As churches struggle with the decision to reopen now or later, the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church is speaking with a clear voice.
Bishop Mary Taylor
Mary “Dindy” Taylor, conference bishop, said, “Our United Methodist Churches are not to be open. We will reopen our churches when it is safe to do so across the entire conference.”
Taylor, who lives in Chattanooga and is the first woman to hold the top position in the Holston Conference, said having churches in three states with three different governors has caused confusion. Some say everything could reopen by May 1, while others have disagreed with that timetable.
“There are so many things that we still do not know about the COVID-19 virus. We do know that certain populations are more at risk. We do know that social distancing is making a difference. We do know that persons may not have any symptoms of the virus, but may be spreading it to others. We do know that there is no vaccine or treatment to date. It is important not to quit, after we have come this far. We do know that a life care facility in Athens, Tennessee, has 50 residents who have the virus. That came from somewhere.”
Following a Zoom meeting with the district superintendents, Taylor said the decision was not easy, but “the Cabinet and I do not want our (churches) to be open at this time.” The full statement is here.
In addition to delaying resumption of church services, the conference leadership has chosen to keep church buildings closed to both church-related and outside groups such as AA, NA, Al-Anon and Grief Share; including food pantries, Scouts, day cares and preschools.
“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference has worked to keep health and safety as the top priority when making decisions pertaining to church, district and conference activities,” Taylor wrote.
The upcoming annual conference at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, June 7-10, has been rescheduled as a virtual annual conference on Saturday, June 27, at 1 p.m. Moving day, across the conference, will be Wednesday, June 24, and the pastors’ last official Sunday to preach in their current appointment will be June 13. The first Sunday to preach in their new appointment will be July 5.
Holston Foundation gives emergency grants
In her statement regarding church closures, Bishop Mary “Dindy” Taylor said: “Yet I know that our United Methodist churches are committed to doing incredible outreach in their communities.”
Those churches got a boost when the Holston Foundation awarded $58,050 in Coronavirus Emergency Response Grants to 58 United Methodist ministries and churches in the Holston Conference.
Foundation spokesperson LeRae Collins said the grants will supplement work already underway to meet immediate needs. The Foundation received more than $124,000 in grant requests from those responding to needs.
“Churches and ministries are responding by providing food in new and innovative ways, developing new partnerships, providing childcare, expanding necessary ministries and more.”
In the Knoxville area, these are among the churches and ministries that received grants:
- Cokesbury Church, Knoxville: Manna House, expanding to meet increased demand for existing food pantry and essential needs ministry
- Espiritu Santo Hispanic, Sevierville: Semillas de Amor (Seeds of Love) Hispanic ministry reaching out to unemployed in the community
- Kodak United Methodist Church: Kodak Fights Back Against COVID-19, drive-thru food bank, food delivery to seniors and Easter food boxes
- Lonsdale United Methodist Church, Knoxville: Food pantry that includes pet food and toiletries
- New Life United Methodist Church, Knoxville: Food pantry expansion to more frequent distributions to meet need
- Powell Church, Powell: Expansion of hot meal delivery, food pantry and benevolence funds to meet increasing needs
- Second United Methodist Church, Knoxville: Drive-thru food bank
- Seymour United Methodist Church, Seymour: Shared drive-up supper and educational outreach to children
- Wesley House Community Center, Knoxville: Providing childcare to essential employees and support for elderly
“Churches and ministries have stepped up to help fill in the gaps during this crisis to share the love of Christ and help meet needs. The Holston Foundation is proud to come alongside churches and ministries so that together we can respond to the crisis,” said Paul Bowman, Holston Foundation executive director.
To learn more about the Holston Foundation, visit www.holstonfoundation.org. The Holston Conference includes 864 United Methodist congregations in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and North Georgia. Info: www.holston.org