fbpx

Living Faithfully during COVID-19

The Psychology of Pandemics

Included in the footprint of any pandemic are not only those who sicken and die, or suffer economically, but also those who experience stress, anxiety, the fear of uncertainty, the tendency to stigmatize others, illusions of immunity, and proneness to believe in conspiracies. These are only a few of the psychological levers people pull to cope with what is happening. The impact of these attitudes and behaviors is immense. They make us miserable even if we survive a pandemic with our body and livelihood intact.

To help us contend with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are offering a special webinar with Dr. Steven Taylor, Professor and Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and author of The Psychology of Pandemics: Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak of Infectious Disease (2019). Joining Dr. Taylor will be:
Dr. Julie Braciszewski (Monarch Behavioral Health)
Dr. Steven Huprich (University of Detroit Mercy)
• Moderator: The Rev. Dr. William J. Danaher, Jr. (Christ Church Cranbrook)

Practicing Resurrection: A Conversation with Bishop Perry

As we move into Holy Week and the Celebration of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter Day, we are delighted to have an in-depth conversation with Bishop Bonnie Perry about her life, her faith, and her leadership.

Bonnie A. Perry is a bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. She was elected the Diocese of Michigan’s eleventh diocesan bishop on June 1, 2019, which made her the first woman and first openly gay priest elected as an Episcopal bishop in Michigan.  Prior to serving as the Diocese of Michigan’s eleventh bishop, she spent the past 26 years serving as the Rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Ravenswood, IL.

The History of Pandemics

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep through our American and Global landscape, we are grateful to have Dr. Barry share with us his experience and research in the common historical threads of infectious disease, its common courses and its impact on society.

Dr. John M. Barry is an American author and historian who has written books on the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, the influenza pandemic of 1918, and the development of the modern form of the ideas of separation of church and state and individual liberty. He is Distinguished Scholar and adjunct faculty at Tulane University. He is regularly sought after by policy-makers, and he has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Fortune, The Washington Post, Esquire, and other publications and frequently appears as a guest commentator on networks in the U.S., including on NBC’s Meet the Press, ABC’s World News Tonight, PBS’s The News Hour, numerous NPR shows, and such foreign media as the BBC and Al Jazeera.

Rebuilding Community During and After COVID-19

This webinar will address the following topics: the newly created Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities; the challenges to rebuilding community after the COVID-19 virus; the racial disparities and inequities that have contributed to the disproportionate number of African Americans affected by the COVID-19 virus; the economic challenges faced as a result of the pandemic and what the State of Michigan is doing to help small businesses; what new partnerships and paradigms might develop as a result of this pandemic; how the COVID-19 virus is shaping our common life now and will continue in the future; and, how can religious and governmental leaders continue to work together to address the COVID-19 virus and its aftermath.

Panelists include:

Race, Inequality, and COVID-19

Join us as we interview essayist Charles Blow of the New York Times and convene a panel of key African American leaders and pastors to reflect on what concrete steps churches and communities must take to address the racial disparities and inequities revealed by the COVID19 pandemic.

Charles Blow has been among the leading voices regarding the intersectionality of race, poverty, and pandemic in places like Detroit. He is joined by prominent African American religious leaders in Detroit to reflect on what the Black Church and other Religious leaders can do moving forward.

Additional panelists include:

This webinar is presented by the Institute for Advanced Pastoral Studies, Christ Church Cranbrook, and Hartford Memorial Baptist Church.

Hunger, Thirst, Shelter, Support & COVID-19

Mending the Social Safety Net During a Pandemic

Join leaders of social service organizations and utilities that address food security, affordable housing, foster care, homelessness, and water services in Metro Detroit. Together, they will look at the short and long term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Detroit.

Panelists include:

Rebuilding the Economy during and after COVID-19

Mending the Social Safety Net During a Pandemic

Join leaders of social service organizations and utilities that address food security, affordable housing, foster care, homelessness, and water services in Metro Detroit. Together, they will look at the short and long term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Detroit.

Panelists include:

Power, Protest, Social Change: Faithfully Responding to Systemic Racism & Inequity

The harassment of Christian Cooper and the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery provide compounding reminders of systemic racism and inequity in the United States. It is imperative for religious leaders to speak about and address issues sounding systemic racism and inequity in a way that builds bridges and makes connections in a fractured nation. It is also imperative for religious leaders to understand the role that protests play in positive social change. We are hosting another webinar to explore these and other connected issues.

Panelists include:

Art & the Pandemic: A Conversation with Artists, Community Leaders, and Writers about COVID-19

All Art, Nina Simone famously said, “reflects the times.” Whether by design or default, COVID-19 challenges the way art is made, the issues it takes up, the community it gathers, and the publics it engages. Bringing together a writer, an artist, and a leader of an arts organizations, we will look at the emerging duties and opportunities that artists face now and in the future.

Panelists include:

Building Capacity, Developing Resiliency, & Resisting Faithfully

Part II of Power, Protest, and Social Change

In the second part of this critical webinar, we reconvene three panelists to answer questions and speak about ways to understand and address systemic racism and inequity, as they discuss three critical activities that catalyze the transition from protest to social change.

Panelists include: