NOTES, 24 MARCH 2020

Greetings, dear reader, as we continue on our journey of faith in this dark hour. If this humble blog helps you get through the day, then fine. It certainly helps me get through the day. We are in trying times to say the least. Always remember, you are not alone. We are all in this together and we will get through it together. Just a few items today.

The latest report in the Post and Courier says that Bishop Steve Wood is still in the ICU on a ventilator but his x-rays show slight improvement. Find the article here . This would be his fifth day in the ICU if he were admitted last Friday. Let us pray for his speedy recovery.

I was glad to read in the article that some twenty parishioners spontaneously appeared outside the hospital with appeals to Heaven. I am still baffled by the lack of official response to Wood's condition. On yesterday, the St. Andrew's Church website said nothing new about Wood. I contacted a clergy person of the church but got no response about Wood's status. I can find no mention of Wood's health on any Anglican website, let alone appeals for prayers for his recovery. How can they all be ignoring the perilous condition of a major rector, and bishop, who is clinging to life in the ICU on a ventilator as he has been for five days? I do not understand this strange silence.

A television station has reported that two residents of the Bishop Gadsden retirement community, on James Island, have tested positive for the coronavirus. Find the report here .

I am coming to understand the personal effects of the virus. I have a brother and sister who live in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi. My brother's wife, my sister-in-law, has a serious case of diabetes and goes to dialysis three days a week. Last Saturday, she complained of chills but no one paid much attention to it. On Monday morning she woke up with a fever of 102 degrees and could not go to her regular dialysis. This morning she still has fever. My brother plans to get her medical attention today. It seems to me there is a good chance she has the virus which means my brother and sister probably have it too

(Update. My brother took his wife to the hospital this a.m.. The personnel tested her for the virus but the results will not be available for four days. Her symptoms were not bad enough for admission. The doctors sent her home. This is hopeful.)

I saw on the morning news that the world continues to reel from the pestilence. The summer Olympics that had been scheduled in Tokyo has been postponed until next year. This is the first time in history an Olympics has been postponed.

Meanwhile, numbers of cases continue to climb by the minute in America, doubling every few days. The latest count in the U.S. is 46,000 cases. In South Carolina, as of yesterday, there were 298 cases and 5 deaths. In Alabama there are 196 cases today. All indications are the virus is just beginning to spread in our states. There is worse down the road.

Unfortunately our national leadership is all over the place in this national crisis. President Trump is simply incapable of leading the nation in this emergency. Great public leadership has two qualities, telling the truth and showing empathy. Men as Lincoln, FDR, and Churchill all had the qualities. Apparently, Trump is just not able to deal with truth or empathy and there is no point in hoping some day he will learn either. He has even turned the daily briefings into campaign rallies going on and on about what great work he is doing. My advice to everyone---do not listen to his nonsense. Look at the body language of the experts standing behind him. Our real leaders of the hour are Drs. Fauci and Birx. Listen to what they have to say. Yesterday, Dr. Fauci did not show up for the briefing and Trump went on interminably. This sent a chill up my spine. Fauci is our indispensable man of the hour. He is our momentary national treasure. If the president has given him the axe, well, we will remember in November. God only knows what would happen between now and then.

Stay well and keep up the courage and I will strive to do the same. Peace.

______________________________

Need an example of heroic Christ-like sacrifice? Take a look here .

VIDEO OF THE DAY

I want to share with you the best sermon I have heard in a long time in case you missed it. It is Bishop Mariann Budde's homily of yesterday, 22 March, at the Washington National Cathedral. 

The theme of yesterday's church readings was seeing. We see in different ways, we know in different ways. In this dark hour of pandemic, our world has turned upside down in so many ways. We see darkness and tragedy descending on us. No one wanted this crisis. No one made it. Yet it is here. Budde says if we are open to seeing things differently, we can respond in positive ways to the challenge that we may not be able to imagine now. We can make good come out of what seems to be all bad. These are words we need to hear right now. They certainly moved me to "see" our time of crisis in a new light.  

In my opinion, this is the sermon of the hour. These are the words we need to hear at this critical moment. I think it will help you also to "see" our dark hour in a new "light."

Find Budde's eloquent sermon here .


On an historical note, it is useful now to recall the Black Death. Bubonic plague descended on Europe in 1347. It was by far the worst pandemic in recorded history. A bacterial infection, it swept through every place as wildfire tormenting and killing people right and left. It is estimated that between 30 and 60 percent of Europeans died. It was so horrible and lethal that people commonly believed it was the end of the world. In a sense it was the end, of a world, but soon thereafter dawned a new world that people in the Fourteenth Century could not have imagined, what we know as modern civilization. Soon came the Renaissance (rebirth) and Reformation (reform). Along with those came the modern nation state, modern capitalism, the origins of modern science and technology, the great voyages of discovery and exploration, and so forth. The Black Death was unimaginably destructive but it was not the end of the world. 

While we bear in mind thoughts of the past and the future, however, we must now confront this plague and do all we can to stop its spread and alleviate the misery it is inflicting on people's lives everywhere. Peace. 

BISHOP STEVE WOOD HOSPITALIZED,

with update, 22 Mar.

According to the Post and Courier, Bishop Steve Wood has tested positive and is apparently suffering from a serious case of COVID-19. He is in the Intensive Care Unit of East Cooper Medical Center, in Mt. Pleasant, on a ventilator. No visitors allowed. The 56-year-old Wood is rector of St. Andrew's Church, Mt. Pleasant, and also bishop of the Anglican Church in North America's Diocese of the Carolinas. Find the article here .

The St. Andrew's Church website confirms that Wood has the virus. It also says that the assistant rector, the Rev. Anthony Kowbeidu, has tested positive for the coronavirus. Find the church page here . It gives this chilling statement: "If you received communion from Steve or Anthony at any time since March 6, you have definitely been exposed."

