A pastor may be deeply committed, extraordinarily faithful, highly educated and extremely hard working, but for a pastor to be effective and durable, a pastor must practice healthy self-care.
Self-care includes developing and maintaining good physical, spiritual and mental health practices.

These three areas of wellness are intertwined and inseparable. Yet, in my own life and in the experience of many of my colleagues, I recognize that more attention has been given to physical and spiritual health. Mental health is often neglected, causing all three to diminish.  Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being.

Every human being experiences highs and lows in mental health. Although some forms of mental illness are genetic, other expressions of mental illness may be related to circumstances or body chemistry and may be pre-emptively avoided or proactively addressed by practicing good mental hygiene.  A common but misconception is that pastors, or persons with strong religious faith, are exempt from mental distress.

The Apostle Paul is noted for his courageous ministry but he confessed, “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28).
In his book, “Surviving the Stained-Glass Jungle,” veteran pastor Bill Self writes, “Self-care is not destructive self-indulgence, but rather it is being a steward of some rather special gifts – the human body and soul, along with the capacity to bring joy to others as well as to experience it.”
Those in every vocation experience varying levels of stress, distress and duress.

However, because the pastoral task requires remarkable investment in the lives of others, a pastor who neglects mental hygiene can gradually slip into a state of melancholy or emotional chaos and then compound the dilemma by ignoring the symptoms for fear of stigmatizing his or her ministry.

​Lift up your pastors and leaders in prayer that God will cover them and give them wisdom.  Especially during this period of time we are in.  Many are facing the lack of direction or encouragement needed to endure and lead during a pandemic and crisis.

More to come from CTN on this topic - www.ctnglobal.org

CTN Team

Why students should go back to school–safely
 The AAP guidance is based on what pediatricians and infectious disease specialists know about COVID-19 and kids. Evidence so far suggests that children and adolescents are less likely to have symptoms or severe disease from infection. They also appear less likely to become infected or spread the virus.


Schools provide more than just academics to children and adolescents. In addition to reading, writing and math, children learn social and emotional skills, get exercise and access to mental health support and other things that cannot be provided with online learning. For many families, school is where kids get healthy meals, access to the internet, and other vital services.


What schools can do To stay safe, there are a number of steps schools should take to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. They include:   See graphic above.

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Physical distancing. The goal should be to stay at least 6 feet apart to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. However, spacing desks at least 3 feet apart and avoiding close contact may have similar benefits for students--especially if students wear cloth face coverings and do not have symptoms of illness.


Teachers and staff, who are likely more at risk of getting COVID-19 from other adults than from children at school, should stay the full 6 feet apart from each other and students when possible. Teachers and staff should also wear cloth face coverings and limit in-person meetings with other adults.


When possible, outdoor spaces can be used for instruction and meals. Students should also have extra space to spread out during activities like singing and exercising.


Cloth face coverings & hand hygiene. Frequent hand washing with soap and water is important for everyone. In addition, all adults should wear cloth face coverings. Preschool and elementary students can benefit from wearing masks if they do not touch their mouths or noses a lot. Secondary school students should wear cloth face masks, especially when they can't stay a safe distance apart.


Classroom changes. To help limit student interaction outside the classroom, schools can:


Have teachers move between classrooms, rather than having students fill the hallways during passing periods.


Allow students to eat lunches at their desks or in small groups outdoors instead of in crowded lunchrooms.


Leave classroom doors open to help reduce high touch surfaces such as doorknobs.


Temperature checks and testing. COVID testing of all students is not possible for most schools. Taking students' temperature at school also may not always be feasible. Schools should establish ways to identify students with fever or other symptoms of illness.  They can also frequently remind students, teachers, and staff to stay home if they have a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher or have any signs of illness.


Cleaning and disinfecting. Schools should follow CDC guidelines on proper disinfecting and sanitizing classrooms and common areas.


Buses, hallways and playgrounds


Since these are often crowded spaces, schools can:


Give bus riders assigned seats and require them to wear a cloth face coverings while on the bus. Encourage students who have other ways to get to school to use those options. 


