During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, the following letters were written by Pastor Beth and sent to the church family. The letters are dated: March 12, March 13, March 25, April 27 and June 12.
March 12, 2020
6:15 p.m.
Dear Divine Street family and friends,
With heavy hearts, we are closing the doors of Divine Street UMC for the next two weeks. There will be no worship services, no preschool, no choir, no committee meetings, no youth retreat, no women’s retreat… no gatherings of any kind. The church office will be closed, and no staff will be available.
Please understand that this is a difficult decision but one that our church leadership finds necessary. At the urging of Bishop Ward of the NC Conference and Bishop Leeland of the Western NC Conference, all churches are asked to cease public worship and other gatherings. Our Divine Street leadership is in agreement.
Here is a portion of the email we received from Bishop Ward in the last hour:
Public health leaders help us realize that we are on the cusp of a significant increase in the contagious virus. Social distancing is the most effective means of slowing the spread of the disease.
“For social distancing to be effective, it must begin early—so early that it may feel unneeded and silly. If we wait until its need is obvious, it is too late. The faith community has an important role to play in slowing the speed of disease transmission. Large gatherings of people are a petri dish for spreading the infection. For a period of time, I strongly urge our religious communities to suspend traditional services and gatherings and find other ways to practice and sustain our faith. Our witness and our example may save many lives, especially the lives of those at risk in our own congregations.” – Dr. Wes Wallace*
Points to remember:
- Refrain from any physical contact with others.
- Repeated hand washing with soap and warm water is important.
- If you do not feel well (especially if you have a fever or difficulty breathing), stay home.
- Follow the guidance of health officials.
- When purchasing food and products, please get what you need but do not hoard and prevent others from meeting their needs.
- Be cautious and attentive, but do not panic.
- Check on one another.
Because a number of our friends and neighbors do not have access to email, it is necessary for you to help spread this information to them. Please take the time to call today.
I am keeping you in prayer as we maneuver through this challenge. Stay healthy!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Beth
*Dr. Wes Wallace is an adjunct professor of emergency medicine at the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is the medical director of State Medical Assistance Team 2, based at the University of North Carolina and a medical officer in NC-1, the federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team based in North Carolina. He is a member of University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill.
6:15 p.m.
Dear Divine Street family and friends,
With heavy hearts, we are closing the doors of Divine Street UMC for the next two weeks. There will be no worship services, no preschool, no choir, no committee meetings, no youth retreat, no women’s retreat… no gatherings of any kind. The church office will be closed, and no staff will be available.
Please understand that this is a difficult decision but one that our church leadership finds necessary. At the urging of Bishop Ward of the NC Conference and Bishop Leeland of the Western NC Conference, all churches are asked to cease public worship and other gatherings. Our Divine Street leadership is in agreement.
Here is a portion of the email we received from Bishop Ward in the last hour:
Public health leaders help us realize that we are on the cusp of a significant increase in the contagious virus. Social distancing is the most effective means of slowing the spread of the disease.
“For social distancing to be effective, it must begin early—so early that it may feel unneeded and silly. If we wait until its need is obvious, it is too late. The faith community has an important role to play in slowing the speed of disease transmission. Large gatherings of people are a petri dish for spreading the infection. For a period of time, I strongly urge our religious communities to suspend traditional services and gatherings and find other ways to practice and sustain our faith. Our witness and our example may save many lives, especially the lives of those at risk in our own congregations.” – Dr. Wes Wallace*
Points to remember:
- Refrain from any physical contact with others.
- Repeated hand washing with soap and warm water is important.
- If you do not feel well (especially if you have a fever or difficulty breathing), stay home.
- Follow the guidance of health officials.
- When purchasing food and products, please get what you need but do not hoard and prevent others from meeting their needs.
- Be cautious and attentive, but do not panic.
- Check on one another.
Because a number of our friends and neighbors do not have access to email, it is necessary for you to help spread this information to them. Please take the time to call today.
I am keeping you in prayer as we maneuver through this challenge. Stay healthy!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Beth
*Dr. Wes Wallace is an adjunct professor of emergency medicine at the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is the medical director of State Medical Assistance Team 2, based at the University of North Carolina and a medical officer in NC-1, the federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team based in North Carolina. He is a member of University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill.