Channel 2 News is posting another report of this. Find it here . This says that three "leaders" of St. Andrew's have shown symptoms possibly of COVID-19. It also says the church sent out a letter to parishioners warning them of the situation. The people received the letter on Mar. 19, a week after Wood "felt sick" and self-quarantined. This article says that Wood was admitted to the hospital with a high fever and respiratory problems.

A few comments:

---A call for prayers for Wood and Kowbeidu.
(I am astonished at the deafening silence from Wood's friends as of this moment. As he lies gravely ill in the ICU, there is no mention of his present condition, let alone calls for prayers for his recovery, on the St. Andrew's website, the ACNA website, or the Anglican diocese of South Carolina's site. What gives?)

---This proves to us that early action is crucial in stopping the spread of this virus.

---This virus is highly contagious. Experts say it is two and a half times more contagious than the common cold. If I had had any contact with Wood or Kowbeidu in the past three weeks, I would self-quarantine but also get tested for the virus.


A suggested prayer (from the EDSC wesbite):

Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy. Sustain and support the anxious, be with those who care for the sick, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may find comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

_____________________________

Need a "pick me up" story today? How about this bride-to-be who, forced to postpone her wedding, donated her flowers to a nursing home? Find it here .
_____________________________


UPDATE. March 22, 3 p.m.     The Rev. John Burley reported in the 9 a.m. livestreamed service this morning at St. Andrew's church (find it on the St. Andrew's website), that Bishop Steve Wood was still in the Intensive Care Unit and on a ventilator but with no fever. Burley said Wood was "stable" and that there was "no change" in his condition.


I remain amazed, and a bit bewildered, at the lack of public reaction to Wood's obviously very serious health condition. A person in ICU on a ventilator in unchanged condition is in physical danger. I should think at least his friends near and far would be actively calling for prayers for his recovery. So far, near silence. Burley's remarks this morning is the extent of anything I have seen. 

The communicants of St. Andrew's need to be concerned for their own health. Two of their clergy have tested positive for the coronavirus and one is having a serious bout of it. From what we have been told, Wood first began to feel ill on Thursday, March 12 and started a self-quarantine. He learned later that he was positive for the virus. The experts say a person can carry the virus for fourteen days before any symptoms appear.  

A week after symptoms appeared, on the evening of Thursday, March 26, church leaders sent a letter to the congregation about Wood's illness. Apparently, Wood was taken to the hospital the next day and to the ICU where he remains.

The bottom line is that the people of St. Andrew's should be vigilant about their health. We know this germ is highly contagious, two and a half times as much as the common cold. It may be that more people in the church will experience the symptoms of COVID-19. One should follow the guidelines of the experts at the CDC if one believes he or she may have the virus.

From all the evidence accumulating, people are having greatly varying experiences in terms of symptoms of this infection. Some people report mild effects, as a bad cold or a case of the flu. Others are reporting much worse effects. Obviously Bishop Wood's case is somewhere near the "worse" end of the spectrum or otherwise he would not be in ICU on a ventilator. 

The fact is that people are dying of the effects of this disease. Italy has the highest rate of mortality at 9 %. In the U.S. so far it is less than 2 %.

The coronavirus is spreading all around us at a quickening pace. Unfortunately, it has struck in one of the largest Anglican churches of the lowcountry. The people there should take every precaution with their own health as they pray for the speedy recovery of their two clergy battling the virus.  

LIFE IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC

Suddenly, our patterns of daily life have changed. And, this is only the beginning of much more to come. Experts are now talking about as long as eighteen months before the danger subsides. Every single one of us is going to be impacted in ways we cannot know now. So, what to do for the duration of this pandemic? How should we react to this crisis that has befallen us, and the rest of the world?

"Social distancing" is the code term of the day. This means stay at home if possible, or if not possible, keep six feet away from the next person. If that is not possible, protect yourself, at least by washing hands frequently. This is a highly contagious virus that spreads easily from coughs and sneezes and from surfaces. If you are over the age of 60 and/or have immune compromising underlying issues (hypertension, heart trouble, diabetes, cancer, lung diseases) you should take extra precautions.

Sometimes this social distancing is very hard to do. Last week, my one and only grandchild stopped by for a visit on her way from California to South Carolina. I had not seen her in fourteen months. I wanted more than anything to give her a big bear hug as is my custom. We all resisted touching, however, but when she left, I was left a bit depressed.  

Social distancing is against human nature. Human beings are and have always been social animals. It is in our nature to interact in groups. In the Paleolithic Age, all societies lived communally, that is, together in groups as they moved from place to place in search of food. The idea of living separately, even in family units, really began to take hold as the Neolithic Age dawned, around 10,000 B.C.E. As people developed settled agriculture (farming the land and keeping animals), they separated into units on the divided pieces of land. Even then they kept social contacts in villages or other ways and the idea of a greater nation-state binding a large area together gradually emerged. Even in America, where we like to think of ourselves as rugged individualists, we have always been bound by a greater sense of community. In short, what the experts are telling us to do now is not in our nature. It is certainly in our greater interest at the moment in order to stop the spread of the virus but social distancing may well have adverse effects as loneliness and depression.

We church people are social by the very nature of church. The church is a group. It conducts itself by group dynamics. Therefore, the church will have to find innovative ways to mesh the urge for group interaction with the necessity of distancing. One good way churches are rising to the occasion is by transmitting electronic services. These days, most people have smart phones and various forms of computers. For some of the elderly, digital communication can be a problem. My teenage granddaughter knows far more about digital forms than I do. Nowadays, children grow up with it in the schools. It is second nature to them. Nevertheless, the church can find innovative ways to use digital media to connect church and people.

In the Episcopal church, numerous parishes are offering online services. Washington National Cathedral offers Morning Prayer, Monday-Saturday at 7:00 a.m. and Evening Prayer at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday worship at 11:15 a.m. These are livestreamed and then posted as video files. Find the information about this here . Likewise, Grace Church Cathedral, in Charleston is offering Morning Prayer, daily, Monday-Friday, as well as 11:00 Sunday service. These are all livestreamed and later available as video files. Find these at Youtube-Grace Church Cathedral. In the EDSC, two other parishes are offering online church, St. Anne's of Conway, and St. Catherine's of Florence. Several other parishes are providing audio files. Find the details of these offerings on the EDSC website here .