At school, mark hallways and stairs with one-way arrows on the floor to cut down on crowding in the halls. 


Outdoor activities are encouraged, so students should be allowed to use the playground in small groups. 


Other considerations
In addition to having plans in place to keep students safe, there are other factors that school communities need to address:

Pressure to catch up. Students may not have gained as much from distance learning. Some students may not have had access to computers and internet. Schools should be prepared to adjust curricula and not expect to make up all lost progress. It is important to balance core subjects with physical education and other learning experiences.

Students with disabilities. The impact of schools being closed may have been greater for students with disabilities. They may have a difficult time transitioning back to school after missing out on instruction time as well as school-based services such as occupational, physical and speech-language therapy and mental health support counseling. School should review the needs of each child with an Individual Education Program before they return to school, and providing services even if they are done virtually.


Exams. If your child participates in extracurricular activities like sports or band, talk with your pediatrician to see if they need a preparticipation physical exam.  Key well-child visits are also important.  


Behavioral health/emotional support. Your child's school should anticipate and be prepared to address a wide range of mental health needs of students and staff. Schools should provide mental health support to any student struggling with stress from the pandemic and recognize students who show signs of anxiety or distress. Schools also can help students with suicidal thoughts or behavior get needed support.

Nutrition. Many students receive healthy meals through school meal programs More students might be eligible for free or reduced meals than before the pandemic. Schools should provide meal programs even if the school closes or the student is sick and stays home from school.
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Students at higher risk. While COVID-19 school policies can reduce risk, they will not prevent it entirely. Even with safety steps in place, some students with high-risk medical conditions may need to continue distance learning or other accommodations. Talk with your pediatrician and school staff (including school nurses) to determine if your child can safely return to school.


Remember
Returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic may not feel like normal – at least for a while. But having safety plans – and making sure schools have the resources needed to follow them –  can help protect students, teachers, staff, and families.


Our Kingdom Responsibility
 
We have a responsibility to no only adhere to the guidelines by setting an example, but doing it with love an encouragement.  There are many reasons to be the light that shines in our Education system and this is a pivotal time in a young persons life we can influence and impact for the Kingdom of God.

1. Start and End with Love
2. Allow the governor of the Kingdom (Holy Spirit) to guide you every day.
3. Interject practical wisdom when able
4. Highlight and praise them for their good work with school or compliance.
5. Leave the door open for crucial conversations about life , school and feelings.
6. Never leave the room without praying for each of the students.

These are just a few simple practical and spiritual things we can do daily to make going back to school valuable and anointed.


Blessings,
CTN/ATK Ministries.

The first demand of Jesus’ public ministry was, “Repent.” He spoke this command indiscriminately to all who would listen. It was a call for radical inward change toward God and man, a going back to your higher self

Two things show us that repentance is an internal change of mind and heart rather than mere sorrow for sin or mere improvement of behavior. First, the meaning of the Greek word behind the English “repent” (metanoeo) points in this direction. It has two parts: meta and noeo. The second part (noeo) refers to the mind and its thoughts and perceptions and dispositions and purposes. The first part (meta) is a prefix that regularly means movement or change.

So the basic meaning of repent is to experience a change of the mind’s perceptions and dispositions and purposes.

The other factor that points to this meaning of repent is the way Luke 3:8 describes the relationship between repentance and new behavior. It says, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.” Then it gives examples of the fruits: “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise” Luke 3:11. This means that repenting is what happens inside of us that leads to the fruits of new behavior. Repentance is not the new deeds, but the inward change that bears the fruit of new deeds. Jesus is demanding that we experience this inward change.

​Blessings-

Missed our Transformation Thursday!  Well, Lauren Benjamin out of Long Beach, California and a partner of Cultural Transformation Network (CTN), shared some powerful moments of her encounter with Jesus during the loss of her mother that helped her find breakthrough.

