Wednesday, August 04, 2021

It’s been a while. It’s also been busy. Figuring out how to keep a church going during the COVID-19 Pandemic while raising our firstborn has been challenging. But now we seem to have a good rhythm. The little one is doing pretty good now at 15 months old. She enjoys life as she babbles away. She loves life even more when both parents are home.

I know everyone has had a different experience with doing online ministry in 2020, but I haven’t found it too helpful in the long run. At first, I was able to connect better with the members of the congregation who I didn’t see too often. But I have found that the two older congregations in rather remote areas prefer to worship in the same building and socializing with each other before and after the worship service. However, my friends and family from afar have enjoyed seeing me at work through the livestream recordings.

After a year of working with the different recording technology, I’ve come out with being able to record and show a service live through YouTube. My cellphone is the video camera. I’m able to send a mix from the sound system into my laptop. Using a broadcasting software on my laptop to layer together the audio and the camera with a PowerPoint to overlay the words over the video. And I control the PowerPoint with my iPad throughout the service. It works rather well. But it’s definitely some work putting it all together. That’s why, for now, I only record every third Sunday.

Another thing that has come out of the COVID season is bringing kids lessons to the homes. Though I’m working with an older congregation, their kids and grandkids still live in the area. Once a month we have a lesson for them, and the grandkids and their parents have appreciated receiving this lesson. They watch a Bible lesson video on YouTube, and then they reflect on the story through questions, mazes, and coloring pages in the packet given to them. This ministry has also given me a chance to keep in touch with the families. In fact, one of them will have both of their children go through confirmation this coming school year.

I’m thankful that my wife has stepped up to help put these packets together with me. She likes seeing the children enjoy learning about Jesus and coming to know him as a friend and savior. My wife has come to love being connected with the community even more by working at a preschool in town. But she also enjoys spending time with our daughter, Tacey, and seeing how she enjoys life and makes the most out of it.

My daughter enjoys being outdoors. She loves going down the slide. She likes making silly faces. She loves her fruit. And it always seems to taste better for her when she is sitting on someone’s lap. She loves books. But for her, the first and last pages are the only ones worth reading. She has other activities to do or more books to read. Though her name is Tacey, I call her sweetheart. For she has a sweet personality and she wears her heart on her sleeve. She is able to make everyone’s heart melt.

As for what church will look like in a year, I think, is anyone’s guess. But after all of these challenges, the people seem to figure out how to make the most of it all. It’s definitely difficult to help the congregations cast a vision for the future, but knowing that it’s about people coming together to be strengthened by Jesus and his word and his promises, no matter what the future will bring, there will always be ways to excite the people about the hope found in Jesus.

Matthew 6:33-34 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

God’s blessings,
Pastor Sylvan Finger