In the disassociated diocese, numerous parishes are providing online church services. Interesting to note that all but one of these are legally Episcopal churches. Even though they are temporarily occupied by non-Episcopal clergy, it is important to keep worship going pending the return of the Episcopal bishop. Find the details here . According to the ADSC website, the following are available online:

Church of the Cross, in Bluffton; Christ Church, of Mt. Pleasant; St. Paul's, of Conway; Holy Trinity, in Grahamville; Holy Cross, of Stateburg; Christ/St. Paul's, of Yonges Island; St. Helena's, in Beaufort; St. Philip's, of Charleston; Good Shepherd, in Charleston; Epiphany, in Eutawville; Our Saviour, on Johns Island; and All Saints, in Florence.

Churches, indeed, all of us as individuals, should remain concerned about people who may be most impacted by the social isolation, particularly the elderly, and people who live alone. Almost everyone has a telephone. At the very least we can call and check on people we know to be most vulnerable in this hour of crisis. We can pick up a few items at the grocery, collect a prescription at the pharmacy, or just say "Hello."

Social isolation can lead to feelings of loneliness and that can promote depression. These could be adverse side effects of the virus. If we remain cognizant of this, we can work to mitigate the effects, at least on the most vulnerable ones among us. We are social animals, and here is a way we can put that nature to work, caring for others.

For those of us staying at home to social distance, we should think of ways to use our time helpfully for others and ourselves. Here is what I am doing. Fortunately, I have a large garden that needs a lot of work. This is great therapy (We are having a glorious springtime and many plants are bursting out in all their beauty; however, it is cloudy and dark today. No photos.) I have even taken to mowing my own lawn rather than hiring it out as I have in the past. Even if you do not have a garden, or a yard, you can still garden on a small scale. A pot, potting soil, and plants, and there you are. Inside I have a stack of books I want to read, TV, and my computer. I try to limit the news on TV. Too much of that is too upsetting. My wife Sandy spends a lot of time talking on the phone with her church friends who live alone as well as catching up on her reading. She also keeps in stock the free pantry in our church parking lot. Her favorite reading of late is Jon Meacham's book on the last words of Christ on the cross, The Hope of Glory. She recommends it, especially now in Lent. Don't forget table games. My favorite is Yahtzee. The games are short and are not complicated. The old standard Monopoly is good but games can last for hours. How about jigsaw puzzles? I am fond of Sudoku and crossword puzzles. I am also bringing back hobbies that I have had in the past, such as working on my family genealogy. If you have youngsters in the house, you will have to come up with a lot of innovative ideas, that is if you can unglue them from their electronic devices.

What I am trying to do is listen to the advice of the experts and practice social distancing. Here in America this is now on a voluntary basis. However, there are places abroad where this is not voluntarily. In some big cities in Europe no one is allowed on the streets without a pass from the authorities and then only for necessities as food and medicines. We do not want to get to that stage and should not have to if everyone cooperates voluntarily now.

For the video of the day showing how people are adapting to social distancing, click here .

OUR DARKENING HOUR

All signs indicate the coronavirus is spreading across America. It has had very bad effects in some countries abroad such as China and Italy. It will get worse here in America before it gets better. It is going to impact our lives in ways we cannot see now. Right now the stock market is collapsing, again. What to do?

The experts are telling us the best thing we can do right now is to self isolate, for our own sake and to keep the virus from spreading. So, that should be our first thought. Stay at home if at all possible. For those for whom it is not possible, keep "social distancing" and practice common sense measures as frequent washing of hands.

The medical professionals are also telling us, if you get the virus, do not panic. Treat it as a bad case of the flu. They are saying go to bed and take over the counter medicines to treat the symptoms. Seek more help if you are in the "at risk" categories:  over 60 and/or with underlying issues as cardiovascular problems, diabetes, lung diseases, and cancer.

Believe me, you do not want to go to the Emergency Room these days unless absolutely, positively necessary. Two days ago, I had to go to the ER, to my great discomfort, on a matter completely unrelated to the virus. On doctor's orders, I had to take a family member to the ER in order to get the person admitted to the hospital, the largest hospital in this region of Alabama. First of all, on entering the ER waiting room, one is encountering every germ in the county from people suffering various conditions of medical distress. On entering the door, the triage nurse, covered from head to toe in protective gear, slapped face masks on us. Then she put us in a little room far back in the ER department where we had to wait, and wait. After five hours of waiting, I asked the area nurse if I could go get something from my car and return. "Sure," she said. On returning from my car to the ER waiting room, I saw the personnel scrambling around everywhere. It was bedlam (I do not know if it was an incoming case of the virus, but it was something critical). The clerk told me I could not go beyond the doors into the hallway. "Oh, no," I said, "I have to go to my family member who is in a room alone back there." "That hall is closed, no one goes in there!" she declared emphatically. In disbelief, my mouth fell open, my eyes bulged, and my face turned red, but there was no way that woman was letting me pass her to get into the ER hallway where a true emergency was occurring. Turning and looking at that big room full of coughing and sneezing people, I fled in anger and sorrow. I seethed all the way home. I can tell you, it is very hard to leave a loved one alone in the ER. 

As it turned out, I can see the ER personnel were right. They were protecting me from the virus or something else dangerous. My family member was well cared for and was soon admitted to the hospital. It all ended well but left me in shambles. So, take my word for it, you do not want to go to an ER right now unless it is a matter of life and death. 

The ER is ground zero in the fight against the coronavirus. The medical professionals there put their lives on the line every day, and they do it for us, all of us. They deserve nothing but our admiration, respect, and support. I thank God for them.

Fortunately, we church people are grounded in our faith and we have our leadership to guide us in this trying time. Those in lower South Carolina can look to their diocesan authorities for wisdom and guidance in this darkening hour. The Anglican diocese has closed all churches for in-person services. Several parishes will livestream services on Sundays. Find the list here . Bishop Lawrence has posted a pastoral letter that everyone should read. Find it here .

The Episcopal diocese is temporarily without a seated bishop, but it still has leadership, namely in the archdeacon, the Ven. Calhoun Walpole, the chair of the standing committee, the Rev. Caleb Lee, and the visiting bishop, the Rt. Rev. Henry Parsley. Just today, the archdeacon posted a thoughtful reflection, "Diocesan Meditation: The Light in Darkness." Find it here . All three leaders will be posting meditations regularly on the diocesan website. All churches of the diocese are closed to in-person services, but some parishes will livestream Sunday liturgies. Consult the diocesan website here for the particulars of the online offerings. In fact, Morning Prayer, at Grace Cathedral today, is available on Youtube. Find it here .

As for me and my family, we are staying at home except for necessary outings, and then only as briefly as possible. As everyone else, we will be watching Sunday services on our computers. Sadly, we cannot visit our family member in the hospital because the hospital has closed itself to all visitors, understandably. Yet, we can still communicate with each other, on our phones and other electronic equipment. 

The night is darkening. It is going to get darker and darker probably for the next few weeks or months. Remember that as the light fades you are not alone. We are all in this together and we will get through this together. Keep the faith. Peace. 

SC DIOCESES AND CLOSURES

On yesterday, the Episcopal and Anglican dioceses in lower South Carolina announced suspension of public worship services. The Episcopal authorities said there would be no Episcopal church services until the end of March. Find their announcement here . The Anglican bishop said there would be no Anglican church services "at least" for the next two Sundays. Find their announcement here .

Both dioceses said there would be electronic transmissions of services. As of this moment, the Episcopal diocese lists three livestreamed churches. Find the information here . The three are Grace Church Cathedral, in Charleston, via Youtube and Facebook; St. Anne's, in Conway, on Facebook; and St. Catherine's, of Florence, on Facebook. Several other parishes offer audio files. Consult the list on the webpage noted above. Grace said it would conduct services à la National Cathedral, that is with the clergy and a small choir but no congregation.

On last check, the Anglican diocese had not listed its online services. Keep checking back on their website for that information which is supposedly upcoming.

Meanwhile, cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, as of yesterday 33 in SC and 29 in AL. Around the country there is a rolling wave of closures and cutbacks. This is the sensible, albeit painful, thing to do at this point. If we can "put a lid" on the spread of the bug right now, we can gain control of the situation. If we let it spread and multiply for the next few weeks, it will be completely out of control and much, much harder to rein in (as in Italy). We will pay a much higher price if we have to go to total lock down as some countries have been forced to do. It is better to "bite the bullet" now than to face the bullet in a few weeks.

This is a time of high anxiety, perfectly understandable. We are frightened of the unknown as we are frightened of losing control over our own lives. Fear is a natural reaction to a crisis such as this. However, we must not let the stresses of the moment overcome our good judgment. Above all, we must keep the faith. The Universe is not chaos. There is a divine order although sometimes it may be hard to see. There is a great transcendent Presence that is always with us. Peace. 

CDC:  NO GATHERINGS OF 50+ PEOPLE
FOR EIGHT WEEKS

On yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control recommended new guidelines for reacting to the spread of COVID-19.

The guideline includes this:

Therefore, CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.

...

This recommendation does not apply to the day-to-day operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses.

Find the "Interim Guidance for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) here .

Elsewhere in the "Guidance" the CDC says there should be no gathering of more than 10 people who classify as "at risk." At risk are the elderly and persons with existing immune compromising conditions as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, lung diseases, and the like.

While yesterday's direction is not an official order, it is to be taken seriously. Dr. Fauci said on the talk shows yesterday that we may soon get to the point of "lock down" such as is now occurring in some countries abroad. Right now, the authorities are asking for voluntary cooperation to limit public gatherings in order to contain the spread of the virus.

The coronavirus is spreading in the U.S. rapidly, lately doubling about every two or three days. 

This leaves the churches facing some hard decisions. If we follow the CDC guidelines, we have to close the churches.

This will require the church officers to "think outside the box" to find ways to "do" church and move to non-traditional ways of interfacing between clergy and laity. For that, fortunately we live in the digital age. We have mass electronic means of communications. If we ever needed this, it is now. Let's use the resources we have.

Yesterday, the Washington National Cathedral and the presiding bishop gave us models on how to present church through electronic media. Through Youtube, the Cathedral livestreamed its 11:15 a.m. service. There was no congregation. There, in that cavernous building that we all know and love, were the clergy around the altar, the organist and a small choir. The bulletin was posted so that people at home could follow the whole service. It was a great success. Separately, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry videotaped and posted a fifteen minute sermon, also successfully.

As probably many of you, I watched the 11:00 service of Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston. It too was a big success. I especially appreciated the words of Dean Wright in his homily.

If we follow the CDC guidelines, we should close all churches to the public.

We should not close religion to the public. Church officials should find ways to provide church services to the people and to keep up communications. The National Cathedral and the presiding bishop have shown the way, thankfully. I should think that Grace Church Cathedral will continue its livestreaming services without a congregation, with the bulletin posted.

The diocese of South Carolina is in a unique position in this national crisis since it does not have a seated bishop. Bishop Parsley is generously providing essential services but he is not the provisional bishop of the diocese. This puts extra burden on the present authorities, particularly the archdeacon and the chair of the standing committee who so far have done good jobs. They might want to think of ways to increase communication between clergy and people in this hour of emergency, perhaps presenting periodic talks online. Above all, people need reassurance that we will get through this crisis and the church can be a great part of this. The people need to hear from their leaders in person, not just by letter.

All signs indicate that this crisis will get worse for weeks, maybe months, to come. We are in for a hard time. We people of faith know that there is a higher power that is always with us and will stay with us through thick and thin. Now is the time for the church to bring this truth home to the people using the media of the day. 

