Operational and Financial Resources During COVID-19
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Fair Share Relief
Fair Share relief is being offered by the Diocesan Finance Office, to the extent that it is needed, of up to 2 months to any congregation of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, without any application process. To have their Fair Share relieved, congregations simply need to contact Canon Gloria Gallant copying Canon Benge Ambrogi, and indicate how much relief they are requesting and what months they would like the relief to apply to. Congregations are encouraged to only request the amount of Fair Share relief that is needed.
If your congregation needs additional Fair Share relief beyond the two months offered, a simplified application process has been put in place for the remainder of 2020. To apply for additional Fair Share relief:
Please download and complete this application.
Email the application to Canon Benge Ambrogi.
All applications received at least one week before the next Mission Resources Committee meeting will be reviewed at the next meeting. The Mission Resources Committee meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 3:30 PM. The next 3 meetings are on July 7th, August 4th, and September 1st.
Mission Resources Chair Bill Petersen will be in touch to schedule a time for your leadership to meet virtually with the MRC.
At the MRC meeting, you will be asked to spend 10 minutes sharing your story about your finances with the MRC. An additional 10 minutes will be available for questions from the MRC members.
The MRC will decide on your Fair Share relief after the discussion and will inform you of the decision within the next week.
Please know that while Diocesan Council has allocated additional funds for Fair Share adjustments for 2020, funding is limited. Grants of additional relief will be based on the need and the extent that the congregation is making every effort to encourage giving and be proactive about their finances.
Congregational Giving
It is important that congregations emphasize the importance of continued giving during our time of distance worship. Regular communication is critical. Some communication points to be shared with members are:
The church’s work is continuing even as we are not physically present.
Our church is still doing important work in the community through our food pantry, clothing centers, outreach, pastoral care, etc.
While our in-person worship has been suspended, our expenses continue. We still need to pay clergy and staff, heat, light, and insure our buildings, contribute to our communities and the wider church.
Now, more than any other time, your support is vital in the ongoing ministry of our church.
It is also important to give members an opportunity to give and to make the process as simple as possible. Consider building an offertory into your online service. In addition to providing a mailing address for checks to be sent to, congregations are encouraged to make their collection plate available via the internet. Different donation services are available: GivingTools, Tithe.ly, PayPal, and Vanco are several options. If you would like guidance with choosing a platform or getting started, contact Canon Benge Ambrogi. If your congregation already has an online giving option, be sure to place a prominent collection plate link visible on your homepage, then share that link in your online Sunday bulletin, as well as via email and social media.
CARES Act (The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act)
CARES was enacted by the federal government Friday, March 27th. The CARES Act provides broad emergency financial and health care assistance to individuals, businesses, and non-profits. There are many elements of the CARES Act that pertain to all sizes of businesses and non-profits, but the two elements most useful to our churches are:
The Payroll Protection Program (PPP)
The PPP provides low interest forgivable loans to businesses and non-profits for up to 2 ½ months of payroll expense. An overview of the program can be found here.
Churches and institutions considering applying for a CARES Act PPP Loan should:
Immediately convene their leadership, agree that a loan is appropriate, and identify who will be responsible for the application and management of the process.
Read this information and the associated linked material carefully to get an in depth understanding of the program.
Contact the local bank(s) with whom they have existing relationships, confirm they will be processing PPP loan applications immediately, and identify which bank officer will be primarily responsible for this lending program.
Notify the responsible bank officer that an application will be forthcoming.
Assemble the records documenting the monthly payroll for 2019 and/or January – March 2020.
Complete the application.
Submit the application and payroll records to the local bank as soon as possible.
Keep in touch with your bank officer on the status of your application. Loans have been taking 3 to 4 weeks to get through the process of bank application approval, submittal to the SBA, loan document preparation and signing, and loan funding.
Keep careful payroll, utilities, rent, and mortgage records spanning the 8 weeks after the loan was funded.
Important PPP resources:
SBA Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions pertaining to faith based organizations
More information can be found at:
The Small Business Administration website
An Episcopal Church Foundation webinar
Enhanced Unemployment Benefits
The CARES Act provides enhanced unemployment benefits to all employees, including those not previously enrolled in unemployment insurance programs and self employed individuals. Employees seeking CARES Act unemployment benefits should apply through the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security.
Under Section 2102 of the CARES Act, a “covered individual” eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is an individual who is “not eligible for regular compensation or extended benefits under State or Federal law.” Congregations’ employees fall under this definition. Such individuals can receive unemployment benefits under the CARES Act if they are otherwise able and available to work but unemployed because of various COVID-related reasons, including workplace shutdown due to COVID concerns. Importantly, a “covered individual” for PUA purposes does not include an individual who has the ability to telework or is receiving paid sick leave or other paid leave benefits, regardless if they otherwise meet the qualifications described above.
The total number of weeks that an individual may receive PUA cannot exceed 39 weeks. This total includes any week for which the individual received regular compensation or extended benefits under any federal or state law. If an individual would normally not qualify for unemployment compensation under state law, the assistance authorized for a week of unemployment is calculated based on earnings and hours worked prior to losing their job. However, regardless of the earnings or hours worked, this assistance is increased by $600 of Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation per week through July 31st. The $600 in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation will be taxable, but will be disregarded in determining Medicaid or CHIP eligibility.
DAF Loan Payments
DAF loan payments have been suspended by the Standing Committee, both principal and interest, for 4 months. Principal will not accrue interest during this payment suspension period. The suspension is intended to cover the months March through June. However, some congregations have already paid their March payment, which may change the months that the payment suspension is in effect. Please contact Canon Gloria Gallant to confirm your next due date.
ZOOM Licenses
Zoom licenses are being offered to churches, one license per congregation. These licenses are business licenses that allow meetings of unlimited duration with up to 300 participants. The licenses will be valid through March 15th, 2021. In addition, Zoom webinar licenses are available at discounter prices if purchased through the diocese. If your congregation needs a zoom meeting license or wants more information about a Zoom webinar license, contact Canon Benge Ambrogi.
Church Pension Group
Church Pension Group has a number of options for assistance including 90 day payment extensions for pensions and church insurance premiums. For more information please see this announcement.
Resources for Thrift Shops and Food Pantries
Click here for a list of resources.
Statements from Bishop Rob
The latest statements from Bishop Rob can be found on our News & Updates page here.
Updates from the Greater Episcopal Church
The greater Episcopal Church is publishing updates here.
Episcopal Church Foundation
The Episcopal Church Foundation has a list of COVID-19 response resources that they will continue to update here.
The NH Council of Churches
The NH Council of Churches has a list of COVID-19 response resources, including a webinar with Dr. Nicholas Christakis and a webinar on planning live online worship, that they will continue to update here.
Resources for Learning About and Using Online Tools
There are open office hours for asking questions, short video tutorials, etc. at Eformation at VTS here.
A helpful four-minute video created by our Director of Communications, Dave Deziel, “Personal presence on Zoom for effectiveness and engagement” can be found here.
For music live streaming licenses: One License is offering FREE licenses to all congregations until at least April 15. Click here for more information.