Viral Courage during a Global Crisis
Pastor Dillon Thornton
“The world has changed.” -Galadriel
“‘Then [Aslan] isn’t safe?’ said Lucy.
‘Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver; ‘don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.’” -From The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
If you’ve been around Faith Church for any amount of time, then you know a few things: first, I have an obsession with Tolkien and Lewis; and, second, we talk a lot about gospel partnership. Other terms, like membership and fellowship, though biblical, can be misleading. Membership has connotations of status, privilege. Fellowship carries the idea of settling in safely among the saints. On the contrary, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himselfand take up his cross and follow me.” Screw status. Serve others. Suffer well. Smile at death. This is the Way of Christ.
Galadriel is right: The world has changed. COVID-19 has caused us to halt in-person gatherings until further notice. For the foreseeable future, ministry at Faith Church is going digital. Our format is changing; our focus is not. Faith Church continues to exist “for the good of our city and the world.” Now more than ever, the world needs gospel partners. We’ve said before that gospel partnership requires courage. Now it requires viral courage.
Here’s what gospel partnership looks like during a global crisis. Here’s what we need from you, Faith Church:
1. Gather Regularly for Worship
We need you to join us online every Sunday at 10:00am. Regardless of your tech savvy. Whether you’re 15 or 85, we need you with us. And we need you to invite others to join us on Sundays. While there are certainly cons to virtual worship, a huge pro is that it’s never been easier to invite your unchurched or dechurched friends to participate! All you need to do is ask them to “meet” you on Sunday at 10:00am at our website or YouTube channel. At the time of writing this post, our first live premiere has nearly 1,000 views. If each one of us makes a conscious effort to invite our coworkers, neighbors, and friends, who knows how many people might hear the hope of the gospel. Far more than our sanctuary could contain.
2. Grow Consistently in Your Understanding and Application of the Gospel
Personal Study: We need you to continue spending time with the Lord each day. During this season, it will be easy to let the media dominate your day. Fight for your joy by disconnecting from devices and opening God’s Word. Let God have the first and last word of your day. Every day.
Family Devotions: We also need you to utilize the discussion guides we’ll be posting online each week. You can find these guides on the messages section of our website. Just click on the image for the current sermon series, and to the right of each week’s video you’ll find a downloadable discussion guide, designed to help you and your family become “doers of the Word, and not hearers only.”
Connection Groups: We’re also encouraging our Connection Groups to continue meeting via Zoom. Zoom meetings of under 100 people and less than 40 minutes are free. For those unfamiliar with this video conferencing app, here is a helpful Zoom tutorial. If your Connection Group leader has access to the tools required for video conferencing, he or she will be organizing your group meeting very soon.
3. Model Gospel Unity
We need you to continue loving each other: call people, send text messages, send emails. And be sure to join our newly created Faith Church Prayer Page, where you can share your prayer needs and let others know that you are praying for them. Don’t allow anxiety to poison your relationships with your family or your church family. Meditate on the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
4. Give Sacrificially to the Work of Gospel Ministry
If you haven’t already done so, we need you to transition to online giving. Like inviting friends to worship, giving to the work of gospel ministry has never been easier. The Give Now button on our website allows you to set up one-time or recurring gifts. The recurring option minimizes administrative costs and allows donations to be made in congruence with your pay schedule. If you are uncomfortable with online giving, checks can be mailed to the church office.
5. Participate in the Mission
Finally, we need you to continue participating in the mission by showing the love and sharing the truth of Jesus. COVID-19 calls for caution and creativity, not inactivity. If you’re not in the category of the most vulnerable, consider using the Good Neighbor Cards we’ve provided. And unless the governor issues a state shutdown, support small businesses. If your barbershop is slow or even closed, and if you have the financial means to do so, Venmo your barber the amount you’d normally pay for a haircut. And let him know the reason for your charity: because Jesus teaches us to give to those in need. If your favorite coffee shop or bakery is setting up a drive-thru option, swing by to get your caffeine fix, and let them know that you’re praying for their business.
The one exception we’re making to our suspension of in-person gatherings is Faith Café, our Thursday dinner for anyone in the community in need of a meal. Throughout the COVID-19 interim, we will be offering a Faith Café to Go option. Volunteer groups will remain smaller than 10, only canned or prepackaged items will be available, and all servants and guests will abide by CDC guidelines at all times. If you are interested in helping with Faith Café to Go, please contact Kim Gunthner, Director of Local and Global Missions (kim@faithrus.org).
Faith Church, we don’t know what the next few months will hold. If our governor follows the lead of other states and issues a shutdown, I’m prepared to make an argument that the church provides an essential service, especially during a global crisis. We will display viral courage. We will continue to work “for the good of our city and the world.” Now more than ever, the world needs us. The world needs you.