This is a kingdom talk as well as a cultural transformation talk.  Mental exhaustion hits us all in some way or another.  The important thing is what do you turn to or do to keep you sane or to find some comfort and release?

7 Ideas to Fight Leadership Fatigue
Now,  here are some useful ideas to help you fight leadership fatigue:

1. Create an Artifact to Remind Yourself Daily of Your Real Purpose. The daily challenges in our organizations/ministries can be all consuming. Chasing the urgent consumes much of our time and the urgent-unimportant has a way of filling any openings. An exercise I’ve used for years now to help leaders, pastors, ministers remind themselves is to develop and make visible their own personal leader’s purpose/mission. A simple morning re-read of this framed purpose hanging on the wall or sitting on a shelf provides a powerful reminder of your real role and the opportunity you have to build others, equip others and your business or organization with every single encounter in the upcoming day.

2. Cultivate a Beginner’s Mind. Approaching issues by suspending judgment and seeking first to understand is a remarkable way to change the tone and tenor of every day. Beginners learn to ask questions and viewing people and teams and challenges from a fresh perspective can lead to an inner calm and a perpetual journey of discovery. The wisest leaders I’ve worked around understand that with every person and every day they are beginners. Be willing to learn.

3. Keep it in Context. Remember, you have the privilege of helping people and helping your employees or members every single day. Each day is a blank canvas that you get to fill-in with positive encounters, helpful ideas and productive interactions. Problems and issues represent opportunities to serve and to teach. Recognizing and reminding yourself of this privilege of serving helps to tame the stress.

 4. Engage in the Moment—One Encounter at a Time. Instead of focusing on the noise and heat that you expect to encounter every day, reign in your focal point to the person, group or issue immediately in front of you. Much of our angst is over the expectation of what will happen. The act of focusing on what’s happening in the moment versus boiling the ocean of uncertainty over what may happen or what’s happening in the background is liberating. You get to create the future one controllable moment at a time. Trust God!

5. Get a Mentor. I love the idea to of a great mentor for all of the wonderful wisdom they bring to our issues and they provide the help for us to see ourselves and our situations with a level of clarity that we are unable to gain on our own. Great mentors peel back the layers of complexity and help us identify our core problematic and strength-based issues and then they give us a push (or sometimes a kick) in pursuit of resolving or strengthening around those issues.

6. Manufacture “You” Time. Finding time to think deeply about what you are doing and what you need to do is priceless. Our always-on world and our omnipresent devices don’t make this easy. Something as simple as 15 minutes of reading (in your profession, in your discipline, pure escapism… whatever) gives your brain both a much needed stress rest and a jolt of energy and creativity.

7. Don’t Be Afraid to Push the Eject Button. While it may sound like I’m suggesting you give up, there are absolutely circumstances where enough is enough. I tripped and stumbled a bit with my own eject activity, however, I would do the same thing all over again. The transition helped me refuel and regain much needed context. Importantly, it set the stage for some of my life’s best work. Sometimes a new adventure is just what the spirit needs to revitalize. Of course let it be a peace within and a leading from God.


No Need to Suffer in Silence
Here’s what I’m saying….  I’ve encountered too many people suffering in silence in their roles responsible for others. Nothing good comes of this martyrdom…for you for or for those around you.
Pick a strategy to recharge…try a variety of approaches until something works or, cultivate the courage to go do something else. The only mistake is to stay locked in irons, making yourself and everyone around you miserable.
Leading others is too important to be left to someone out of gas and out of heart. Given our challenges in this world, we need all the leadership energy and heart we can muster.


Blessings,
Cultural Transformation Network


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As our churches reopen, we encourage you to follow and consider these guidelines. 

BE INFORMED 
Know the risk factors for the virus. This can help you make decisions on staffing, volunteers, and whether you will return sooner or later. For example, those with preexisting conditions and those over 65 years old are at a higher risk of experiencing worse symptoms than others if they contract the virus. 