March 13, 2020
Thank you so much for understanding the need to “close up shop” for a period of time. Your outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming. With efforts such as this, our prayer is that the spread of COVID-19 is much hindered and illnesses decrease. We are not in panic-mode; we are simply determined to remain as healthy as possible.
Office Closed
Please keep in mind that while the church doors may be closed during these next two weeks, the efforts of Divine Street continue! We may be working from home, but we are working! Phone message are being retrieved, mail is being processed, emails are being answered. Certainly, in this time of worldwide uncertainty, requests for assistance are abundant. Because we are without resources that are usually at our fingertips, we hope you will be patient; it may take some time and effort to respond to each of you, but we will respond.
Financial Needs
We still have bills to pay and others to assist. With that in mind, I encourage you to continue your financial care of the church and her ministries. Reminders:
Worship
We are currently working on creative and alternate ways to worship in this new environment. I’m unsure what that may look like going forward, but please keep an eye on your emails and visit our website often for updates.
Rise Against Hunger, Women’s Retreat, Youth Retreat, Preschool, Girl Scouts, etc.
At this time, these events have been postponed and will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
Website Information and On-line MISinformation
It seems as though our situation is changing minute-to-minute. We encourage you to stay informed and healthy. Our website has much information to assist you, and we are work diligently to stay on top of data as it becomes available: www.divinestreet.org. Please be wise in receiving online misinformation. Trust only those resources that you know to be reliable.
Healthy Hints
There are some simple things you can do to help curb this virus (and others).
Helping Others
This is a critical time for us to reach out to one another in love. (Just don’t touch!) If you MUST go to the store, does your neighbor have a need you might meet? Our senior friends and those whose health is already fragile simply cannot leave home at this time. Be sure to check on one another!
I hope you find this information helpful. Be assured of my ongoing prayers. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit with you all. Be smart and stay healthy!
Keeping you in prayer,
Pastor Beth
Thank you so much for understanding the need to “close up shop” for a period of time. Your outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming. With efforts such as this, our prayer is that the spread of COVID-19 is much hindered and illnesses decrease. We are not in panic-mode; we are simply determined to remain as healthy as possible.
Office Closed
Please keep in mind that while the church doors may be closed during these next two weeks, the efforts of Divine Street continue! We may be working from home, but we are working! Phone message are being retrieved, mail is being processed, emails are being answered. Certainly, in this time of worldwide uncertainty, requests for assistance are abundant. Because we are without resources that are usually at our fingertips, we hope you will be patient; it may take some time and effort to respond to each of you, but we will respond.
Financial Needs
We still have bills to pay and others to assist. With that in mind, I encourage you to continue your financial care of the church and her ministries. Reminders:
- We require over $6700 each week to maintain our church.
- We have the ability to receive one-time gifts through our website as well as ongoing giving. Click here to learn more and/or set up your personal giving: https://www.divinestreet.org/online-giving.html
- We are still receiving and processing mail. Checks may be made out to DSUMC and mailed to PO Box 816, Dunn, NC 28335.
Worship
We are currently working on creative and alternate ways to worship in this new environment. I’m unsure what that may look like going forward, but please keep an eye on your emails and visit our website often for updates.
Rise Against Hunger, Women’s Retreat, Youth Retreat, Preschool, Girl Scouts, etc.
At this time, these events have been postponed and will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
Website Information and On-line MISinformation
It seems as though our situation is changing minute-to-minute. We encourage you to stay informed and healthy. Our website has much information to assist you, and we are work diligently to stay on top of data as it becomes available: www.divinestreet.org. Please be wise in receiving online misinformation. Trust only those resources that you know to be reliable.
Healthy Hints
There are some simple things you can do to help curb this virus (and others).
- Hand-washing is the best way to fight susceptibility. Wash long and often with soap and water.
- In the absence of soap and water, hand sanitizer is an alternative method. The product must be at least 60% alcohol to be effective.
- Cough and sneeze into your elbow. This prevents germs from becoming airborne.
- Stay home. We can’t spread disease if we aren’t together.
- Clean hard surfaces in your home and work spaces with appropriate cleaners. Don’t forget the phone and computer!
Helping Others
This is a critical time for us to reach out to one another in love. (Just don’t touch!) If you MUST go to the store, does your neighbor have a need you might meet? Our senior friends and those whose health is already fragile simply cannot leave home at this time. Be sure to check on one another!
