March 17, 2020
TO: Heads of Member Churches and Organisations
RE: PROPOSED RESPONSE TO COVID-19
We send you very warm Calvary greetings from Jumuia Place.
We are all by now cognizant of the threat posed by Covic-19 to all people, and the measures that the Government of Kenya has advised all to take to curtail spread of the pandemic. It is important for us to remember that in South Korea, Singapore and America, instances have been reported where individuals contracted the virus during worship services.
In furtherance of our duty of care for our members, we recommend that you consider mobilizing your congregations to protect themselves by:
- Cancelling worship services on March 22nd and 29th, or at least making it optional for congregants to attend
- Keeping church sanctuaries open for individual prayers
- Providing water, soap and sanitizers at churches and other church premises
- Encouraging congregants to avoid handshake and hugs and to observe social distancing
- Suspending meetings, gatherings, seminars, retreats and other religious and social activities that cause people to congregate until the end of the month
- Directing families to minimize the number of people who participate in funerals, weddings and dedications to only core family members
- Using available technologies to deliver pastoral care to worshippers through radio and TV programmes, phone calls, messages, recorded videos on Youtube and websites, and livestreaming worship and preaching sessions
- Creating emergency response committees within your church / organization, and at congregation level, to monitor the situation in the nation and internationally and develop appropriate mitigation and response measures to safeguard the congregants
- Protecting your staff by facilitating them to work from home, and providing protective measures (hand washing and sanitizing) where staff must be in office
- Encouraging all to continue praying for the nation and all humanity
In all our prayers and intercessions, may we be constantly encouraged by the promise of God recorded in Jeremiah 29: 11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
I also bring to your attention that a number of activities planned by the Council have been suspended during this period of national lockdown. We pray that the situation will be transformed soon so that we resume normal operations.
Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.
Yours sincerely,
Rev. Canon Chris Kinyanjui
GENERAL SECRETARY