Poll your congregation on their expectations. Be in constant communication. Also know that there is no rush to return to the building. You can continue doing online services or drive-in church if your congregation is still experiencing anxiety and fear.


PREPARE YOUR CHURCH

1. Deep clean your entire church. Where will germs be transferred? Consider shampooing carpets, sanitizing pews, bathrooms, doorknobs, light switches, and microphones. 
2. Use chemicals and disinfectants as directed and allow for the proper dry times. Here is a list of approved disinfectants for COVID-19.
3. Pay attention to the preschool and children’s areas. Consider removing everything nonessential from the room to limit surfaces for potential contamination and do a thorough cleaning in between uses. Please see the preschool/children section for more information to consider.
4. Temporarily remove Bibles, hymnals, pens, information cards, etc., from the backs of chairs/pews. 
5. Post signs about not shaking hands and doing non-contact greetings. You can promote the hashtag #itsoktosmileandwave. 
6. Consider placing some kind of blocks in your sanctuary or classrooms to ensure social distancing. Tape, remove chairs, use cones, etc. to indicate the distance needed. 
7. Tell your congregation through flyers on the doors, email, and social media about how you’ve prepared the church for their arrival. Be sure to use the words “clean, safe, and mindful of health needs and issues in preparation for a non-touch experience” or something similar. Also say that if they are sick, then they should not be present and can join online instead.

SERVICE TIMES AND LOCATION

1. Keep an online meeting option for those who are afraid or unable to attend your service in person. Many churches have seen a spike in engagement since their online presence has increased. Capitalize on it!
2. You can offer multiple services to encourage a greater chance of social distancing. One way to ensure your services are evenly spread is to have people sign up for a service. You can use Facebook events and have people mark which event they’ll attend. With questions, you can reach out to our Content Strategist, Linda Wilkins at [email protected].
3. Remember that if you have multiple services, you will need to clean between each service. You can shorten the service time to help with the timing of cleaning thoroughly. Some churches are moving to having multiple services during the week to allow for cleaning in between service times.
4. Determine how many volunteers you have available to assist. Limit volunteers to those who do not have preexisting conditions and those who are under 65 years old.

WORSHIP SERVICES

1. Celebrate the return! Hopefully you have some time to plan a Comeback Service. Encourage praise, provide times of testimony, and a sermon that spurs people to embrace life changes God has revealed to them during the quarantine.
2. If your people are from the same household, they can sit together. Consider spacing out other groups. See the preparation section.
3. Remember to avoid handing out bulletins, and instead project announcements on screens. Also do not allow people to come by and pick up bulletins out of stacks. Consider placing bulletins on the pews or chairs, but ask the people to take bulletins home with them.
4. Change the way you offer communion. Avoid passing a plate or bowl. LifeWay.com offers combined elements of communion that can be picked up as people enter – but make sure that people are not picking from a deep bowl.
5. Avoid passing microphones on the stage.
6. Continue offering online giving options. Have stations in the church where people can drop offerings instead of passing a plate.
7. Come up with a fun way to greet others in a no-contact way.
8. Clean the pulpit after every use.
9. Consider dismissing in an orderly way to ensure there is social distancing.

AMENITIES: COFFEE, BULLETINS, AND HAND SANITIZER

1. Restrooms: You must decide whether you will allow bathroom usage at this time. If you don’t think you can allow it, then it may not be time to return to the building.
2. Do not hand out bulletins. Do not allow people to come by and pick them up out of stacks.
3. We recommend withholding coffee stations, donuts, or groups meals at this time. You can stay attuned to the guidelines to know when is best to reintroduce these services.
4. If you choose to keep your restrooms open (the Governor’s Office recommends keeping them closed), be sure to post signs about washing hands in bathrooms with appropriate guidelines to doing so.
5. Display hand sanitizer throughout the church. It may be difficult to obtain at this point, so consider if you should meet in person without this element.
6. Supply masks for those without one to increase comfort levels. Again, these may be difficult to obtain, but you could have people make masks as a service to the church.