I hope you find this information helpful. Be assured of my ongoing prayers. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit with you all. Be smart and stay healthy!
Keeping you in prayer,
Pastor Beth
March 25, 2020
Dear Divine Street family and friends,
As you know, COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on our usual way of doing things. You may have heard that Bishop Ward has written guidance for our United Methodist churches in NC to “continue the compassionate practice of not gathering for worship, funerals, weddings, studies, and other groups for the next two months.” That means we will be out of our usual worship setting until at least the end of May.
We are working diligently to find creative ways to remain connected with one another during these challenging times, and you are responding faithfully! From running to the grocery store to delivering stamps, you are caring for one another in wonderful ways. Thank you for being the Church! If you know of any needs, or are healthy and willing to meet the needs of others, please be sure to let me know by email, text or phone. (Cell: 910-305-0491)
Many of you have been provided with a name or two to contact twice a week just to check in and say hello. We are trying to assure that folks (especially those on our regular homebound list) hear from the Divine Street family on a regular basis. My hope is that more of you are doing this important work on your own. Phone calls are best, but notes, cards and even an email or text where appropriate can make the difference in someone’s loneliness.
As we move forward, we continue to offer many opportunities to worship and grow while you are at home. I try very hard to write to you daily and provide an appropriate Bible-based message weekly. Julie is providing worship experiences for our children. Rebecca is providing worship music. All of these may be found on our website. Other places you may visit online are our church Facebook page and our preschool Facebook page. At the bottom of this email are links to these resources and others.
I know this current environment is unsettling to us, especially now that we will be apart for several more weeks. I also know that God is good, Christ is alive, and Holy Spirit is working among us! We just have to find ways to honor God that are fresh and imaginative! Keep reading, praying, learning and connecting. We are in this together, and I am keeping you in prayer.
Stay home, stay healthy, and make it a good day!
Blessings to you,
Pastor Beth
Church website: https://www.divinestreet.org/
Church Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Divine.Street.UMC/
Preschool Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dsumcpreschool/
NC Conference: https://nccumc.org/
The United Methodist Church: https://www.umc.org/
Harnett County virus updates: http://www.harnett.org/publicinfo/coronavirus-covid19-updates.asp
Dear Divine Street family and friends,
As you know, COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on our usual way of doing things. You may have heard that Bishop Ward has written guidance for our United Methodist churches in NC to “continue the compassionate practice of not gathering for worship, funerals, weddings, studies, and other groups for the next two months.” That means we will be out of our usual worship setting until at least the end of May.
We are working diligently to find creative ways to remain connected with one another during these challenging times, and you are responding faithfully! From running to the grocery store to delivering stamps, you are caring for one another in wonderful ways. Thank you for being the Church! If you know of any needs, or are healthy and willing to meet the needs of others, please be sure to let me know by email, text or phone. (Cell: 910-305-0491)
Many of you have been provided with a name or two to contact twice a week just to check in and say hello. We are trying to assure that folks (especially those on our regular homebound list) hear from the Divine Street family on a regular basis. My hope is that more of you are doing this important work on your own. Phone calls are best, but notes, cards and even an email or text where appropriate can make the difference in someone’s loneliness.
As we move forward, we continue to offer many opportunities to worship and grow while you are at home. I try very hard to write to you daily and provide an appropriate Bible-based message weekly. Julie is providing worship experiences for our children. Rebecca is providing worship music. All of these may be found on our website. Other places you may visit online are our church Facebook page and our preschool Facebook page. At the bottom of this email are links to these resources and others.
I know this current environment is unsettling to us, especially now that we will be apart for several more weeks. I also know that God is good, Christ is alive, and Holy Spirit is working among us! We just have to find ways to honor God that are fresh and imaginative! Keep reading, praying, learning and connecting. We are in this together, and I am keeping you in prayer.
Stay home, stay healthy, and make it a good day!
Blessings to you,
Pastor Beth
Church website: https://www.divinestreet.org/
Church Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Divine.Street.UMC/
Preschool Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dsumcpreschool/
NC Conference: https://nccumc.org/
The United Methodist Church: https://www.umc.org/
Harnett County virus updates: http://www.harnett.org/publicinfo/coronavirus-covid19-updates.asp
