If the Federal GOVERNMENT is closed for non-essential personnel, the church building will be closed. In addition, if there are severe weather conditions or a power outage, the church building will be closed.
If the church is open, groups may or may not meet at the leader’s discretion. It will be up to the leaders to communicate their decision with the group members.
For the staff: Emergencies and Inclement Weather. Staff members will be paid when the Pastor, in consultation with the Chair of Trustees, closes the church for the sake of safety. (In the event of inclement weather, Pender UMC will generally comport with actions taken by the federal government for non-essential employees.) In all cases, decisions regarding worship services shall be made solely by the Pastor.
A case by case decision will be made about Sunday worship services, and info will be posted on the website.
Your personal safety is important to us. The pastor and group leaders will understand completely if you do not feel comfortable coming to the church when weather conditions are questionable.
Weather alert: Tips for Planning Ahead
Virginia is in the path of a major snowstorm event for this weekend. Although timing and amounts have yet to be locked in, it is a fair assessment that we will receive snow, ice and rain with freezing temperatures across the Annual Conference.
- Remember, safety first! It would be so much better if we just got the snow; however, it looks like we may get several inches of ice on top of whatever snow falls. This will lead to unsafe roads, power outages, broken pipes and downed trees. The temperatures next week are forecast to be extremely cold as well.
- Plan now to have to stay home for several days until it is safe to travel.
- Local government guidance should always be followed.
- Please follow all safety guidelines for generator (use OUTSIDE ONLY) and space heater usage. NEVER plug a space heater into a power strip.
- Use caution when shoveling snow as 1 square foot of just light snow weighs 5 lbs. but 1 square foot of wet snow can weigh 20 lbs.! Then if we add ice to the mix you an imagine the stress on our hearts and muscles. Please, be smart.
- As the snow and ice melts there is a possibility of flooding in rivers and streams. If your area is prone to floods just be aware of rising waters and protect your churches and homes as best you can to prevent water damage.
- For up to date weather information and guidance please look at either the NWS Blacksburg (www.weather.gov/rnk) or NWS Wakefield (www.weather.gov/akq) websites for the most up to date information concerning the storm. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management website provides updates and good information about how to deal with the storm. (vaemergency.gov) . Use caution when relying on Facebook weather sites: some are legitimate, others are not. The Virginia Conference Disaster Team has a subscription to a Weather provider that gives us weather information for disaster preparedness and response so we receive timely and accurate information concerning events such as this.
- For planning purposes, current weather models have another snow storm event impacting Virginia on Jan 31-Feb 1.
- In accordance with the Virginia Conference Disaster Response Plan, all damages to church and parsonages from the storm must be reported to the District Superintendent as soon as it is safe to do so. Major local church community impacts/ damage should also be reported to the Conference Disaster Response Coordinator at or 757-408-6653 when appropriate.
From https://vaumc.org/weather-alert-tips-for-planning-ahead/