The church I attended for over a decade recently closed. I feel like
God is inviting me to remember and share some of the good fruit that was
produced during my time there.
If you're reading this and you ever attended Vineyard and God showed up for you there, will you share your story?
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he
had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass
on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and
take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number
of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among
you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean
to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were
cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over
the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall
be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” Joshua 4:4-7
Covid Spring 2020
The world changing event of covid 19 resulted in our church meeting online for year. Like many other organizations, we had not built the technological infrastructure to seamlessly transition into a strictly remote community. I could not possibly detail, much less summarize, the amount of time and energy that went into this effort by our pastors and technology team. All I can do is say "Thank you!" and tell you my story.
I truly grieved the loss of in person worship in March 2020, and it was right before Easter, no less! I always look forward to Easter. It is a season of renewed hope and trust in God for what is to come. To lose the gift of celebration right then was so painful. I cried during the entire internet worship and sermon. It just wasn't the same, singing songs from a recording and listening to a one-sided conversation. Who was going to pray for me? How was I going to know what God was doing in others' lives?
We don't typically choose when it is time to grieve. It usually just happens to us. This was not my first grieving experience so I knew I needed to take the time to really lean in to the process. I let God have it: my pain, my loneliness, my fear and disappointment. He, of course, knew all of this was going to happen and was ready to receive.
Almost from the very start I knew covid was going to change me. How could it not? Everyone suffered somehow, some more than others, but I knew that the separation from community was going to be especially difficult for me. I've always been acutely aware of my need to belong to a group, to be seen, to have access to God's people for prayer and building up. So the blessings of covid really are two main things: Gifts from God in growing my ability to be sustained more directly by Him . . . and delighting in community from afar, through the hard work and dedication of my pastors and community of Springfield Vineyard Church.
There were so many gifts to staying connected to church during a pandemic. First, it truly was a communal grieving process. Everyone suffered. Every fear was shared. When someone shared a specific need or prayer request, there was a distinct feeling of "it could be me" that I think really opened people's hearts toward compassion.
God used covid to help us learn to reach out to each other in more direct ways. You know how you sometimes know someone from church but it's because you always get coffee at the same time? Well, using zoom for church makes that less convenient. So if you want to know how that person is, you have to ask. And you have to speak up because not all computer speakers are created equal. Zoom made community building super intentional when maybe it used to be a little happenstance. And prayer ministry was more direct, at least for our church. We used small break out rooms to give more people opportunity to share.
When the warm weather arrived, we added in-person small groups to our repertoire. It was informal and a little sweaty, but it turns out that lawn chairs in a big circle in the backyard is good enough for ministry. We made it work within the constraints we were given and it was beautiful. I'm so grateful for the community that happened that summer. The joy in being together after months apart was so good and the pressure to do ministry "just right" became moot when there was so much at stake. God opened my eyes to what really mattered during this time. Do I care if I have to sit outside in the 85 degree July evening (pregnant, no less, haha) if it meant getting to do church with my people? Turns out, I did not.
The last thing I'll say is what God was doing in me, during this year off church. I had to face all of my fears of missing out, over and over and over again. Social media was not my friend, but I couldn't quit because it was my only connection to certain people. So I had to figure out another way to stay connected and healthy. I don't really have anything poignant to say about this except that I know, in hindsight, it changed me because I no longer struggle with FOMO the way I used to. Being invited into a closer communion with God (though it felt more like "forced" at times), was a real gift, and one that keeps on giving.
I praise God for the ways he blessed me and my Springfield Vineyard Church community during covid.
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