Finding our Way Back Together
May 2. I think the giggles are what got me. Three little girls huddled together watching the new baby sleeping in the lower level of the stroller. They hadn’t seen each other in person for months, yet a simple invitation to the family gathering at Killarney park unleashed a joyous reunion. A new family with seven children (all between 3 ½ months and 11 years) shyly stepped into the arena so that 30 kids and 20 adults merged in a frenzied splash of multi-cultural humanity. After their treasure hunt in socially ordered bubbles, the kids dashed in an amoebic mass around balls kicked out on the gravel field. Parents pulled in closer and welcomed each other to life.
We are finding out way back together.
May 8. I think it was the wide eyes that got me. A row of 160 turkey dinners were spread out in the lower ed and designated to those who had purchased them to benefit the cause of abandoned Uganda mothers. Drivers picked up their allotment and delivered them to hungry mouths as a way to honor our own moms. Flowers had been sent out with hand sanitizer and the flowers seemed to be the clincher to the wide eyes. It was great to regain some momentum in our outreach and understanding of making disciples while encouraging those who felt forgotten and isolated.
We are finding our way back together.
May 9. I think it was the joyful claps that got me. In our lower parking lot, we held our first open air service with pastor Jack standing on the ramp above exhorting the groups who circled together below. We are still live streaming our first service and posting it on YouTube but we are more than that now. Our second service, on May 16, was held in the playground, under the trees, with 37 adults there and 14 children gathering for their lesson in the courtyard and playground. Open Bibles, question sheets and holy huddles led to an interchange of thoughts, ideas and prayers for each other. Now, we are setting up tents in the main parking lot and if the Covid-19 restrictions continue for churches, we will be having both our services vibrating from under the canopies.
We are finding our way back together.
May 16. I think it was the consistent bars that got me. At our board meeting, we looked at the chart of giving that had been circulated to the members for accountability. In January, we were already $20,000 behind and it looked like we had miscalculated what Faith’s family was willing to give during a pandemic budget. We had cut the budget by $100,000 but it didn’t seem to be enough. Then February, March and April we met the targets for those months and our deficit began to shrink to $7,000. Even the needs of our missionaries are being met. Our financial volunteers faithfully count every second Tuesday as we pray that God would care for the needs of his people. And, He is doing so much through faithful givers.
We are finding our way back together.
May 20. I think it was the prayers that got me. In our Wednesday evening small group and our Thursday morning prayer group we shared our lives and lifted each other up before the throne of grace. Such passion and care unleashed to a God who cares. We prayed for the Barnabas team who needs more volunteers to help with the care of our members. We prayed for the children’s ministry and the Daycare who need more help with their vital work. We prayed for our personal challenges and for the challenges facing our world.
And as we prayed from our places on zoom, I realized that we are still finding our way back together.
Trusting that you too are finding your way back together with us. One step is a start. Join a small group, a prayer ministry, our live services. May 30th we will have a baptism service to celebrate someone else finding their way back.
In the meantime, remember you are loved more than you could ask or imagine.
Pastor Jack Taylor