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE CRAZY

Crises always seem to bring out the extremes in society and this COVID-19 pandemic is no exception.

Right now we can see numerous examples of how this health crisis is bringing out the good, the bad, and the crazy in people. And the scare in America is really only just beginning. All of this will be magnified in the next few weeks.

THE GOOD.

First of all, let us trust our best, most reliable sources for leadership. Unfortunately, President Trump has shown himself to be incapable of leading the country in this moment of crisis. In reality, he has done more harm than good. However, he has some outstanding experts around him who have stepped up to lead the nation. First and foremost is Dr. Anthony Fauci. He should be our go-to guy on what to do now and in the near future. He is filling the vacuum left by the president. We should all thank God for him and the others around him, such as Dr. Deborah Birx. We can have confidence that they will see us through this dark hour. Dr. Fauci was just on TV this morning, on NBC's "Meet the Press.". Find him here . I, for one, listen to every word he says. He is the expert.

Two of the hardest hit countries in Europe are Italy and Spain. They are in lock down for the duration of the crisis. Yet, even as people huddle in fear in their homes, they rise to cheer for the health care professionals among them who risk their very lives to tend the sick and dying. Look at this video from Italy. In Spain, too, people took to their windows and balconies to applaud the health workers. Find that video here . In Italy, Spain, and elsewhere people know we are all in this together. What affects one of us affects all of us.

THE BAD.

In Alabama, there is a stampede on gun shops to stock up on ammunition and guns. Find the report of this here . Now, this one baffles me. The virus does not care if a person has a gun or not. No bullet is going to stop the virus. The only explanation that makes any sense to me is fear of social breakdown. Perhaps some people believe the police/military will be incapacitated by the virus and there will be a collapse of civil order, therefore people will have to defend themselves against the lawless. If you come up with a better explanation for the run on gun shops, please let me know. Stripping the shelves at Walmart of toilet paper is crazy too, but it actually makes more sense to me than stocking up on ammunition (even though, from what I gather, the coronavirus is upper respiratory, not lower GI track).

THE CRAZY.

Believe it or not, some people are drinking bleach in the crazy idea that they can disinfect themselves against the virus. I know, I was incredulous at this too. Find an NBC report on this madness here . This fits into the "What were they thinking?" category. It is not just toilet paper that has disappeared from the shelves, it is also all disinfectant products such as household bleach. In fact, there was a fist fight at a local Walmart here over the last jug of Clorox. A tiny amount of household bleach in a lot of water can be used as a disinfectant, but not to drink! It is toxic!


This pandemic will not last forever. It will end. The best way to get through this crisis is by bringing out the best in ourselves. As the people in Europe know, we are all in this together. Let's follow the leadership of the experts of the Center for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health as the situation worsens. South Carolina is reporting 19 cases today and Alabama, 12. We can expect that the worst is yet to come in these states, indeed, in the whole U.S. 

SHOULD CHURCHES CLOSE
FOR THE DURATION OF THE EPIDEMIC?

Episcopal churches are now faced with the dilemma of whether to close for the duration of the coronavirus epidemic. Various dioceses and many local churches have announced shut downs for the next few weeks. The bishop of Alabama has closed all churches in this diocese for at least the next three weeks. There are to be no public services here. The dioceses of Washington (DC) and Virginia have also closed churches for the next several weeks. Several rectors around the country have tested positive. Find the latest from the national church here . This contains a list of responses to the health crisis by diocese.

Regarding lower South Carolina, as of this morning, three churches (East Cooper in Mt. Pleasant, St. Francis in West Ashley, and St. Mark's in Charleston) have closed in the Episcopal Diocese while the others apparently remain open. Find the information of the EDSC here . One should keep checking this webpage for information on what is going on in the Episcopal diocese of SC in regards to church responses to the epidemic. As of this moment, there has been no notice posted on the Anglican diocesan website about church closures.

Speaking for myself and no one else, I think it is wise for churches to act on the side of caution for several reasons. One is that the Episcopal church has a high percentage of attendees over the age of 60. The CDC has declared this group "at risk" for the virus. Secondly, the coronavirus is highly contagious and spreads easily by coughing and sneezing. It can remain alive for days on surfaces touched by infected persons. Moreover, an infected person may not know he or she is infected for two weeks. Meanwhile he or she is spreading the virus to numerous other people who would then be giving it, unknowingly, to numerous other people, and so on. It multiples quickly. Too, anyone with immune compromising underlying health issues is "at risk" from this virus. The death rate of coronavirus is ten times higher than that of the ordinary flu. 

At the same time we should be taking common sense preparations of protection, we should not panic or grow hysterical. There are signs this may be happening in some places. If you have been to the grocery store recently, you would probably not have been able to find certain items. My family in Bay Saint Louis reported yesterday that people there have stripped the aisles of all the stores. The panic there is worse than for a looming hurricane. As for me and my family, we are planning on a 30 day isolation except for absolutely essential outside travel. We have non-perishable food items on hand. We also have our phones and our computers.

This epidemic will eventually pass, but we are in a few hard weeks. The best thing to do is keep the faith. Do not panic. Be prepared. Keep checking with the NIH and CDC websites for the latest information on the epidemic. And, keep checking on the church websites regarding church policies and procedures. Finally, do not forget others. Keep checking on family, neighbors, and friends. Let's do what we can to help others, especially the elderly and other vulnerable people. We have a lot of social media to do that. Now is the time to use it. Peace. 

VIDEO OF THE DAY

A couple in their eighties were too frightened to get out of their car and shop in the grocery store, in Bend, Oregon. They were terrified of catching the coronavirus. They waited in the parking lot for 45 minutes for someone to come along. Rebecca Mehra came along. The couple asked her to buy their groceries, gave her a hundred dollar bill and a list. Mehra happily obliged and brought the groceries and change back to the couple patiently waiting in their car. Acts of simple kindness such as this will help us all get through the health crisis we are in. Find the video here .

Mehra's advice is spot on---check in on your neighbors, parents, grandparents, and friends. You may not know what a difference you can make for them in this hour of crisis. At the very least a kind voice can calm fears. A lot of people are awfully frightened right now.

