reserved

Content copyright 2018. Merrick United Methodist Church. All rights reserved.