Month: October 2020

Shelby County to Help Small Churches Set Up Virtual Services

Shelby County has set aside $ 150,000 in CARES funding to support technical assistance and the establishment of these small faith-based organizations.

UPDATE 12/15/2020 – Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, Shelby County Commission Chairman Eddie Jones and County Commissioner Reginald Milton have launched the ‘Our Faithful Grant Fund Comeback ”to help more than 170 small faith-based organizations set up a virtual option for congregational services. In addition to organizations receiving live broadcast equipment and installed, 50 other small faith-based organizations received a reimbursement of $ 1,500 for personal protective equipment (PPE) under the program.

Faith-based organizations, including churches, synagogues and mosques, with 100 active members or less are still eligible to apply for support until December 18, 2020. Qualified applicants can apply by visiting www.shelby.community and clicking on the Our Faithful Comeback Grant button. Successful applicants can choose a live broadcast equipment and setup or a PPE reimbursement of $ 1,500.

Shelby County Commission Chairman Eddie Jones: “Some residents of Shelby County depend on places of worship for their most critical needs, including ministries of food, clothing and more. When places of worship cannot offer virtual services, there is a risk of not having a way to communicate with their members or their community. Our loyal feedback ensures that small faith-based organizations stay connected and secure to stay operational during this time. “

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris: “Faith-based organizations are where we go to nurture our faith. In addition, our community depends on our churches, synagogues and mosques to serve some of our most vulnerable populations. Several small faith-based organizations in Shelby County have halted in-person services to slow the spread of COVID-19 and have struggled to stay in touch with their members. We hope that this program will put these organizations in a position to reconnect with their members in a safe way. “

Shelby County Commissioner Reginald Milton: “The impact of COVID-19 has affected many people, including religious leaders. This has resulted in the indefinite closure of some places of worship. While some places have been able to recreate a connection through virtual services, small places of worship often do not have the finances or the know-how to support this. It is an honor to support a grant that will provide these organizations with the means to connect with their communities.

Pastor Leon Jones, Jr., The Dwelling Place Christian Church: “I am truly grateful to Shelby County for providing a grant for live broadcast equipment. I have had a great experience working with Forever Ready Productions. They are professional and helpful. The process was swift and transparent; I picked up my gear on Friday and I was streaming Sunday.

Pastor Josh Germany, New Heights Memphis: “I want to thank Shelby County for this incredible program. The equipment provided by Our Faithful Comeback transformed the experience of our congregation during this difficult time. It has been such a blessing for our church.

Lady Beverly Ann Davis, St. Paul Douglass MBC: “The Shelby County Government and ProductionOne have been a blessing to our ministry with this grant. I was amazed at how easy the camera was to install and use. Thanks to this grant, we were able to connect with our members online via a live broadcast. “

Early treatment for COVID-19 Effective early treatment is available for people who test positive and have the following risk factors: Anyone over 12 years of age with obesity, chronic kidney disease, diabetes or whose immunity is compromised by disease or prescription treatments.

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10/20/2020 – Today Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Shelby County Commission Chairman Eddie Jones and County Commissioner Reginald Milton announce the launch of ‘Our Faithful Comeback, ”a fund meant to help small faith-based organizations with 100 or less active members set up a virtual option for congregation services. Again, churches, synagogues and other small faith-based organizations in Shelby County are eligible to receive paid technical assistance from Shelby County to set up a virtual live streaming option for the services.

Shelby County has set aside $ 150,000 in CARES funding to support technical assistance and the establishment of these small faith-based organizations. Qualified candidates can apply to covid19.shelbycountytn.gov and click on the “Our Loyal Return Grant” link. At the link, organizations will have the opportunity to choose between technical assistance, equipment and installation for the live broadcast of services OR $ 1,500 for reimbursement of purchases of personal protective equipment (PPE) made necessary due to COVID-19. Organizations can apply while funds are exhausted.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris: “Faith-based organizations are where we go to nurture our faith. In addition, our community depends on our churches, synagogues and mosques to serve some of our most vulnerable populations. Several small faith-based organizations in Shelby County have closed to slow the spread of COVID and as a result have struggled to stay in touch with their members. We hope that this program will put these organizations in a position to reconnect with their members in a safe way. “

Shelby County Commissioner Reginald Milton: “The impact of COVID-19 has affected many people, including religious leaders. This has resulted in the indefinite closure of some places of worship. While some places have been able to recreate a connection through virtual services, small places of worship do not have the finances or the know-how to support this. It is an honor to support a grant that will provide these organizations with the means to connect with communities.

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North Bryan New Birth Baptist Church Continues to Thrive by Hosting Virtual Services

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – The North Bryan New Birth Baptist Church has yet to hold in-person services since the pandemic began, but their congregation continues to meet virtually as nearly all of its members still attend gatherings in line.