CHURCH ATTENDANCE

AND THE CORONAVIRUS

In yesterday's blog post about the virus, I encouraged people to attend church for the foreseeable future even as we prepare to respond to the public health crisis at hand. I said we need the church and the church needs us. I have reconsidered that thought. In the first place, I want to be responsible and careful about what I say on this blog. I have always sought to be factual and reasonable. In my view, there is no such thing as too much information (as those who have read my history of the schism can confirm). A lot of people read this blog and trust what I have to say. Some 500 people a day click on to this site. 

I now think each individual person should consider whether to attend church during the COVID-19 crisis. 

Our best sources of information about the coronavirus are the National Institutes of Health, find their website here , and the Center for Disease Control. Find the CDC website here . I recommend that everyone consult these sites and follow the advice therein.

According to the top professionals, anyone over the age of sixty and/or with underlying health issues that compromise immune systems should take extra precautions to avoid the virus. Underlying issues would be conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, lung diseases, and cancer. The CDC classifies these as "at risk." We know the mortality rate of this virus is worse for older people.

Code words of the day are "social distancing" and "self-quarantine." In other words, stay away from other people because this illness is contagious.

It is important to know how this virus spreads. In the first place, as the CDC says, it "spreads easily" (I interpret that to mean highly contagious). How does it spread? The CDC says it spreads in two ways: airborne and surface.

In airborne, if one is within six feet of an infected person and the infected person coughs or sneezes, one is likely to receive the virus in the droplets, expelled by the infected person's nose or mouth, moving through the air. 

Furthermore, an infected person  may not know he or she is infected for several days and could be spreading the germ unsuspectingly. The CDC says a person may have the virus without overt symptoms for up to fourteen days. Thus, your neighbor at any social gathering may appear to be completely healthy, and even believe that he or she is virus free, only to know differently a few days later. By then, he or she could have infected many people unknowingly. This would grow exponentially. 

The other way coronavirus spreads is on surfaces. According to the CDC the virus can live for days on surfaces. This is why we do not want to shake hands at church, or anywhere else for that matter. Surfaces would be not just the body but possibly items an infected person has touched.

Just as I tell everyone frequently I am not a lawyer, I am also not a medical doctor and I am not giving medical advice.

I am saying keep yourself informed about this virus. There are good, reliable public health websites available for that. 

Meanwhile, I for one will be reconsidering whether I attend church for the duration of this crisis. I am over the age of sixty, red flag. I do not have underlying health issues, green flag. Everyone should weight the evidence and the advice from the medical professionals and decide for him or herself whether to attend church, or any other public social gathering where people will be within six feet of each other.

We as a society will survive this health crisis even though there will be vulnerable individuals among us who will not survive. We are in for a rough time in the next few weeks, possibly months. Unfortunately, we cannot expect to have a vaccine against coronavirus for eighteen months. We are on our own in protecting ourselves and that is where our informed common sense comes in.

For us church people, each of us should weight for him or herself the pluses and minuses of attending services. Meanwhile, keep checking on your friends, neighbors, family members and love and care for them as we Christians are called to do. 

P.S. If you have anything to share with others about how we can get through this crisis, please contribute. We want to know what you think. Send to the email address above. 

FACING THE VIRUS

Public health officials tell us the coronovirus is on us. The world is in a pandemic. Dr. Fauci said yesterday things will get worse before they get better. He was certainly right about today. Things are worse. In the next weeks, they are likely to get much worse as the virus spreads. Although only a tiny percentage of people who contract the coronavirus die, it is still ten times more deadly than ordinary influenza, according to Dr. Fauci. 

The number of cases in the United States is growing rapidly. Government officials are scrambling to impose all sorts of measures to "mitigate" the spread of the virus. They do not seem adequate to me. For instance, only very few people have been tested. There are not enough testing kits. Federal government measures so far are woefully inadequate. The president, as usual, is clueless.

The stock market is collapsing. Today it dropped a whopping 2,352 points, 10% of its value---in one day! This is the worst one day fall in 33 years. In the last month, the Dow has lost 20% of its value, from about 29,000 to about 21,000. There is a sense of panic on Wall Street.

What about church? In lower South Carolina, there were two important developments today.

In the first, the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina announced it has postponed its annual convention that was supposed to start tomorrow. Find their announcement here . Presumably, it will be held later, perhaps in a non-traditional form.

In the second, the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina issued a letter from the chair of the standing committee and a letter from the archdeacon concerning ongoing church services. Find the letters here . There are two take-aways from these letters:

1---No handshaking in church, period:  "Refrain from handshakes at The Peace and at other times."

2---The common cup will continue, but drinking from it is entirely at the discretion of the communicant:  "Receiving Communion of One Kind in the bread alone is always a valid option for a communicant."

Only speaking for myself and no one else, here is what I think is important about church during the looming virus sweep:

---Go to church if one is not infected. We need it individually, and the church needs us. In times of peril, we need the comfort and reassurance of our ancient ritualized religion more than ever. We are one body. We need to be present to show it. (It should go without saying if you are infected, have tested positive, or think you could be infected, stay home in self-quarantine.)

---Instead of shaking hands, I intend to use friendly gestures as slightly bowing, holding my hand over my heart, waving, and elbow bumps. All of these show caring without the danger of transmitting germs on the hands. Of course, everyone should wash hands thoroughly before going to church, as well as afterwards.

---I for one will be taking the wafer only and not be drinking from the common cup until the danger of the virus has passed. Intinction is not a sanitary substitute. In fact, it is germier than drinking. Germs from the hands and fingers get on the bread and are transferred to the wine. After a few intinctions, well, you get the idea.

We will get through this health crisis together. It is best not to panic or grow hysterical. It is a bad virus, to be sure, especially for the elderly. It looks now as if the virus will spread in our communities. It is important that we keep check on our friends and neighbors and follow the Golden Rule. Love and care for the sick as we would want them to do for us. (In the great Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, my grandfather went door to door in the rural countryside of south Alabama caring for dozens of his neighbors who were sick and dying. There were cases where whole families died and he was the only one nursing them at the end. Yet, he himself never caught the flu.)

