I am still trying to grasp what happened this past week.
On Sunday, March 8, Faith Presbyterian Church in San Diego celebrated its 25th anniversary with much joy and hope. We expressed gratitude for the past and hope for the future with music, guest speakers and a teeming fellowship hall at the reception after the worship service. It was such a meaningful time to witness people’s dedication and to hear them share their steadfastness for the future.
At the reception, I asked a medical professional in the congregation attuned to the unfolding situation to consult with me about COVID-19. I admitted that I was finding it difficult to translate headlines and updates into practical decisions for our church — different people in various regions around the world were making recommendations for gatherings of widely different numbers. Many in our congregation would be considered high risk. I wanted help to understand what was unfolding.
As a church, we had been praying especially for South Korea as COVID-19 spread around the world. We have people in the congregation from South Korea. My wife’s parents are from South Korea and she has family living there.
Little did I know that the following Sunday I would be recording a sermon on YouTube and sending it out to friends and the congregation.
When California’s Department of Public Health issued a statement, everything changed. Time stood still. I wrote more emails and made more phone calls in an afternoon than I would have in a typical week. The session agreed to close the church campus, which includes a preschool, as a precautionary measure.
As a church, we then began moving through next steps to stay connected, offer support for those in need in the community, and develop ways of offering spiritual encouragement to members and friends of the church.
In an unprecedented time such as this, I want to say thank you to so many people for their patience, grace and support of me even as I seek to support and encourage them. I am so grateful for the elders on session. People’s mettle really shows in times like this. I have become teary-eyed as I have watched and listened and shared in others’ generosity of spirit.
As a person of faith, I do believe that this is precisely the time to slow down, pay attention and seek to make decisions that are in the best interest not only for my family, but also for the community — decisions that are beneficial for today and for the days after this pandemic subsides.
It is as if we are beginning to see our whole society and the whole world as one living organism. Every single one of us is connected. It is important now that we act as one with empathy, patience and compassion.
May the peace of Christ be with you.
