COVID-19 Resources from Perkins Faculty

    Last updated on Wednesday, January 27, 2021

As our community navigates our current normal, Perkins faculty would like to offer these resources for worship, preaching and ongoing spiritual care. Please click a faculty member below to jump to their section.

Dr. Allen
Dr. Habito
Dr. Hunt
Dr. Levison
Steuernagel
Dr. McKenzie
Dr. Silva Steuernagel
Dr. Stamm
Dr. Stevenson-Moessner

From Dr. Mark Stamm

Professor of Christian Worship

From Dr. O. Wesley Allen, Jr.

Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics

Read Dr. Allen's blog: "Preaching John 20:19–31 in the Midst of the Pandemic"

From Dr. Robert Hunt

Director of Global Theological Education

Listen to Dr. Hunt's new podcast, Interfaith Encounters. This podcast explores how different religious faiths respond to the pressing challenges of contemporary society, Consequential conversations with leaders from different faith communities exploring how they are engaging the pressing challenges of today’s world.

In the first series in the podcast, COVID-19 and Faith Communities, Dr. Hunt will speak with leaders of the Islamic, Sikh, Jewish, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist traditions about how their communities are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Listen by clicking here or on Spotify. The full schedule of guests can be found below.

April 21: Islam, with Azhar Azeez, past president of the Islamic Society of North America.
April 24: Vendanta, with Pravrajika Brahmaprana, resident minister of the North Texas Vedanta Society.
April 28: Sikh, with Harbhajan Singh Virdee, the Sikh Gurdwara of Irving Texas.
May 1: Hindu, with Mr. S. P. Krishnamurthy of the DFW Hindu Temple Society.
May 5: Christian, Methodist, with Dr. Michael Waters of Abundant Life AME Church.
May 8: Buddhist, with Dr. Jon Reid of the International Buddhist Progress Society.
May 12: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Mark Romney, Elder. 
May 15: Christian, United Methodist, with Bishop Mike McKee of the North Texas Annual Conference, UMC.

From Dr. Alyce McKenzie

Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship, Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor and Director, Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence.

Read Dr. McKenzie’s blogs: “Preaching to an Empty Room”,"Preaching to an Empty Room Part Two: Preaching What You Practice," "Preaching to an Empty Tomb" and "An Off the Wall Shepard."

Listen to Dr. McKenzie on the Louisiana NOW Podcast: "Preaching to an Empty Room, A Conversation with Alyce McKenzie"
The Louisiana NOW podcast is hosted by Todd Rossnagel, produced by Mary Burleigh and sponsored by The United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana.

 

 

Here are Dr. McKenzie’s recommendations for basic how-to’s on live streaming:

From Dr. Marcell Silva Steuernagel

Assistant Professor of Church Music and Director of the Master of Sacred Music Degree Program

Read Dr. Silva Steuernagel's blog: "‘Doing Church’ Online: Some Insights"

Rather than only focus on producing an hour-long Sunday service, Dr. Silva Steuernagel recommends thinking about ways to engage with church members and others throughout the week:

  • Instead of recording your own music (unless you have the expertise, technology, and personnel to do so), consider creating playlists on platforms like Youtube and Spotify that pertain to the themes you are discussing online.
  • Provide a brief devotion instead of a full-fledged sermon. People do not react to a 30-minute sermon in the same way when they're at home instead of a live service.
  • Develop brief rhythms of prayer, scripture, and sermonettes that give people a shorter (but more frequent) way to engage in community life.

Each could be pre-recorded, loaded to YouTube, and shared with your congregations/communities via social media or email; or, they could be streamed via Facebook or Instagram Live (or another streaming service).

Here are additional recommendations from Dr. Steuernagel:

From Dr. Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner

Professor of Pastoral Care and Pastoral Theology

Providers of pastoral care during this time of crisis are in need of care themselves. Dr. Stevenson-Moessner offers a modern-day look at the parable of the Good Samaritan and provides concrete ways for pastors, chaplains, counselors and others to practice self-care now.

Read Dr. Stevenson-Moessner's blog: "The Good Samaritan and the Coronavirus."

    From Dr. Jack Levison and Rev. Blair Thompson-White (M. Div. '12, D. Min. '18)

    Dr. Jack Levison is W.J.A. Power Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Hebrew at Perkins
    Rev. Thompson-White is the Senior Pastor at Arapaho UMC in Richardson, Texas and an alumna of Perkins. 

     

    Perkins alumna, Rev. Blair Thompson-White (M. Div. '12, D. Min. '18) joined Dr. Jack Levison via Zoom for a dynamic conversation about faith, the Holy Spirit and the church in the midst of this crisis.

    From Dr. Ruben Habito and Rev. Blair Thompson-White (M. Div. '12, D. Min. '18)

    Dr. Habito is the Director of Spiritual Formation and a Professor of World Religions and Spirituality at Perkins
    Rev. Thompson-White is the Senior Pastor at Arapaho UMC in Richardson, Texas and an alumna of Perkins.

    Perkins alumna, Rev. Blair Thompson-White (M. Div. '12, D. Min. '18) interviewed Dr. Ruben Habito via Zoom recently and asked him to share how we can stay centered and connected in this anxious and uncertain time. His reflections in this short video are an offering of wisdom and grace.