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Capitol Hill Baptist Church v. Muriel Bowser and District of Columbia

Capitol Hill Baptist Church, a prominent Evangelical church in Washington, D.C., is suing Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District of Columbia for its restrictions on religious gatherings. The lawsuit argues that D.C.'s restrictions on mass gatherings infringe on the church's First and Fifth Amendment rights and violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

A Devotional on Psalm 91

At the beginning of the pandemic in the U.S., Psalm 91 came up in people's prayers, conversations, and on social media. The phrase "no plague will come near your tent" was relevant for the time.

Rosh HaShanah services in under three minutes

Through Instagram Reels, a TikTok copycat, I condensed Rosh HaShanah services down to just two and a half minutes. I mostly made it in the empty sanctuary of Congregation KTI in Port Chester, NY. I had seen plenty of creative technological adaptations of high holiday liturgy, but none using the short music video format popularized by TikTok. So I decided to go for it! The Shofar filter on Instagram that I use in the video comes from Valley Beth Shalom, a synagogue in Los Angeles.

The Blast Erev Rosh Ha Shanah 2020

My non-Jewish (who none-the-less raised 3 Jewish children) husband and past sax and clarinet player joined The Blast on Capitol Hill NE on Erev Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah

Here are photos of my 1st day setting for 12 people. I have the outline of the service along with a page of instructions to each participant.

All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta: Hymns from Home

When the All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta temporarily closed all of their church buildings to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, they began sharing videos of their musicians performing the hymns requested by members of their community through The Hymn Project.

Faithful Leadership in a Time of Pandemic

Join public health experts Dr. Arjun Srinivasan and Dr. Joe Bresee for a conversation on faithful leadership. Learn how their faith has informed their work and how responding to the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped their faith.

All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta: Easter

This collection of videos shares how the All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta celebrated Easter virtually amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta: Music in a pandemic

This collection of videos represents some of the music created and shared by the All Saint's Episcopal Church in Atlanta during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We Were Not Invincible

In early July, in the sanctuary of my rural church, I remember speaking to our Pastor (a middle-aged, simple styled caucasian man, known for his "go with the flow" attitude) about the pandemic, and its possible effects on the church. Although large gatherings had been banned in our state, he reassured me that our services would not change or adhere to new COVID-19 guidelines. It was as if he believed that our tiny corner of the world could not be reached by a pandemic. Was the hand of God hovering solely over us? Church continued for a couple of weeks; communion was taken, numbers hardly faltered, and no social distancing or mask wearing occured. At first, we did seem untouchable. Until...we weren't. Suddenly, members of the church started falling ill. The first two positive tests shocked the congregation. The choir got it, the deacons got it. School age children and elderly patrons got it. Even the Pastor, and his daughter, tested positive. Our lightheartedness came back to bite us, but everyone was too proud to admit our faults.

Supporting Ourselves and Our Children Through Challenging Times

Rabbi Dr. Alex Mondrow gave 3 support sessions for the parents of SINAI Schools, which serves children with special needs across the NY metropolitan area. This is part 1 of the series, given about 2 weeks after everyone went into lockdown in NJ.

Jews United for Justice, Interview #1

This interview talks about how Jews United for Justice is maintaining safety, engaging their volunteer community, and adapting their outreach efforts during the pandemic.

Asylee Women Enterprise, Interview #2

Tiffany Nelms from the Asylee Women Enterprise talks about the ways in which their organization is adapting to COVID and continuing to provide a safe and supportive environment for their community. She also discusses the dramatic toll that the pandemic has taken on the refugee community.

Black Church Food Security Network, Interview #1

This interview discusses how the Black Church Food Security Network is working to create a community-based food system by black churches in partnerships with black farmers. They are calling on churches to promote gardening, patronize black farmers, and practice emergency food storage, the latter of which will help with the current pandemic as well as prospective ones.

CLLCTIVLY, Interview #1

This interview provides insight into how the local black community in Baltimore, Maryland is adapting to and supporting one another during the COVID-19 crisis and following the death of George Floyd. It is discusses how the coupling of these two crisis is magnifying certain aspects of their community that typically goes unseen, and how CLLCTIVLY is looking to take that visibility and extend it beyond just the moment to continue to uplift community members beyond the present.

Asylee Women Enterprise, Interview #1

A conversation providing insight as to how female asylum seekers to the US are coping through COVID-19, with an emphasis on relief work. Also provides excellent insight as to support organizations, and different types of support they can provide beyond community during the pandemic through community building and guidence through trauma.

Sogorea Te Land Trust, Interview #2

Nazshonnii of the Sogorea Te Land Trust discusses how their organization is adapting their outreach efforts amidst COVID. Technology allows them to maintain connection to their community while still limiting physical gatherings to adhere to COVID safety protocols.

St. Jude, Saint of Hopeless Causes. Do not touch it for hope during the Pandemic.

St. Jude in the Roman Catholic tradition is the patron of hope and believed to cure hopeless causes. Normally people touch the statute in prayer and comfort- just not now.

Virgin Mary's Feast Day Church Celebrations Canceled due to Pandemic.

Many Latin American countries celebrate the Roman Catholic faith. The Virgin Mary (Mother of God) is honored by many names on different dates with exuberant feasts. Example: Our Lady of Guadalupe of Mexico feast day is December 12. See church bulletin in English and Spanish.

Mexican COVID-19 Victims' Remains in a St. Patrick's Cathedral special mass.

The Mexican Consulate organized a Mass for 250 Mexicans COVID-19 victims in the New York area. The deceased were cremated for shipping to their families in Mexico. Latinos continue to have the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths, nationwide. Read moving article in the Catholic News.

Community Refrigerator arrives at Church! Feeding the multitude during the Pandemic. See all 3 pictures.

Placed on the street, the church maintained fridge offers 24 hours a day access to free community donated food. The premise of the free-food fridge is simple: Take what you need and leave what you don’t. No judgment. No waiting for food pantry or soup kitchen day.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta's shelter for women and children in West Harlem. Pandemic reduces food donations.

The Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic Order of nuns, was created by Mother Teresa of Calcutta - see painting the wall. The nuns operate a shelter in an old unused convent. St. Mary's Church shares its food with their shelter, through volunteers.

Pandemic Religion: A Digital Archive

Pandemic Religion Contributions

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