post-Mother’s Day updates

11 May post-Mother’s Day updates

11 May 2020

I certainly hope you each had a great Mother’s Day yesterday! I know we did.
Let me start by making sure we’ve got this week’s Zoom Bible Studies ready to go. As always…jump in and bring questions observations insights or news from your part of the shutdown. I’m enjoying these times together and am pretty sure we’ll keep this going as I get better at managing the technology and we get more adept at dealing with the vagaries of computer conversation.

So here’s this…below are also some observations…and a beautiful piece of music from some of the churches in the UK.
Zoom #1
Bible Study Catch-up
Tuesday May 12, 2020 07:30 PM

Click the link to Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89537399026
Meeting ID: 895 3739 9026

Zoom #2
Bible Study Catch-up
Thursday May 14, 2020 10:30 AM

Click the link to Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81793522043
Meeting ID: 817 9352 2043

I took part in a Zoom conference the other day with 60-ish pastors/church leaders from around Australia. I was blown away by the wisdom, insights and perspectives the body of Christ was bringing to bear on our changed and challenging circumstances. Most of them agreed with the thoughts I’ve heard from a number of us: When the shutdown/lockdown ends, “normal” is not going to look exactly like “normal” did back before we knew Covid-19 was a thing.

BUT…if that’s true, “What is the new ‘normal’ to which we will emerge and re-open?”
That was the burning question and one I’ve been praying about ever since.
Now I know the church, the body of Christ, is a physical organic thing…we are not able to be what we were called to be simply by maintaining an on-line presence. We have to meet together as a community of Christ followers, but I am more convinced that we will maintain a higher on-line profile than we once did and likely begin to offer that on-line presence to those who simply cannot get to our door.

I’m starting to ask people to help me explore that more fully. If you’ve got some thoughts or want to help in that process…let me know. The biggest hurdle is the tech end of getting our worship from the Guide Hall to the internet in a clear and consistent way. There’s a dollar cost, to be sure, but there’s more than that and I’m happy to have that conversation…I know what the experts are telling me about our expanded reach via the simple YouTube offering we have been using since Easter (and they’re pretty involved…not ‘simple’ at all)…I know we are touching folks we don’t normally see on Sundays. We need to take that seriously.

The second question the 60-or-so of us danced around was in the form of, “We saw the world shift almost overnight. Are we learning how to be adaptable to a more unpredictable landscape?” I hope so…because whether you believe this shutdown was essential or an overreaction…it could happen again in a different way for different reasons. The church hasn’t always done well in times of transition, and has often confused how we do something with why we do it. The growing spiritually adrift population around us is testimony to our historical slow responses to new circumstances. We need to be ready and we need to do better.

Let’s keep praying. Keep inviting your friends and family to join you for on-line worship. The restrictions are easing…but we’re not ready to throw the shutters back just yet. And when we are finally back together…let’s be ready for the harvest I’m sure we’ll see as those who have visited on-line are engaged and encouraged to come see for themselves and “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

God bless you this week. Philippa sent me this link…let it be the encouraging word in your week. Simply beautiful gift from some churches in the UK as a blessing over their country. It works for us too!

John

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUtll3mNj5U