COVID-19 and Worship: Resources for Churches Adapting to Social Isolation
As containment of COVID-19 forces your worshiping community to implement "shelter-in-place" worship and practice social isolation, we offer these resources to help you plan and cope in ways that encourage and support your community. These resources were initially created from events and in response to different situations and can be adapted for worship that encourages prayer and Christian community during this time of social distancing necessary to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Zeteosearch.org: The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship supports and collaborates with Zeteo Preaching and Worship. Visit this site for more than 500+ resources that are tagged "COVID-19"—resources from and reports about a wide range of Christian worshiping communities, updated daily.
Table of Contents
- Voices from the World Church: Shaping Worship During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Resources in Spanish about COVID-19 / Recursos en español sobre el COVID-19
- Prayers
- Sung Prayers
- Congregational Song
- Watch Online Services
- Service Ideas
- Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Reflections
- Reflections on Online Sacraments
- Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary Faculty Reflections
- Resources for Children and Families
- Technology
- Denominational Resources
- Additional Resources
Voices from the World Church: Shaping Worship During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Chantel Varnado: Offering Hope at Grace and Peace Christian Reformed Church, Chicago, Illinois
- Mark L. Macdonald: Jesus’ Presence among First Nations Anglicans in Canada
- LaTonya McIver Perry: Sparking New Connections at New Mount Zion Baptist Church, Roxboro, North Carolina
- Dale Sieverding: Maintaining Community via Virtual Worship at St. Monica Catholic Community, Santa Monica, California
- Fr. Chris Flesoras: Ministry of Presence at St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church, Roseville, California
- Herbert Tsang: Asking Good Questions in Chinese-Language Evangelical Churches in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Constance Cherry: Reviving Wesleyan Discipleship at Grant United Methodist Church, Fairmount, Indiana
- Jaewoo Kim: Multicultural Community at Proskuneo Ministries, Clarkson, Georgia
- Yvette Lau: Livestream at Christian & Missionary Alliance Churches in Hong Kong
Prayers
- A Prayer to God in Anxious Times by Cornelius Plantiga, Jr.
- A COVID-19 Prayer Based on Psalm 51 by Chad Engbers
- Prayers of God’s People during COVID-19 by Larry Doornbos
- God Go Before You: A Family, Care Home, or Small Group Blessing to Learn and Practice by Barbara J. Newman
- Prayer for a Pandemic by Cameron Bellm
- A Blessing for Healthcare Workers in a Time of Covid-19 Pandemic by Kate Williams
- Bendición para personal médico en tiempo de pandemia by Kate Williams
- Seeking God's Face, a daily prayer book: here is a link to the free download of Lent section.
- COVID-19 Prayer Calendars by Dominique Gilliard
- A Prayer During Times of COVID-19 by Richard Bott
- Prayers for a Time of Suffering by W. David O. Taylor
- Guidelines for Prayer from the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa
- Consult The Worship Sourcebook for additional prayer texts and outlines.
Sung Prayers
- God Go Before You
- Pelas Dores Deste Mundo/For the Troubles and the Sufferings of the World (Brazilian Kyrie) sung in Portuguese, Spanish, and English
- Jehovah Sabaoth (God of Angel Armies) sung by The Aeolians of Oakwood University
- Don’t Be Afraid (Scotland) by John Bell
- Washing our Hands and Forever in God's Hands (Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow)
- Come, Holy Ghost
- Christ Our Hope in Life and Death by Keith and Kristyn Getty
- Prayers for Protection in Places of Exile, Fear, and Uncertainty by Debra Paxton-Buursma
Congregational Song
- Gathered, Scattered, a quarantine communion hymn by Greg Scheer
- Small Church Music from Hymnary.org. These are mp3 recordings that are suitable for congregational singing. All of the tunes are public domain and free to use.
- Jesus, You Are Here, a hymn for sheltering in place by Greg Scheer
- Hymns in Times of Crisis from The Hymn Society
- Ten Hymns with Testimonies of Comfort in Times of Trouble
- A Congregational Lament, Text by Calvin Seerveld; tune Genevan 51
Watch Online Services
- My Soul Finds Rest in God led by Sandra McCracken with Bruce Benedict and musicians
- Do Not Be Afraid based on Isaiah 43, Mary Hulst preaching
- The Good News for the Hurting
- The Comfort of God based on 2 Corinthians 1, Tim Blackmon preaching
- Journeying to the Light based on Psalms 15-24
- Lectio Divina
- Lectio Divina: A Morning Prayer Service
Service Ideas
- The Wings of God: A Service based on Psalm 91
- A Liturgy During A Pandemic by Porter C. Taylor
- Peace Surpassing Understanding
- A Liturgy in the Wake of the Coronavirus by Todd Atkins-Whitley
- Prayers for Healing
- The Lord's Supper Liturgy
- Jeff Barker on Combining Music and Public Scripture Reading
- Creative Scripture Reading for Virtual Worship
Advent
- Advent Resource Guide
- Healer of Our Every Ill: Online Lessons and Carols Servies for 2020 Advent
- Advent I, November 29
- Advent II, December 6
- Advent III, December 13
- Advent IV, December 20
- Christmas Eve, December 24
Lent and Holy Week
- Lent Resource Guide
- Ash Wednesday Worship
- Ash Wednesday Meditation by Debra Rienstra
- Holy Week in Uncertain Times by John D. Witvliet
- Holy Week Resource Guide
- My Care Runs Over - Psalm 23, Matthew 9 (Palm/Passion Sunday)
- Palm Branch by Elizabeth Steele Halstead
- Holy Week Prayer Walk by worshipers in Blacksburg, Virginia
- Singing the Story: Hymns for Holy Week by Awet Andemicael and David Cherwien
- Palm Sunday: Another Advent by Chan Gyu Jang
- Palm Sunday Prayer by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
- Holy Week at Home Experience: Ideas for Families
- Tenebrae: A Service of Shadows
- Silence and Stones: A Meditation on Good Friday.
- Holy Week & Triduum Kit, resource from St. Monica Catholic Community
- Jesus Praying in the Garden, Calvin chapel with University Chaplain Mary Hulst
- A Solemn Prayer During the COVID-19 Pandemic. A prayer for Good Friday written by Chris Schoon.
Easter Season
- Ascension Day Resource Guide
- Good Shepherd Sunday
- Psalm 23: Psalms for Families, Devotions for All Ages
- Easter Resource Guide: The "Great Fifty Days" from Easter Sunday to Pentecost
- The Wardrobe of Easter: A 15-part devotional series for Eastertide
- A Common Song for Easter, Greg Scheer and Gerardo Oberman
- Songs for Easter
- The Empty Tomb: Artwork for Easter
- Download the Easter section of Teach Us To Pray: Scripture-Centered Family Worship through the Year
- Una oración para la Pascua / Easter Prayer by María CornouA
- This Easter Celebration. This new hymn is a prayer to be used in Easter 2020 worship services. Listen to it sung here.
- A Quieter Easter by Scott Hoezee
Pentecost
Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Reflections
- "Biblical Quarantines: A Survey," The Reformed Journal, by Debra Rienstra
- Pandemics and Public Worship Throughout History
- "Coronavirus and the Communion of the Saints" by Bruce Hindmarsh
- "The Pope and the Plague" by Frans van Liere
Reflections on Online Sacraments
- Chris Ganski and Benj Petroelje (Christian Reformed)
- Kathy Smith (Christian Reformed)
- Office of the General Assembly (PCUSA)
- Dirk Lange (Lutheran)
- Jonathan Warren Pagán (Anglican)
- Carolyn Pirtle (Roman Catholic)
- Fr. Jim Sabak, OFM (Roman Catholic)
- Mark Stamm (Methodist)
- United Methodist Church
- Cynthia Wilson, Derek Weber, and Diana Sanchez-Bushong (Methodist)
- Deanna A. Thompson (ELCA)
- Andrew McGowan (Episcopal)
Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary Faculty Reflections
- Amanda W. Benckhuysen, Professor of Old Testament, “Telling the COVID-19 Virus Story”
- Neil Carlson, Director of the Calvin Center for Social Research, CSR COVID-19 Pandemic Resources
- Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Professor of History and Gender Studies, "Some evangelicals deny the coroavirus threat. It's because they love tough guys."
