The world is all weird right now.
In the last few days, have you caught yourself thinking — or saying out loud — “This is really happening”? Nothing is really normal. Everything seems to be disrupted, from grocery store shortages to school closings.
And church, of course. Church is disrupted.
Again this Sunday and as long as the pandemic persists, TCC won’t gather as a church in the cafetorium of Tradewind Elementary School.
And yes, just because we don’t assemble doesn’t mean TCC doesn’t exist. We’ll continue to provide resources for home worship online (www.tccamarillo.com/homeworship). We know that “social distancing” doesn’t mean we shouldn’t read the Bible, pray, and sing — especially on Sundays.
But we sure miss gathering. It’s not normal.
Our church has the word “community” in it for a reason — we know that we need each other. We know that the church is supposed to gather together. We need to have church.
So how do we maintain community when we’re semi-quarantined?
Here are three suggestions for staying in community while the world is weird:
1. Pray for one another.
Could you spend these more-than-usual solitary days training yourself to actually pray for others?
Make a list of people in the church who you could pray for daily. Pray for neighbors, teachers, co-workers, friends.
Pray that they would have strength on long and uncertain days. Pray for peace in homes where they’re getting stir-crazy. Pray that they would trust in a God who is not unsettled or surprised by anything. Pray.
2. Check on one another.
Who could you send a text to this week, just to say, “Are you ok?” Who could you call? Who needs a 5-minute conversation on the phone? Who just needs to have someone who will listen? Who needs you to pick up a grocery order or a prescription?
Who could you check on?
And if you need someone to talk to or to pray with, please contact us. You’re not alone.
3. Encourage one another.
Is there some way you could make someone you know laugh during a time when we’re not doing a lot of laughing?
Could you drop a letter in the mail for someone, telling them why they matter to you?
Is there someone you could encourage to read the Bible with you every day? Or encourage on Sundays to still worship, even at home?
Most of all, how can we continually encourage each other with the Gospel? Who needs to hear that God is sovereign and good, and His love for us already has been shown in the person and work of Jesus, His Son, who took sin and death for us and offers us life? Life without fear and without isolation and without pandemics forever.
Community still matters, church. Our prayer is that, even though we are more distanced than ever before, we could come out of this pandemic more connected in community than before the weirdness started.