As for now, common sense measures can help us get through this crisis and keep it at a minimum. Meanwhile, keep abreast of what is going on in your local church and keep an eye on what the diocese is advising. Peace.

HIGH ANXIETY

Yesterday was a nice day weather wise, and so I worked in my garden. It needs a lot of clean up at this time of the year. We had a relatively warm and wet winter and many plants are blooming out early. I had planned to post pictures of my garden for my usual Friday garden walk this week, but I think we need a break right now rather than a few days from now. It seems as if all of us are suffering from high anxiety.

The world seems to be in a near panic over the coronavirus. China is in crisis. The whole country of Italy is in lock down. The virus is spreading rapidly in America. Alabama has had no case of it yet, but it is only a matter of time. Two students at Jacksonville State University, who live in Georgia, tested positive. They were workers at a hospital in Georgia where an infected patient was housed. They are under self-quarantine and it is not known if they have infected anyone else.

The president of the United States is incompetent and, as everything else, is treating this problem as a public relations issue rather than a health crisis. With Trump, everything has to be about him. Fortunately, there are outstanding health care professionals who are dealing with the matter on the national scene. The president needs to shut up and get out of the way to allow the actual geniuses, as Dr. Anthony Fauci, to do their critically needed work.

The stock market has gone into wild fluctuations. Yesterday the DOW dropped 2,000 points, the worst fall in 12 years. This morning it up a few hundred points. The markets are out of control because of the economic chaos around fears of a pandemic. Who knows what they will do next. The stock market hates uncertainty.

Even our churches are in chaos. Should we close down the churches? Should we stop communion? Should we share the common cup? Should we shake hands at passing the peace? Should we touch anyone at all? The news reported that Christ Church in D.C. shut down when the rector tested positive. What are we going to do when our own local rector tests positive? (Love and care for him or her, I hope.)

Meetings, gatherings, concerts, sports events etc. are being cancelled or postponed all over the globe as people have cleaned out shelves of hand-sanitizer and toilet paper. Just try to find a face mask. It is already a panic in ways.

So, to get a brief respite from the craziness of life all around us, let's stroll through my garden.

My garden is in what I call its Second Phase of the growing season. The First Phase is in late winter when the bulbs predominate and some of the early spireas bloom out. Camellias are the great stars of the garden all through the winter, some blooming in early spring. Now, the bulbs, as daffodils, and most of the camellias have played out. 

Many gardeners consider common Carolina jasmine to be a weed and pull it up wherever they find it. Not I. Its bright yellow flowers and aroma in late winter/early spring herald a new year, a new season. It is best to put this on a support, as the trellis here that forms the entrance to a walk path. I have to fight this vine to keep it under control, but it is worth it for the beauty it offers at this time of the year.

Forsythia is one of the best shrubs for the south. It puts out tiny yellow flowers, similar to jasmine, in late winter-early spring before it leafs out. These are along a walk path. They have passed their flowering prime which was a couple of weeks ago. If you live in the south and have room for one shrub, it should be camellia. The second one should be forsythia.

This dwarf peach tree is beginning to bloom. My guess is the vast peach orchards from Alabama to South Carolina are in full bloom. Let's hope we do not have another killing freeze before spring.

This gold dust (Aucuba) is about to be devoured by this "Spring Bouquet" spirea. I should cut back the spirea but I hate too. Its aroma is similar to tea olive, but much stronger. This particular spirea is an excellent garden shrub and is underused in the south.

The commonly-called "Japanese Magnolia" tree is ubiquitous across the south, and for good reason. In February, before it leafs out, it is covered by upright tulip-like pinkish/purple flowers. This particular one is a slightly later bloomer called "Stella Jane." Each bloom is a beauty in and of itself, purplish on the outside and white on the inside.


I suggest we all take a deep breath and relax a moment. We are indeed facing a possible pandemic. It it happens, it happens. The virus will do its own thing. There are common sense ways to respond but they are not panic and hysteria. That will make matters worse. Let's all follow the guidelines issued by the public health professionals in charge, such as those of the National Institutes of Health and the Center for Disease Control.

Meanwhile, remember that in the big picture life goes on orderly and if you need a reminder of that go out into a garden, or yard, and enjoy the glory of God's creation in this early spring. It will help reduce you level of anxiety.

BISHOP WILLIAM LOVE AND LOVE

An article published on March 6, 2020, in Christian Today, a conservative, evangelical journal, is causing a stir among Episcopal Church critics who are promoting it. It is "A Trial that Should Shame all Anglicans," by David Baker, an ACNA "minister." Find the article here .

The point of Baker's article is that Episcopal Church presiding bishop Michael Curry, famous for his theology of love, is showing no love to Bishop William Love, of Albany. The author holds Curry's behavior, and the Episcopal Church actions concerning Love, are "shameful." Love is depicted as the innocent, correct-thinking, victim of a corrupt, wrong-thinking, church bureaucracy.  Unfortunately, Baker is misconstruing and misinterpreting the matter at hand.

We have to go back to General Convention of 2018. Resolution B012 "Marriage Rites for the Whole Church," included a section referring to dioceses that do not authorize liturgies for same-sex marriage. It said a congregation in such a diocese may request that another bishop be allowed to enter and provide access to the liturgies for same-sex marriage: (Resolved, That where diocesan canons or bishops exercising ecclesiastical authority do not authorize the use of these liturgies for persons of the same sex, congregations may request, and when requesting shall receive delegated episcopal pastoral oversight (DEPO) by a bishop of this Church who shall provide access to these liturgies, as permitted by civil law...) In other words, any parish may have the possibility of conducting same-sex marriage ceremonies. They may do so by a delegated bishop from outside the diocese. The resolution did not require a bishop (or a priest for that matter) to accept same-sex marriage. Nor did it require a bishop to adopt same-sex liturgies in his or her diocese. It is important to understand what the resolution did and did not say. Among the eight most conservative bishops, all but William Love, agreed to follow the terms of the resolution.

