Our virtual gatherings will continue until further notice
The Three Phases to Resume in person worship
We have not entered Phase 1 yet, however we are allowed to gather up to 10 people with masks, social distancing and following CDC guidelines for the purpose of putting together online worship.
Phase 1
Phase 1 begins when state and local officials have reported a 14-day downward trend of cases, hospitals are treating patients without crisis care, and there is a robust testing program in place, including antibody testing.
The Desert Southwest Conference recommends all churches and ministries follow the state and local guidance regarding reopening churches. Once all the following conditions have been reported by local officials in your area:
Worship Guidelines
In person worship continues to be suspended. Groups of less than 10 people may gather for the purposes of recording or service production while maintaining personal protective measures and staying at least 6 feet apart. Choirs and other musical groups should continue to meet virtually.
Church Office and Services
Churches should encourage all employees and volunteers to continue to work from home, and offices should continue to suspend in-person services. Pastors and personnel should meet only virtually or by phone.
Church buildings and common areas should remain closed. Community groups, support groups, and other renters should continue to meet virtually. Weddings and memorial services should continue to be postponed or conducted virtually.
Preparation for Phase 2
Church leaders should start:
Phase 2
State and local officials must have successfully met the criteria of phase 1, and there must be evidence through case reporting, testing, and community monitoring that there is no evidence of a rebound.
The Desert Southwest Conference recommends all churches and ministries follow the state and local guidance regarding reopening churches. Once local officials in your area have:
Worship Guidelines
In person worship may be conducted for groups of 50 or fewer people, maximum social distancing and personal protection measures should be exercised. All vulnerable individuals should continue to worship from home and churches should make every effort to serve homebound individuals. If maximum social distancing and item/surface sanitation is not possible, groups should continue to find alternative way of worshiping.
Food fellowship events should be avoided.
All contact surfaces must be sanitized after use:
If possible, churches should encourage all employees and volunteers to continue to work from home. Pastors and personnel should continue to meet virtually or by phone whenever possible.
If opened, offices must implement sanitation practices for all surfaces and ensure regular and consistent cleaning.
Church buildings and common areas that reopen must implement sanitizing and social distancing guidelines. Community groups, support groups, and other renters that meet must operate under moderate physical distancing protocols. Weddings and memorial services may be conducted for groups of less than 50 following the guidelines for sanitizing and avoid food service.
Preparation for Phase 3
Church leaders should evaluate and continue:
Phase 3
State and local officials must have successfully met the criteria of phase 1 and 2, and there must be evidence through case reporting, testing, and community monitoring that there is no evidence of a rebound.
The Desert Southwest Conference recommends all churches and ministries follow the state and local guidance regarding reopening churches. Once local officials in your area have:
Worship Guidelines
Regular church worship may resume, and vulnerable populations may resume attending. Food fellowship events may resume. Sanitation practices must remain in place.
Church Office and Services
Regular church office work other church-based services may resume, including in person meetings. Sanitation practices must remain in place.
Church Buildings
Church buildings and common areas may resume normal regular practices with good sanitation and cleaning being maintained. Community groups, support groups, and other renters may resume regular meetings and events. Weddings and memorial services may resume.
Ongoing work
Church leaders should continue:
Phase 1 begins when state and local officials have reported a 14-day downward trend of cases, hospitals are treating patients without crisis care, and there is a robust testing program in place, including antibody testing.
The Desert Southwest Conference recommends all churches and ministries follow the state and local guidance regarding reopening churches. Once all the following conditions have been reported by local officials in your area:
- A 14-day downward trend in COVID-19 cases reported in your area.
- Providers are offering a robust testing response including antibody testing.
- Hospitals are treating all patients without crisis care.
- Pastors and church leaders can ensure that implementing phase one is in the spiritual and physical well-being of the community.
Worship Guidelines
In person worship continues to be suspended. Groups of less than 10 people may gather for the purposes of recording or service production while maintaining personal protective measures and staying at least 6 feet apart. Choirs and other musical groups should continue to meet virtually.
Church Office and Services
Churches should encourage all employees and volunteers to continue to work from home, and offices should continue to suspend in-person services. Pastors and personnel should meet only virtually or by phone.
- Day cares and Church Schools should continue to follow state and local guidance regarding operation and if open must follow health department guidelines.
- Food Pantries, church-based health clinics, and shelters or other essential services provided by the church should continue to follow state and local guidance regarding operation and must follow state and CDC guidelines.
- If personnel or volunteers must do in person work, people should be on campus two or three at a time, follow all personal protection guidelines, and keep six feet apart, and all surfaces touched must be sanitized.
Church buildings and common areas should remain closed. Community groups, support groups, and other renters should continue to meet virtually. Weddings and memorial services should continue to be postponed or conducted virtually.
Preparation for Phase 2
Church leaders should start:
- Organizing sanitation or cleaning teams, policies, and practices for all areas that will be used when churches resume in person work.
- Mark off your worship space to ensure people are seated six feet from one another.
- Discuss holding multiple services to reduce the number of people present.
- Determine what practices will be used for offering collection, communion, baptism, and greeting to ensure the maximum protection of all members of the church.
- Determine how to offer services for the vulnerable populations who will be encouraged to stay home until phase 3.
Phase 2
State and local officials must have successfully met the criteria of phase 1, and there must be evidence through case reporting, testing, and community monitoring that there is no evidence of a rebound.
The Desert Southwest Conference recommends all churches and ministries follow the state and local guidance regarding reopening churches. Once local officials in your area have:
- Successfully implemented all parts of Phase 1
- And there is no evidence of rebound in case numbers in your local area.
- Pastors and church leaders can ensure that implementing phase two is in the spiritual and physical well-being of the community.
Worship Guidelines
In person worship may be conducted for groups of 50 or fewer people, maximum social distancing and personal protection measures should be exercised. All vulnerable individuals should continue to worship from home and churches should make every effort to serve homebound individuals. If maximum social distancing and item/surface sanitation is not possible, groups should continue to find alternative way of worshiping.
Food fellowship events should be avoided.
All contact surfaces must be sanitized after use:
- Backs and sides of pews and chairs
- Piano, organ, choral equipment, other musical equipment, and instruments
- Pulpit, lectern, altar/table
- Hymnals
- Bibles
- Doorknobs, push-plates, handles, and press bars
- Railings
- Counter tops
- Churches should not be passing offering plates!
- Equipment such as microphones and computers
- Light and fan switches
- Tables
- Toys
- Restroom surfaces
If possible, churches should encourage all employees and volunteers to continue to work from home. Pastors and personnel should continue to meet virtually or by phone whenever possible.
If opened, offices must implement sanitation practices for all surfaces and ensure regular and consistent cleaning.
- Day cares and Church Schools should continue to follow state and local guidance regarding operation and if open must follow health department guidelines.
- Food Pantries, church-based health clinics, and shelters or other essential services provided by the church should continue to follow state and local guidance regarding operation and must follow state and CDC guidelines.
Church buildings and common areas that reopen must implement sanitizing and social distancing guidelines. Community groups, support groups, and other renters that meet must operate under moderate physical distancing protocols. Weddings and memorial services may be conducted for groups of less than 50 following the guidelines for sanitizing and avoid food service.
Preparation for Phase 3
Church leaders should evaluate and continue:
- Cleaning teams, policies, and practices are implemented for all areas are being used as churches resume in person work.
- Keep worship space marked off to ensure people are seated six feet from one another.
- Continue to pay attention to local guidance regarding case numbers and community spread.
Phase 3
State and local officials must have successfully met the criteria of phase 1 and 2, and there must be evidence through case reporting, testing, and community monitoring that there is no evidence of a rebound.
The Desert Southwest Conference recommends all churches and ministries follow the state and local guidance regarding reopening churches. Once local officials in your area have:
- Successfully implemented phase 1 and 2
- And there is no evidence of rebound in case numbers in the local area
- Pastors and church leaders can ensure that implementing phase three is in the spiritual and physical well-being of the community.
Worship Guidelines
Regular church worship may resume, and vulnerable populations may resume attending. Food fellowship events may resume. Sanitation practices must remain in place.
Church Office and Services
Regular church office work other church-based services may resume, including in person meetings. Sanitation practices must remain in place.
Church Buildings
Church buildings and common areas may resume normal regular practices with good sanitation and cleaning being maintained. Community groups, support groups, and other renters may resume regular meetings and events. Weddings and memorial services may resume.
Ongoing work
Church leaders should continue:
- Cleaning teams, policies, and practices are implemented for all areas are being used as churches resume regular activities.
- Churches should take time to review COVID-19 crisis response and evaluate what worked, what didn’t, what can be learned and practiced should another pandemic occur.
- Churches should develop a financial back up plan should another crisis occur.
- Continue to pay attention to local guidance regarding community health and outbreaks.
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Things you can do to stay safe:
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The United States Department of Justice outlines some financial schemes that have already impacted consumers. We want to make you aware of some scams to expect and how to avoid getting misled by them.
Here is a partial list of known scams:
Here is a partial list of known scams:
- Treatment scams — Scammers offer to sell fake cures, vaccines and advice on unproven treatments for COVID-19.
- Supply scams — Scammers create fake shops, websites, social media accounts and email addresses claiming to sell medical supplies currently in high demand, such as surgical masks. When consumers attempt to purchase supplies through these channels, fraudsters pocket the money and never provide the
promised supplies. - Provider scams — Scammers contact people by phone and email, pretending to be doctors and hospitals that have treated a friend or relative for COVID-19, and demanding payment for that treatment.
- Charity scams — Scammers are soliciting donations for individuals, groups and areas affected by COVID-19.
- Phishing scams — Scammers posing as national and global health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), send phishing emails designed to trick recipients into downloading malware or providing personal identifying and financial information.
- App scams — Scammers create and manipulate mobile apps designed to track the spread of COVID-19 to insert malware that will compromise users’ devices and personal information.
- Investment scams — Scammers offer online promotions on various platforms, including social media, claiming that the products or services of publicly traded companies can prevent, detect or cure COVID-19, and that the stock of these companies will dramatically increase in value as a result. These promotions are often styled as “research reports,” make predictions of a specific “target price,” and relate to microcap stocks or low-priced stocks issued by the smallest of companies with limited publicly available information.
