March 2, 2020

Dear Ones,

With the increased publicity regarding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended that everyone give intentional thought to being prepared.

Pray

The first and most important step is always prayer. We know that our consciousness makes a difference and one of the greatest gifts Unity offers is to stay positive and pray.

We invite you to join in the following prayer or one of your own choosing.

We know that God is a Love that has no end and a Power that knows no bounds. God’s healing power of Divine Life is restoring, healing, and revitalizing our world in this very moment. We let go of any fears or anxieties, and we affirm that all are safe, healthy, and protected. We bless all those who support us in maintaining vibrant radiant health. We express Divine Life in all we think, say, and do. We bless our global family with radiant health, peace of mind, and abundant love.

Begin Basic Prevention Steps Now

The steps to prevention include the same steps you would take in the face of any active flu season:

1. Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
2. Protect coughs by coughing and sneezing into your elbow and/or a tissue.
3. Frequently clean surfaces that are often touched, especially door knobs, door frames, telephones, keyboards, and bathroom areas.
4. Make hand sanitizer easily available throughout your facility.
5. Advise all to stay home if feeling ill.

Create a Plan so You Are Prepared Just in Case You Need It (Now or in the Future)

If you don’t already have a plan, the CDC suggests that this would be a good time to create one in case it is ever needed. Any plan will be unique to you and your community or ministry. The CDC has pandemic preparedness resources, including communication resources. You can sign up for email or text updates from the CDC about COVID-19 on the communication resources webpage above.

Following are steps you might find helpful.

1. As you create your plan, keep things in perspective. Don’t panic. Use all your spiritual tools such as prayer and meditation to help boost your immune system.
2. Meet with your staff and/or key leaders including your board to discuss what a plan should include. You might consider creating a small team.
3. Enroll them in prayer and be sure to include affirmative prayer throughout your planning process and communication.
4. Consider how you and your staff can work remotely. Think through your usual responsibilities and ask yourself how you can do them from home.
5. If schools and daycares in your area are closed, consider how that would impact your staff and community.
6. Consider how groups can meet remotely, rather than at your facility. Consider Zoom and other teleconferencing tools that are easy to use. You may contact Diane Venzera (DVenzera@unity.org) for assistance in setting up a free Zoom account.
7. Be mindful of community groups and tenants that use your facilities and what their needs might be. If appropriate, encourage them to create their own plans.
8. Review your contact lists and records to ensure your information for leaders is accurate, and that it is available to those who need to have access to them.
9. If you have a worship service, assess your abilities to share your service digitally, via Facebook Live or another means. If this is new for you, test this feature so you are comfortable with it. The Unity Tech Team has a Facebook page (facebook.com/unitytechteam.org) where you can post your questions and someone will respond. Also, you may contact Diana Kennedy, UWM Data and Development Coordinator, at DKennedy@unity.org for additional resources.
10. Review your online donation links to ensure it will be easy for people to make donations if they are not able to attend a service.
11. Review your communication tools to identify how they can be used to communicate a plan if it must be implemented, or if a service must be cancelled. (e.g., e-newsletters, website, social media, text, etc.). Assign a point person whose job it will be to communicate updates to your community.
12. Examine your community’s practices that can be modified to decrease the possibility of spreading the disease. This might include not holding hands during the Peace Song, eliminating the Greeting Time and/or asking people not to shake hands or hug. Give them a substitute instead such as a “Namaste” greeting with hands in a prayer position or an elbow bump. Be creative!
13. Assign someone the responsibility to monitor the situation in your particular city and attune to the direction of the local authorities.
14. Share your plan with leaders.
15. Be sure to take care of yourself.

Know That We Are Here for You

Please know that we at Unity Worldwide Ministries central office are here for you. We will be creating our own plan so that we can maximize our support to you.

Let us know if your community experiences any particular challenges and needs our support. This is why we are here. You may contact Diane Pletcher (DPletcher@unity.org) in our Member Services department.

As always, you are in our hearts.

Rev. Patricia T. Bass
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Unity Worldwide Ministries

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Unity Worldwide Ministries
Phone: 816.524.7414
Address: 400 Unity Circle North, Suite A
Lee’s Summit MO 64086