Weekly News - June 5, 2020

The USA Team of Apostles urges friends and members of Community of Christ to read a statement from the team released 1 June regarding current events. The statement also will be posted across the church's social media network. Thank you for you faithful support of Christ’s mission.

www.cofchrist.org/Common/Cms/C12-USA-Statement-June2020.pdf

Pastors are invited to connect with the mission center and field leaders for one of the upcoming Zoom meetings to ask questions and share ideas about preparing to reopen congregations.

Click the link to register for the desired date. Meeting information will be emailed after you register. You may join the meeting by phone or computer.

Friday, June 5 at 3:30pm
us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElc-ivqTwtG922i591EFOFIACt-GSLymtE

Sunday, June 7 at 1:30pm
us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMocuyorDwtHNHb2rm5DSlpwthil25tXQUE

Looking for Holy Spirit? Join in and hear the stories of others in a small group setting. No sermons, no judgment.

Interested? Contact Dianna Vanderkar at cdthankyou@gmail.com for more information. Hope to see you on-line soon.

Community of Christ sent $11,170 in COVID-19 crisis support on 15 May to six mission centers in Africa.

The money from World Church Disaster Relief/Oblation aided 1,306 families in 155 congregations. Families received corn, flour, cooking oil, rice, tomato paste, salt, sugar, and green beans.

Mission centers included: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Kinshasa, Lualaba, Haut Katanga, and Tanganyika. Distribution will be managed by Baka Blé, financial officer for Central and West Africa Field.

Community of Christ's Earth Stewardship Team supports the observance of World Environment Day. The church is called in Doctrine and Covenants 165:1d and 163:4c to "Pursue Peace on and for the Earth" and to “… bring fresh vision to bear on the perplexing problems of … environmental deterioration.”

The UN's page offers quizzes, biodiversity information, and trivia. Consider making it part of an at-home summer project!

www.un.org/en/observances/environment-day

Lift Your Voice With the 2020 Virtual Advocacy Summit

Inspire Change in a Time of Social Distancing

You’re invited to attend Bread for the World’s 2020 Virtual Advocacy Summit: Our Faith, Our Future on June 8 and 9. The summit will include both pre-recorded and live sessions.

These are difficult times, but social distancing doesn’t have to leave us sitting on the sidelines. COVID-19 is a hunger crisis and we need your voice to ensure that the most vulnerable here in the United States and abroad receive the nutrition they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives.

During these two days, Bread members from around the country will gather online to worship, participate in advocacy-focused workshops, learn up-to-date legislative priorities, and virtually lobby Congress on hunger and poverty.

Register Today! www.bread.org/advocacy-summit

Other highlights of the 2020 Virtual Advocacy Summit include:
Latino Leaders Convening
Pan African Consultation
A screening of Rick Steves’ “Hunger and Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala” followed by a Q&A session with Rick.

Visit our website for more information about the Advocacy Summit, which will be updated periodically. We hope you will mark your calendars and register today!

In gratitude,
Virtual Advocacy Summit Team
Bread for the World

Cancellation of Summer Camps

Following guidance from the First Presidency, all Michigan Mission Center camps and gatherings in June, July, and August have been cancelled. This decision has been made to limit exposure to and spread of the coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. Mission center leaders will continue to monitor guidance from state and national officials to determine if gatherings of any kind may be possible at campground properties this summer.

Contributions are needed to pay for insurance, utilities, maintenance, and essential repairs of campground properties while they are not in use. Those able to support campgrounds are encouraged to make contributions through offering envelopes or through the Michigan Mission Center eTithing campus at CofChrist.org/give.

A listing agreement with Michigan Whitetail Properties, LLC remains in place through June 21, 2020. The realtor has reported on marketing efforts and inquiries about the listing. Visits to the property have been limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. No offers for purchase of the property have been received. Effective May 21, 2020 the list price will be reduced from $1,250,000 to $995,000 . Ongoing dialogue and exploration will continue to determine how to best market and price the property to accomplish a sale if no offers are received in the next month.

Additional information about the campground sales process and previous updates can be found online at CofChristMI.org/campground-sales.

From The First Presidency on behalf of the World Church Leadership Council:

Community of Christ, a member of the National Council of Churches USA, fully endorses the statement issued by the NCC expressing outrage because of the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (See: nationalcouncilofchurches.us/floyd-murder/).

Community of Christ accepts the challenge to be “beacons of light in their own [our] communities by addressing racism where they [we] are, acknowledging the trauma experienced by those in the Black community and working tirelessly to end racism and white supremacy once and for all.” The same commitment applies to the suffering of all people who experience racial discrimination and violence in all nations where the church is established.

President Stephen M. Veazey shares this letter of counsel with the church detailing changes in the World Church Leadership Council. www.cofchrist.org/Common/Cms/EN-Letter-of-Counsel-May2020.pdf

As announced 26 May 2020, 18 paid, full-time-equivalent positions at International Headquarters, in the field, and the World Church Leadership Council will end by 31 December 2020 to achieve the new budget levels for 2021. Notifications to field and International Headquarters employees will be completed by 9 June 2020.

Details about the changes in ministries and services caused by these reductions will be provided in the December 2020 Financial Update after the World Church Finance Board approves the 2021 Worldwide Mission Budget.

This is a difficult time for the church and especially for its employees. Please be prayerful and compassionate as we mourn the departure of friends and colleagues.

As governments begin to reopen economies and social life, the Presidency is providing this resource to assist congregations in preparing to resume in-person gatherings when appropriate. These guidelines are not telling congregations they must reopen beginning 1 June. www.cofchrist.org/Common/Cms/EN-Reopening-Guidelines1.pdf

Community of Christ is a global community. This means the basic guidelines will be reviewed and modified, as needed, by local leaders and field apostles to address the specific criteria established by each government.

In ALL cases, congregation leaders need to work with their mission center president and supervising apostle to develop plans to reopen congregations for in-person gatherings.