Concerned About Coronavirus and Your Congregation?

March 2, 2020

First things first: Stay calm. To date, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 (the official name of this coronavirus) in Arkansas. While it is likely the virus will make its way here, a few commonsense precautions will go a long way.

To that end, we have created half-sheet bulletin inserts you can download and print to help educate yourself and your congregation as to these precautions. You can also download and print the one-page poster below from the Centers for Disease Control and hang it in your church to help educate your members and visitors.

Of course, the question we will hear most often is whether or not it is safe to drink from the chalice. According to the American Journal of Infection Control (Vol. 26, No. 5, 1998), “no documented transmission of any infectious disease has ever been traced to the use of the common communion cup.” In fact, intincting may be more likely to spread germs, as dirty fingers are put in closer proximity to the wine and chalice.