STAFF: GREETERS AND VOLUNTEERS

1. Provide security and enlist ushers to be both inside and outside greeters. Instruct them on how to greet post-quarantine: NO hand shaking or hugs. 
2. Ensure doors are propped open or have the greeters hold them open. 
3. Greeters and Volunteers should be able to answer questions on procedures and policies upon the return to the building. Train them beforehand if possible. 
4. If your bathrooms are open, have greeters monitor the bathrooms to ensure hands are washed and social distancing is followed. 
5. Consider a temperature check on all staff and volunteers.

SUNDAY SCHOOL AND SMALL GROUPS

1. The Governor’s office is recommending that you have your church members enter the building and immediately go into the worship service to be seated. For more information, see the “Worship Services” section.
2. Consider whether you will have Sunday school or small groups (see previous point). Make sure you’re communicating if and when these classes will resume. 
3. Consider dividing your groups to maintain the social distancing standards. You can also allow small groups to use the church on different days/nights if you choose to meet in person.
4. If you do have class, please know you should clean the doorknobs, water fountains, and other high traffic areas in between uses.
5. Have a plan for your leaders and teachers. Will they discuss what God revealed to them in the quarantine? Will you encourage a prayer and praise time?
6. If you don’t have class, make sure you have provided an outline for your teachers and leaders to continue engagement for your groups. This is still an excellent time to build classes and community.

PRESCHOOL AND CHILDREN

1. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children 2 years of age and under do not wear masks or face coverings. Please keep this in mind as you make decisions.
2. Here is a good rule of thumb: If you wear a mask, it’s too soon to have your preschool and children areas open. Masks may scare the children. 
3. Consider not opening preschool and children on the first Sunday back. Some churches are choosing to reopen the preschool and children areas when schools are open.
4. Pre-register children to limit how many are in any room at a time. Some churches are starting with a five child limit in each room at first.
5. Limit leaders in the preschool and children’s areas to those who do not have pre-existing conditions. Also limit leaders to those under 65 years old. 
6. Have extra volunteers to help in the preschool ministry where some children may suffer from separation anxiety after only being with parents for a long time. 
7. Have only one person handle child check in stations and do not pass the check-in device. 
8. Do not let parents past the “double doors” and instead drop them off at the welcome desk.
9. Have a check list of what’s been cleaned and when in each room. 
10. Develop a list of procedures for your volunteers. Train them on this list through Zoom prior to the first meeting. 

CHOIRS, ORCHESTRAS, PRAISE TEAMS, BANDS, ETC.

1. Praise Teams: Do not use the full team. Consider rotations. Assign microphones and use the same one every time.
2. Choir: Consider suspending choir practices as forceful breathing and exhaling can expel the virus further if someone is infected. However, you could consider using smaller numbers as you reintroduce choir to the service. Also space members out appropriately (consider using a diamond pattern with six feet of spacing between members.
3. Temporarily suspend using hymnals. Encourage your members to print/use their own music sheets or place the music in assigned seating prior to the service.
4. Orchestras: Keep parts to a minimum and ensure the orchestras are spaced appropriately. Encourage brass players to bring their own towel to catch spit so it doesn’t land on the carpet.
5. Consider not using choir robes as space for robe changing may be limited. Just as healthcare workers change or wash their coats after each use, so should the robes be dry cleaned and stored in the bags from the cleaners.
6. Wipe down music stands after each use.
7. Dismiss the choir in a fashion to allow distancing.

TECH TEAMS

1. Clean microphones, headphones, computers, laptops, etc. after every use. Keep a record of when each item was cleaned. DO NOT use water. Rubbing alcohol or alcohol-based cleaners are best.
2. Rotate your tech team if possible. Again, encourage those who feel sick or run down to not come into the service.
3. Keep using the online services. Facebook may be more accessible as many people have accounts, but consider other options like YouTube for those who’d like to watch on their smart TVs.
4. Add in text on screens through projectors if you haven’t already. This may be a good opportunity to do so. Secure a CCLI license for copyright compliance if you do. 
5. If you don’t have media support for announcements or singing, then print texts and place them in the pews/chairs. Encourage people to take the bulletins/music sheets home with them and not leave them in the pews.