Associate Minister Bobby Williams says part of the reason the church has yet to return to in-person service is that many people in their congregation are older and more susceptible to COVID-19.

“First and foremost, we just love to hear the voice of God speak to us to say that now is the time or now is not the time,” Williams said. “We keep our members safe and we don’t want to do something just because, but we want to do it because God tells us to do it.”

Williams says the church’s virtual services lack nothing that the physical experience inside their place of worship could offer before the pandemic began.

“We always accept prayer requests. We are further extending the privileges of the church. Our finances are stable, ”said Williams. “Our pastor preached a sermon at the beginning and said we didn’t need a building. We hold on to that and trust God for the things we need. It is provided every time. “

The North Bryan New Birth Baptist Church organizes its services through Zoom and Facebook Live. Williams says these gatherings went very well, so well, in fact, the church is looking to get more resources to expand and improve its virtual capabilities.

“We are looking to purchase more camera equipment so that we can continue even after we get back together,” said Williams. “We have found it to be a good resource for reaching the community and nationally. We’ve had a few from Alabama, California, and Arkansas, so it’s going great too.

According to Williams, the church has an average of 80 to 85 people attending a service on any given Sunday. He says there is only one thing that will bring this congregation back under one roof.

“It will be the voice of God, and nothing else,” Williams said. “Our pastor is a strong leader and depends on the direction of God, so it will be the voice of God to say the time is right.”

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Take part in the interactive virtual volunteer training: plan your vote, especially yours, Saturday, October 10, 2020, 1:00 PM | Advertisement

You are invited to join the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation and the City of Rockville (Elections) in supporting our efforts to reach out to voters, volunteers and Voter Registrars.

Your support will be greatly appreciated and welcome if you register with your name / organization and encourage members of your faith and community organizations, network, family and friends to share and sign up for the free interactive virtual volunteer training. , Saturday October 10, 1:00 p.m.:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yYI1BRPrRuWceIGVh1dnAw

During this interactive volunteer training, we will help you:

Plan your vote.
Checking your voting status online.
Vote by (mail, drop box or in person).
Request and return your ballot.
Make sure all votes are counted.
Understand the electoral college (delegates).
Secure your route to the polls.

Loudspeakers:

Contact for more information:

Anita Neal Powell, Lincoln Park Historical Foundation, email: [email protected], p. 301.674.1644

Sara Taylor-Ferrell, City of Rockville, Elections, email: [email protected], p. 240.314.8286

Provided by the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation

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Durham travel specialist offering a virtual, interactive and live vacation experience

A local travel specialist is looking to innovate when most people still avoid flying.

It does this by launching a live virtual travel experience, hoping to give tourists a glimpse of the Caribbean.

“Even though I can’t put planes back in the sky, I can bring the world to people’s living rooms,” says Tracy Turberfield, who started the service after her business was shut down by the pandemic.

When international travel was cut off, she says it turned her business upside down.

“That moment stopped me dead in my tracks,” she said. “I knew from then on that I had to untangle all the work I had done after several months. “

“I watched my travel business crumble before my eyes. “

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Read more:

Canadian tourism sector needs help in “very, very serious” situation, industry leaders say

Turberfield, who sells luxury travel experiences, knew she had to do something.

“I realized people were missing out on travel,” Turberfield said.

“I wanted people to stay connected to travel, and thinking it’s not the end of the world, we’re going to travel again.”

From there came the idea of virtual vacation experiences.

Building partnerships with key figures on the ground in the Caribbean over the last 20 years of her career, she now offers an interactive vacation environment, now departing for Antigua.

“They’re arranging to go live from Nelson’s Dockyard and one of the complexes,” she said. “In parallel, we will attend cooking demonstrations and have a live band while watching the sunset in Antigua.”

So far, she has taken her clients on virtual vacations to Saint Lucia.

“It’s about making the destinations known, keeping those particular destinations in people’s minds,” she told Global News.

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The company is a key component in helping Caribbean tourism boards get back on their feet.

Read more:

Air travel and COVID-19: Will the industry rebound from its biggest setback?

“We depend heavily on tourism as a destination,” said Tameka Wharton of the Antigua and Barbudan Tourism Authority. She says it is imperative to have a business like Tracy’s to help them survive, after several months without tourism in the area.

“We appreciate the way Tracy has found to present our destination to the Canadian public,” said Wharton, who is one of the partners helping to put together a virtual “Antiguan” experience.

Turberfield says that in addition to vacation meetings for clients, she also wants to change the look of those Zoom meetings that we’ve all become used to.

3:45
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“The experience can get a bit boring after a while,” says Turberfield, describing the sometimes neutral zoom environments.

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“I would like to offer networking events and team building events in trade shows. We could have incentives for companies, so they can organize incentive trips. “

You can find your tickets for a virtual vacation here. Visit http://bit.ly/VirtualVacationAntigua for more information.

The next virtual trip to Antigua is scheduled for next week,

See the link »

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