- Chad Engbers, Professor of English, Coronavirus and Lent
- Scott Hoezee, Director of Center for Excellence in Preaching
- Jennifer L. Holberg, Professor of English, "Small Shrines"
- Mary Hulst,University Chaplain, Reflection on Psalm 42 (University virtual chapel service on April 1)
- Irene Kraegel, Director of Center for Counseling and Wellness, "Pandemic”
- Irene Kraegel, Director of Center for Counseling and Wellness, and Matt Kucinski, Assistant Director of Media Relations, "Cultivating Mental Wellness during a Pandemic"
- Debra Paxton-Buursma, Professor of Education, Prayers for Protection in Places of Exile, Fear, and Uncertainty
- Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Senior Research Fellow, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
- Debra Rienstra, Professor of English, "Biblical Quarantines: A Survey"
- David I. Smith, Professor of Education and Director of Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning
- Kathy Smith, Senior Associate Director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Church Polity and Online Sacraments in the Christian Reformed Church
- Frans van Liere, Professor of History, "The Pope and the Plague"
- Cory Willson, Assistant Professor of Missiology and Missional Ministry, COVID is Devastating, but Decentralized Worship is a Gift
- John D. Witvliet, Director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Resources for Children and Families
- Together for a Meal: A Mealtime Liturgy for a Family Unit or Small Group
- All Night, All Day: Nighttime Prayer with Children in Time of Uncertainty
- God Welcomes Our “Why” Questions
- Teach Us To Pray: Scripture-Centered Family Worship through the Year, plus free downloads of the Lent section and the Easter section.
- Don’t Be Afraid (Scotland)
- Washing our Hands and Forever in God's Hands (Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow)
- Ideas for Creating a Routine, including the rhythm of morning prayer
- En la escuela de los Salmos / At Psalms School, book to purchase plus free guide for adults
Technology
- Record Podcasts with friends
- OneLicense Gratis Licenses
- The Super Basic, Low-Budget Guide to Livestreaming for Churches
- Facebook Live
- Streaming Worship Services and Copyrights in a Time of Social Distancing
Denominational Resources
- AME Zion Church
- Christian Reformed Church in North America
- Church of England
- Church of the Brethren
- Covenant Order of Presbyterians
- Evangelical Covenant Church
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America
- Faithward (Reformed Church in America)
- Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod)
- Mennonite Church USA
- Methodist Church (United Kingdom)
- Moravian Church
- National Baptist Convention
- Presbyterian Church USA
- United Church of Christ
- United Methodist Church
Additional Resources
- Worship Resources in Times of Natural Disasters
- Worship Resources in Times of Crisis and Trauma
- Ideas for Community of Belonging for People with Varied Abilities during the
COVID-19 Pandemic by All Belong - Back to God Ministries International
- Trauma, Culture Care, and Public Worship
- Worship in Difficult Times
- Worship that Ministers to the Afflicted
- How To Lead Online Worship Without Losing Your Soul--Or Body
- Funeral Practices during COVID-19: Praying for Wisdom in Pastoral and Liturgical Adaptations
- Free art download: Uncertain Waters by Betsy Steele Halstead
- Faith in a Time of Pandemic by Bruce G. Epperly
- Congregational Resources Guide (CRG)
- Resources for Christian leaders during the coronavirus pandemic from Faith & Leadership, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity
- Sonnets of Worship During COVID-19
- Resuming Care-Filled Worship and Sacramental Life during a Pandemic
