It seems like we’re doing everything differently because of the lockdown, and I think we’ve missed our church community more than anything else during this season, but we are so blessed with how our leaders have kept our community going so we don’t cease meeting together (Hebrews 10:25). Some local churches are streaming their worship team and their pastors, and others are praising in the parking lots—beautiful examples of redeeming the time (Ephesians 5:16).
Our church community here in town is a small one, full of older missionaries who have been such a blessing to us. They had been focusing on developing a church service that had lots of opportunity for us to grow as a community before the world turned upside-down, and barely missed a beat when we had to switch to online. They chose Zoom as our platform so the members could all see each other’s faces, have breakout prayer rooms, and have an interactive Q&A after the message. It isn’t the most polished, and has its share of bugs, but the warmth from start to finish is so palpable, and isolation is overcome!
It is hard not to have relationships drift apart and loneliness seep in when you can’t get out to visit people and hug people. As parents of young children, sometimes we feel like we’re drowning in kid stuff. For those living alone, a crowded house may sound like a dream come true. Either way, we can all get hungry for a little peer interaction. The smiling faces of our church family online at church services, small group Bible studies, and prayer meetings fill us with a warmth like a Thanksgiving reunion. I encourage you in this season to reach out to your community, and let your smiling face be seen (1 Cor 12:12-27)!
Grant Ministry 