How to survive a pandemic, spiritually and charitably

(RNS) — The coronoavirus pandemic has forced us to change our daily lives in ways we didn’t expect. For those looking for ways to cope, we’ve assembled the best advice from our contributors on sustaining yourself and others.

Where to give to help those left vulnerable by the pandemic

By Aysha Khan
March 19, 2020
(RNS) — The United Methodist Church has long promoted abstinence from alcohol. But that didn’t stop City Road Chapel in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, from announcing a Bar and Restaurant Workers Help Fund this week to assist locals whose food-service jobs have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. City Road is one of many houses of worship and other faith organizations that are mobilizing to assist vulnerable community members who require assistance with grocery shopping, paying bills, picking up prescriptions and other tasks during the outbreak. Read more.

Prepping for COVID-19? Add caring for the vulnerable to your checklist

By Craig Bowron
March 13, 2020
(RNS) — If you do get physically involved in caring for someone with the COVID-19 illness, do so carefully and thoughtfully. Here’s how. Read more.

Six books to get you through a coronavirus shutdown

By Karen Swallow Prior
March 13, 2020
Stuck inside or just wondering what to think about a world gone coronavirus mad? The famed Liberty University English professor has a few suggestions about how to stay entertained — and gain perspective from classic reads about plagues past. Read more.

The risks of ‘social distancing’ for women who already do too much

By Jana Riess
March 13, 2020
(RNS) — Women are at risk for depression in the best of times, and the uncharted territory we’re now entering is not that. So let’s be kind to each other and to ourselves, take this crisis one day at a time — indeed, one hour at a time — and avoid ramping up the pressure. I, for one, am trying to resist the temptation of “using this time more productively” or adding more tasks to my to-do list.Read more.

New website offers resources for churches on how to “faithfully prepare, not fearfully panic”

By Alejandra Molina
March 13, 2020
(RNS) — A new website guiding churches and ministry leaders as they respond to the coronavirus pandemic was launched as a partnership between two Wheaton College institutions — the Billy Graham Center and the Humanitarian Disaster Institute — as well as Saddleback Church in California, led by pastor Rick Warren. Read more.