Dear Brothers and Sisters In Christ,
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ!
We are living in the midst of a pandemic of H1N1 Influenza A. The situation is getting worst. It was initially thought as non lethal but the huge number of H1N1 Influenza A related deaths do paint a different picture. Though we are advised not to be panicky, we need to take extra precaution to reduce the possibility of contacting such virus. I wish to advise all our churches to take some positive steps of precaution.
1. Provide some antibacterial hand cleanser or gel (without needing water to wash) at the entrance of the church and encourage all church members to use it as they enter and leave the church.
2. Provide antibacterial hand cleanser or gel (without needing water to wash) at the credence table (next to the altar for the communion vessels) for all priests, deaconesses and lay readers before serving the bread and the wine at the Eucharist that day.
3. Encourage to use ‘Intinction’ (by dipping the bread into the wine) method for Eucharist. For those churches which are insistent on drinking from the chalice, a proper regulation to have one chalice for those who wish to drink at one side of the altar rail and another chalice for those who wish to use ‘Intinction’ method at the other side of the altar rail.
4. Handshake at the ministry of Sharing Peace may not be necessary for this period.
5. Members who have cough & cold and flu like symptoms are encouraged to stay at home and to avoid attending church for that Sunday.
6. Advise members to dispose the tissue papers properly after used, and not to leave behind on the pews.
We need to be good stewards of God. There is a two prong action we all should take – one, we should avoid catching the H1N1 Influenza A virus ourselves; two, we should not help the spread of the H1N1 Influenza A virus. Therefore, we must keep to the personal hygiene expectation i.e. cover one’s mouth when sneezing or coughing, proper disposal of used tissue papers, refrain from crowded places when having flu like symptoms, keep a healthy lifestyle, etc.
May the Almighty God protect and watch over us always!
Shalom,
Bishop Moon Hing 3 August 2009
