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Blog Archive
May 26, 2020
Terry's Thoughts June 2020
As I sit considering the content I should include in this newsletter article, it occurred to me to reflect a bit over the last couple of months and look forward to what the next few months have in store for us. So, as we reflect, I am struck by how dire everything seemed and how serious a thing COVID – 19 was in the beginning. While it was a profoundly serious thing for many, and many were affected by this terrible virus, things were not quite as bad as it could have been. I attribute most of the hysteria to the doomsday folks who thrive off crisis and may be without any hope found only in Jesus. For those who were affected or who lost loved ones during this time it has been a tremendous tragedy and the Lord has been awfully close to those who have recognized His presence. On the positive side, it is obvious to me, however, that the hand of God has stayed this disease and hopefully now we are well on our way to eradicating this pandemic.
Not only have we, as a people, been forever changed by this pandemic our churches have been profoundly affected as well. We were immediately forced, with all the shut down orders, to consider different ways to conduct worship and discipleship. Many who were not as adept with online technology were immediately forced to learn in order to maintain contact with their congregations. The resulting affect of this learning curve was that many discovered a new avenue of outreach and that they could in fact learn something new. We were relegated to Zoom meetings, chat rooms, YouTube, Facebook live, drive up services, and finally outside curbside services. While nothing replaces face to face contact, these avenues of contact proved to be amazingly effective and God has opened a new way of moving forward with evangelism and discipleship along with the way we may do church in the future. As a side note, we should not be afraid of something new but embrace what God has allowed us to experience for His glory! Finally, my reflections have revealed just how strong we are as a church and an association. When everyone was predicting people would leave our churches if they could not meet, more have “shown up.” When everyone predicted that our giving would fall off greatly, it has in fact remained the same and, in some cases, increased during these times. When everyone predicted that God’s people would not be involved in ministry during this time, the opposite has been the case. More people are intentionally concerned for others just as our Lord has directed us to be all along. These last two months have been a testimony to the faithfulness of God’s people and to the resiliency of God’s people.
As we look to the future, let us not forget the lessons we learned during the pandemic. The lessons such as how we do church, how we protect those who attend our churches, how faithful God’s people can be when necessary (of course this should always be the case), how faithful God is with His children and their needs, and how serious a thing it is to be more focused on the gospel than we were prior to this outbreak of COVID – 19. As churches, associations, and conventions look to what is next, we must recognize that this has been a time when God has gotten our attention and has spoken loudly to His church. The question will be ‘have we heard Him and are we listening to His call?' I am excited to see how the changes made by His churches of the West Chowan Baptist Association, changes in practice and in attitudes toward what is truly important in the Kingdom, will propel us into His future and not the world’s definition of the future. As we open back up, let us move forward with a new resolve to be more laser-focused on God’s will for our lives and His church than ever before. Let us love one another more than we ever have and be more focused on their needs than ours. Let us get serious about “making disciples” because who knows how much longer we may have to do the very thing He has placed us here to accomplish. Never let it be said of the followers of Jesus that we cowered back in this time, but rather let the world say “WOW, what a difference the church has made during this time of the unknown.”
As we reopen there will of course be more opportunities for missions, evangelism, discipleship, and training through our association. Be on the lookout in this newsletter and those following what God has planned for us as churches and as an association. As always it has been and continues to be my honor to serve such a wonderful association. I remain totally focused on You through His will in my life. Remember also I love you more than any of you will ever know!
Terry