Like all of you, we have watched the COVID-19 announcements roll out, the articles of recommendations, the emails, our denominational statements. And we have seen our communities making challenging decisions for the health and well-being of those we serve. We know how difficult these decisions have been, especially as we make our own as an organization. We are all in new territory when it comes to COVID-19, but we have witnessed our community exhibit immense grace as we all work together to navigate this new period of time for our country.
It is out of concern and awareness for our neighbors that the Oklahoma Conference of Churches will implement the following changes to our operations for the next 45 days.
—For the next two weeks, all OCC staff will be given the option of working remotely as much as needed for their own health, and the health of those in our lives. Therefore, please plan to utilize staff emails to reach us during these next few weeks. (Shannon Fleck- sfleck@okchurches.org, Michael Eric Owens- mowens@okchurches.org, Kat Romero- kromero@okchurches.org, general administrative email- okchurches@okchurches.org)
—All Committee Meetings, including the Communion Leader Summit, will be cancelled for the rest of March. The reconvening of committee meetings will be re-evaluated at the conclusion of the month.
—All public OCC events will be cancelled for the next 45 days, including Census Hub events, Good Friday Ecumenical Stations of the Cross, and our “Not Without My Neighbor” Unity Luncheon.
These decisions are made not out of fear or anxiety, but out of immense care for our neighbors. We know that even if we are privileged in age and health, there are many around us who are not. We know that the call to change our lives in inconvenient ways is a small individual contribution, which will be compounded to help keep people safe and healthy, and that is how we live into our call to love one another and care for one another. We encourage each individual to check on one another during this time of distance. Make a phone call, send a text, mail a letter, leave a note… be a neighbor to one another. And we will be here, continuing to work to serve the state, knowing that this is a temporary circumstance that we will get through together.
Blessings friends and we will see you very soon!
Shannon