Blaise Pascal Pascals Wager COVID19 IS REALLY BAD

Blaise Pascal “Pascal’s Wager”

COVID-19 IS REALLY BAD YOU ACT WITH CARE Congratulations! You live!

COVID-19 IS REALLY BAD YOU ACT WITH CARE Congratulations! You live! COVID-19 IS NOT THAT BAD You spent a lot of time with family, but you know what? You’re still alive.

COVID-19 IS REALLY BAD YOU ACT WITH CARE YOU CARRY ON LIKE NORMAL Congratulations! You live! COVID-19 IS NOT THAT BAD You spent a lot of time with family, but you know what? You’re still alive. No worries!

COVID-19 IS REALLY BAD YOU ACT WITH CARE YOU CARRY ON LIKE NORMAL COVID-19 IS NOT THAT BAD Congratulations! You live! You spent a lot of time with family, but you know what? You’re still alive. You’re dead! Or worse, people you love are now dead. No worries!

Assume you will not be gathering together for corporate worship or other activities in any way, shape, or form until May at the earliest, and quite likely longer.

Stay away from each other, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can. - not quite John Wesley

How are you doing? How is your spouse? How is your family? Let us pray with one another!

How would you define what it means for you to be the church?

Holy Week, Easter, and ongoing plans? Pastoral care plans? Congregational connection plans? Church administration plans? Re-integration plans?

Tithes and offerings plans? Do you need help from: The Great Plains Conference? The Free Methodist Church – USA? The CARES Act?

Cash payments $1, 200 person and $500 per child (< 17) Only for those who make less than $75, 000 per year, with a graded scale for those who make under $99, 000. Tithe can be deducted up to $300 “above line” when computing adjusted gross income on next year’s tax return. This is not an advance on tax returns. It is a true credit that does not need to be claimed as income next year.

CARES Act Guaranteed by Federal Government Receive 2. 5 times average monthly payroll costs over the last 12 months from date of application. This includes: • Wages, salary • Vacation or personal leave pay • Health insurance • Retirement benefits, such as pension contributions It is only for persons who receive a W 2 from the church.

CARES Act To receive loan forgiveness: • Disburse all received funds to payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent, operational utilities (gas, power, water, etc. ) within 8 weeks of the loan • Submit to lender documentation verifying number of employees and your cancelled checks for various expenses • Do not decrease salary by more than 25% • Do not furlough any workers before September 30 • Part-time workers should continue to get paid

CARES Act What do I do? • Know your need. What is your monthly average payroll cost? • Contact your bank… make sure and thank them, too, and recognize that they are swamped during this time. • Pay attention to further guidance. www. covid. church/care (through Injoy Stewardship Ministries)

How are you doing with technology?

How are you doing with technology? What would you do if the internet crashed?

How would you define what it means for you to be the church?

Common Views of Communion 1. The Memorialist/Zwinglian/Baptist view. Jesus is not present in the elements, but believers reap a spiritual benefit from partaking because they remember his death. 2. The Calvinist/Reformed/"spiritual presence" view. Christ's body and blood are spiritually consumed by the communicants as they physically partake of the bread and wine. 3. The Lutheran/"consubstantiation"/"in, with, and under"/"sacramental union" view. Christ is united to the elements. 4. The Catholic/"transubstantiation" view. When the elements are blessed, they become Christ's body and blood.

How would you define what it means for you to be the church?

How would you define what it means for you to be the church? Why would you say it is important to receive the sacraments?

If you are going to celebrate Communion: In advance, instruct the people to prepare their hearts and minds for Communion, and to prepare sufficient elements in the places where they participate in a virtual worship time. When assembled virtually, at the appropriate time, the Pastor and people will proceed with the service of Communion, with all taking together in unison. During the words and prayer of consecration, let the people take the elements they have prepared and lift them up to the Lord. Once consecrated in this spiritual and virtual way, as guided by the pastor, let worshipers receive each element in turn in concert with others in virtual assembly.

If you are not going to celebrate Communion: Encourage your congregation to pray what has historically been called the Prayer for Spiritual Communion: My Jesus, I believe that You are present in this Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.