Leadership By Caleb Simonyi-Gindele / May 15, 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic Update for Assemblies – May 30, 2020 Speakers: David Vallance MD, FACR (Livonia, MI, USA)Lindsay Parks B.Sc., DO (Indiana, PA, USA)Alexander Higgins MD, FAAFP (Barrington, NJ, USA)Gary Tarrant MD, CCFP, FCFP, MDPAC(C) (St. John’s, NL, Canada)Hosted by Caleb Simonyi-Gindele The purpose of this webinar is to address three concerns as we look at the possibility of lockdown restrictions being lifted: Fidelity to doctrineThe health and welfare of the believersThe testimony of the assembly in the community The teaching and recommendations made during this webinar should be considered suggestive. We respect the autonomy of local assemblies but understand that many who are serving the Lord’s people have questions about reconvening in a way that is sensitive to current conditions. Session 1: COVID-19 Pandemic Review and Update Dr. Vallance will review current COVID-19 statistics and projection models, review current and potential therapies, and discuss conspiracy theories and antivaccination biases. Session 2: Government Directives and Current Best Practices to “Flatten the Curve” and Protect the Vulnerable Dr. Parks will examine the rationale for government regulations, what “community mitigation” involves, policies that assemblies might adopt when they are permitted to meet again, and the value of continuing live-streamed and Zoom sessions for some scenarios. Session 3: Addressing the Tension Between COVID-19 Requirements and Biblical Principles Dr. Higgins will review what the Bible teaches about civil disobedience and whether COVID-19 directives call for that response. He will offer suggestions to overseers who wish to gather as biblically as possible and yet with a sensitivity towards the COVID-19 risks, especially for the sake of vulnerable saints within a local assembly. Sessions will be 20-25 minutes each, followed by remarks on the Canadian and international contexts by Dr. Tarrant. The latter part of the webinar will be a Q&A session with questions submitted during webinar. Held on Saturday, May 30, 2020 @ Noon Pacific / 3 PM Eastern / 8 PM UK time. Downloads & Links from this Webinar Canadian Places of Worship – Provincial GuidelinesCOVID-19 Guidance Handout for Assemblies – May 30, 2020Indiana Gospel Hall – Sample letter to assembly membersWine Dispenser that Dr. Parks demonstrated (Squeeze Bottle alternative) Past Webinars #1: How To Conduct Online Assembly “Meetings” – John Bell, Justin Hale, A.J. Higgins. Held on Friday, March 20 at 6:15 PM CDT. Recording is available on YouTube. The instructions referred to by John are available in Word or RTF format. Also Justin Hale provided his slides from his presentation on why the online meetings should not be considered formal assembly gatherings.
