While our church is vacant, and the doors are locked, the church is not closed. One of our staff members recently circulated an article titled “Essential Services.” The article was about how churches are excluded from that which is considered essential, yet churches are even more essential during these challenging times.
The “Stay Home” restriction is creating a challenge for us to meet the needs of our church and our neighbors.
Or is it?
While we may not be meeting in person, church still goes on. Through spiritual leadership, ingenuity, and technology, our worship and small group needs are being met. We have a very dedicated team of clergy, staff, and laity bringing Church to us and the Weekday Learning Center to young children.
We have had 200+ registered online participants for live stream worship each week. We have hundreds of views on each sermon in the weeks after they’re streamed, and over 2000 views the week following the March 29th service in particular. The message on Ezekiel’s vision for “people in exile” struck a chord. We have 30 new subscribers to our YouTube channel. We have another 190+ weekly participants via “zoom-connected” small groups. 118 signed on for Sunday School last week, the highest attendance in over 1 ½ years! Check out the WLC as they reach an average of 32 live viewers on chapel each day and over 700 views each week. There are countless Facebook groups and streams of shared devotionals, inspirational emails, and phone calls to check on one another. Can you believe we are “virtually” bridging an age span of over 100 years between the youngest and oldest participant?
The work of the church and WLC continues every week through the collaborative work of clergy, staff and lay leadership. Most importantly, some of our outreach to the community, such as Saturday’s Child, still goes on.
In his sermon “Of the Church” (sermon 74 – Eph. 4:1-6), John Wesley said the church is, in the proper sense, “a congregation, or body of people, united together in the service of God.”
Church is a place where we learn to be Christians. It’s a place where we form nurturing bonds and relationships. It’s a place where we launch ministries out into the community. It’s a place where the hearts of its families beat in unison to the sound of the Shepherd’s calling.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 (NIV) Paul shares, “12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.“
Collectively, we share the burden and weight of glory to “be the church.” This burden does not fall all on any one person, it is a collaborative effort to maintain and sustain the church, through our gifts and talents.
The church, like many of you, faces financial challenges with staffing expenses and operational costs that are the same as when our building is open. The financial needs of our church must still be met even though our cadence of giving has been interrupted. Without missing a beat, we are virtually bringing church to our congregation and supporting community outreach. We know giving is a sense of obedience and routine that has waned due to stay-home restrictions.
We know there is real uncertainty in the economy and job security. The church staff and trustees have continued to implement cost savings where possible. Our fervent prayers are for God to cover the needs of our congregation and our church. Your faithful giving is more important now than ever before!
Each of us plays an important part but we need other parts in order to stay in rhythm. We are all in tune when we join others in participation. Christianity is not a solitary practice, we are not meant to do it alone, and this is proved by our commitment to stay virtually connected.
A March Pew Research Center survey revealed some interesting directional notes. The report headline read, “Coronavirus has impacted their lives – more than half have prayed for an end to the virus.” One interesting point in the survey stated that over 36% of survey respondents who have “no religion” acknowledged praying during this crisis. Perhaps these people are searching and hoping for the “good news.”
I have no doubt that when the stay-home order is lifted, we will return with a renewed excitement and commitment to go out into the community and share the good news. We can also expect a multitude of guests to come, longing to hear the “good news” and seeking a connection with Christ. The most inspiring anticipation of all is the harvest that Jesus spoke of.
“35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38 (NRSV)
This Easter morning the Church will be empty, and so will the Tomb!
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art! How great Thou art!…
Peace be with you,
Kenny Shortsleeve, Lay Leader
AUMC Family since 1988
