Lessons Learned Serving in A pandemic
A Reflection written in April 2020.
A few weeks ago, I was laying in bed brainstorming and praying about how we can help our community during this pandemic, and honestly I was clueless at first. I knew we needed to shut down our local outreaches or we would be putting people at risk, but at the same time the people we serve weekly need help now more than ever. So what do we do..? Well, over the past few weeks, I have learned a lot from talking to other church leaders, coordinating with local non-profits, and watching God work through many of you, and I want to share some of these things with you.
1. Be Creative: We have had to shift how we do local missions, and yet the mission has not changed, and in some ways it has expanded. People are doing some incredible things to serve those around them. We have mobilized 50 people from our church to run errands. Our tutoring ministry has gone digital to continue helping parents and students with school. People in our church are writing cards to nursing homes, making masks, and encouraging people in our church and neighborhoods in awesome ways. This season has offered us the ability to evaluate what we are doing and be creative with how we continue to serve. Ask yourself what are some unique ways that you can serve during this season?
2. Be a Neighbor: One of the best ways to serve right now is to love those who God has placed next door. I imagine you are seeing your neighbors outside in their yard way more than a month ago. Have you considered how you can serve them? Maybe your schedule has prevented you from getting to know them. Now is a great time to serve your neighbor, even from a distance. Ask yourself, how can I show love to my neighbors?
3. Remember why you serve: While we are doing some incredible things to meet peoples physical needs, I truly believe that God’s most important calling for us is ministering to people’s spiritual needs. Everyone is tired, hurting, and fearful. You carry with you a hope and peace that speaks directly to their true need. Share with them the hope and peace that is offered through Christ, the same hope and peace that is carrying you through this season. God wants to meet us in our pain, and people are desperately looking for hope now more than ever. Ask yourself, how can the Gospel encourage those you are serving?
Ultimately, it is not necessarily how you serve someone that matters in this season. It’s why you serve. Over the next few weeks, things in our community will likely get worse, and we will work hard as a church to help where we can. The work will continue to look different in this season, but the mission hasn’t changed. We move beyond ourselves because of what God has done for us. We share hope because we have hope, we serve because we have been served. Church, let us continue to be a beacon of hope in this midst of these dark times.