Whether you are a ministry leader, pastoral leader, or lay professional we want to connect and collaborate with you.  There are many ways to get connected, let's start by joining us on a Facebook Live Video (@atkog) every 4th Thursday of the month 9pm EST.  

If you are a minister we just had our ministerial fellowship call and it was a good one.  We talked about the latest techniques on staying connected to your local church and lead them through this pandemic.  As well as an encouraging message from Bishop Ralph Lewis out of Atlanta , Georgia.  To top it off a controversial topic, should pastors still hold church services during this pandemic?  

And as a special gift I am including the call for you to enjoy. Please click the image to listen.

1 Peter 2:9 New International Version (NIV)
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9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.


This passage is so filled with truth that it’s hard to gather it into a short devotional. Peter uses wording from Exodus 19:5–6, where God told the children of Israel, “if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

But in this New Testament book, written to a primarily Gentile audience, Peter applies it to those “who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” Peter is making it clear that Gentile believers are also God’s chosen race during this age—the time of the Gentiles. We as believers, Jew or Gentile, enjoy a special relationship with God. We are “His own special people.” And as such, we have the great honor of praising Him here on earth and on into eternity. We have been delivered from a spiritual darkness of ignorance, error, sin, and misery; and now, though His mercy given to us, we walk in His marvelous light. Wow!

Dr. Roy J. Plunkett invented Teflon, the coating found on nonstick pans, somewhat by chance in 1938. According to the “History of Teflon,” the material turned out to “be inert to virtually all chemicals” and “the most slippery material in existence.”1 Teflon is so slippery that virtually nothing sticks to it or is absorbed by it. Perhaps it is a stretch, but it seems that Teflon could be seen as an illustration of the Holy Spirit’s effect on sin in a believer’s life. Yes, certainly we can and do occasionally fall into sin, but His presence and control over our lives gives us a stick-free surface. Through humble repentance we can be kept free from contamination. Is that something we somehow earned? No. Peter says we are the people of God who “now have obtained mercy.”

“Thank you, LORD, for Your mercy that can keep us cleansed through humble repentance. Mercy, mercy, mercy is what we need again today.”

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Thank you Kingdom Ambassadors for joining us today.  Today we are in an unprecedented time of culture change, world change and feeling closer more than ever.  The COVID-19 Pandemic has truly put everyone in a unique state of living, whether it is social distancing, stay at home orders, deaths at an alarming rate, etc.  

We as the body of Christ have a great opportunity right at our finger tips, now is the time to harvest.  There are many changes day by day and hour by hour happening and because we have hope we are in a prime position to bring the kingdom of God here to earth.

How do we continue to engage our Community and be social distanced?  There are many creative ways  to do this and here are some idea to prompt a deeper discussion.

1. Social Media - post often and ask questions to get feedback, create groups specific to your city, hobby etc.
2. Walk - if you can walk around your dwelling place do this and wave, say hi, offer assistance, ask to pray for a specific need.
3. Personal Notes - This may or not be done through USPS, but it can be done through a text message, prayer chain of authentic asking, Facebook Messenger send an audio chat or video chat.
4. Serve - If there is a possibility to be safe and serve, please do; reach out to your non profits providing services currently or your schools if passing out supplies, food, water etc.  

These are really just some ideas and some I have taken advantage of, please share your's and we can be the body of Christ together.

​Blessings- Pastor Milton

Now is the time to focus on the family.  With quarantine's in effect or happing in America and parts of the world. The word of God is best lived by incubating in the home, where it can be lived out in a real and tangible way.  Overseer Williams shares some insights into God's Word pertaining to the family unit.  Please listen to this call and take notes.

Blessings- CTN/ATK Family

​Click Here