Love rejected B012 and banned it in the Diocese of Albany. He did this in an official letter to the diocese dated November 10, 2018. He directed:  Until further notice, the trial rites authorized by Resolution B012 of the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church shall not be used anywhere in the Diocese of Albany by diocesan clergy (canonically resident or licensed), and Diocesan Canon 16 shall be fully complied with by all diocesan clergy and parishes.

In the civil state, local rejection of a national law is called nullification. Some southern states tried this before the Civil War, unsuccessfully. It was unconstitutional. Nullification is also contradictory of the hierarchical nature of the Episcopal Church. Resolutions of the General Convention apply to all dioceses equally. No diocese has the right to ban a duly enacted resolution of the GC. The Diocese of South Carolina tried nullification in 2010 and 2011. Last September, the federal court in Charleston ruled this attempt at nullification to be illegal. It recognized TEC as an hierarchical religious institution entitled to govern itself. Following the federal court ruling in Charleston, we would have to conclude that Bishop Love has no right under the C and C of TEC to reject a canon of the Church in his diocese.

Following Love's nullification announcement, presiding bishop Michael Curry issued a partial restriction on Love, on January 11, 2019, forbidding him from interfering in any way with clergy in his diocese regarding same-sex marriage. In other words, Curry ordered the enactment of B012 in the diocese of Albany.

Love appealed against the restriction but agreed to abide by it pending future action. In September of 2019, the panel for the discipline of bishops agreed to refer the Love case directly to the Hearing Panel under terms of Canon IV. 11.3. This panel will hold a hearing on April 21, 2020, in Albany. Love has said he does not dispute the facts of the case, but does contest the legality of Resolution B012. I, for one, am unclear what he means by this. At least the hearing will give Love's lawyers the opportunity to argue once again against same-sex marriage which Love has characterized as the work of Satan (letter Nov. 10, 2018). A decision will be made by the majority of the members of the Hearing Panel. If it finds against Love, there are several options open under the terms of the canon. A guilty verdict does not necessarily mean deposition as a bishop.

So, back to the article in the first paragraph above. The author claims it is "shameful" that Curry does not show "love" to Bishop Love when Curry is famous for his theology of love. It implies that Love is the victim here. I argue it is the reverse. It is Curry who is showing love. In the first place, Bishop Love is subject to the governance of the Episcopal Church as per the vows he made at his ordination/consecration as a bishop. He does not have the right to reject duly made laws of the Episcopal Church. He has no leg to stand on in regards to Resolution B012. It is the law of the Episcopal Church. He has no right as an Episcopal Church bishop to defy Church law. Certainly, this will be judgment of the Hearing Panel next month.

The larger issue here is same-sex marriage. The Episcopal Church holds it is an act of love to allow this in the Church. Bishop Love holds it is sinful. So, who is practicing love for people who have been historically persecuted, ignored, marginalized, maligned, and denied human rights? It is Michael Curry and the Episcopal Church. They are the champions of love.

What is "shameful" is that many Anglicans around the world still believe it is the Christian thing to do to continue the historic persecution of a certain minority of human beings made in the image of God. Several Anglican provinces have indeed incorporated same-sex marriage into the church, to their credit. This is love. Yet, many of the Anglicans provinces still go out of their way to fight against equal rights and inclusion of open homosexuals. In too many places this discrimination applies to women also. Prejudice, bigotry, discrimination, and persecution of God's children is the true shame of the church.

Bishop Love and David Baker are entitled to their own opinions. In my view, they are misguided and unsupported by the facts.

The Episcopal Church has resolved to defend the human rights of all human beings regardless of sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, or disability. That is love. The reverse is shameful.   

A POINT OF PRIDE

It is with great pride that I share the news with you, dear reader, that Time magazine has named a neighbor of mine as one of the world's 100 most outstanding women of the last century. She lives right here in the little town of Jacksonville, Alabama. On any given day I might chat with her at the Post Office or see her going around town. She is Lilly Ledbetter.

The March 16/23 issue is devoted to "100 Women of the Year, A century Redefined---1920-2019." This is celebration of the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote.

Lilly Ledbetter was chosen woman of the year 2007, on page 127.

She is a remarkable person with a great story. She was the first woman hired as a manager at the big Goodyear tire manufacturing plant, in Gadsden AL. After nearly two decades, she accidentally discovered that all of the men managers made more than she, some much more, although they had served less time. It was blatant gender-based discrimination. She decided to do something about it and started a long, very long campaign in the courts for pay equality. Her case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the 5-4 conservative majority found a loophole to reject her claim. They said she had to file a complaint within 180 days of the start of the discrimination. Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote a scathing dissent blasting the conservatives and virtually demanding Congress close this loophole. Congress listened, at least the Democratic majority did. The very first law President Obama signed as president was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Act Act, in 2009. Ledbetter and Ginsburg finally prevailed.

We have not reached pay equality yet, but we are getting closer and closer thanks to Lilly Ledbetter. Incidentally, since she lost her case in court, she never got a penny in payment. This has not stopped her as she still travels the world continuing on her great crusade for fairness for women workers. As for Alabama, no one represents us better than does she. We now have a woman governor and a woman Episcopal bishop-elect. I say thank God for these women, and thank God for Lilly Ledbetter. My daughters and granddaughter are better off because of her as are women and men everywhere.

So, thank you Time magazine for recognizing her contributions. For years, I campaigned here to invite her to be graduation speaker at Jacksonville State University. The authorities finally agreed. She did speak at a graduation but they refused to give her an honorary degree as is the custom with speakers. Oh well, a prophet in her own hometown...

Alabama gets lot of bad press, much of it deserved. So, it is good to see recognition for the great Alabamians who have contributed much to the betterment of humankind. Lilly Ledbetter is Alabama's very own Joan of Arc and I for one am very proud.