Presbyterian Publishing Corporation lists worship, education resources for being the church during the COVID-19 pandemic

‘You are the lifeblood of our organization’ President and Publisher David Dobson tells pastors, church educators and parishioners

by Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — Concerned for all the pastors, church educators and parishioners “trying to figure out what church means” in the new reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation is sharing “some of the things we are doing to help during this anxious time,” according to PPC President and Publisher David Dobson.

“You are the lifeblood of our organization,” Dobson wrote in a letter. “We know many of you personally or through phone calls, see some of you regularly at conferences or when you visit the [Presbyterian] Center. Knowing the pain and uncertainty you are in has affected us deeply.”

Following are some PPC resources that are proving to be of help to Presbyterians during this anxious time:

• For church audiences, PPC is supplying free resources for Lenten study and free books for managing stress. It’s lifting copyright restrictions on curriculum and hymns wherever possible. It’s also providing “These Days” daily devotions for free at this link: pcusastore.com/TheseDays. A full list of resources is available by clicking here. Those resources include tips on holding virtual meetings and online worship, how to “do church” as detailed by a solely online church, online giving information and curriculum distribution to church members. More information and resources will be released by email weekly. To receive these resources, sign up for emails from the PC(USA) Store here.
• For families, PPC is creating free activities and studies that can be done at home. Those activities are available through Flyaway Books and can be accessed here. Flyaway Books resources include downloadable activities like an origami butterfly, a paper airplane, parable-themed coloring pages and more. Discussion guides are available for several children’s books published by Flyaway Books.

“The weeks and months ahead will be difficult for all of us,” Dobson wrote in his letter. “None of us knows how long this will last. But rest assured that we will continue to be there for you — whether we are working from our kitchen tables or back in our offices — providing excellent books and resources while remembering our obligation to the people we serve in the church and the global community in which we all belong.”