There is much talk about returning to in-person worship. It’s been about 13 months since we’ve worshipped, had Sunday School, Bible Study, and all of the ministry team and committee meetings virtually. We had no idea it would be this long, and we are yet to determine when it will be safe to return to in-person worship. So, what do we do in the meantime? We do what we’ve been doing and more. We pray, we study, we worship, we care, we fellowship, we love, we praise.

Not being able to worship inside the sanctuary has been painful, but it has also brought opportunity. It has given us a window through which to see ministry outside the walls. Being away has actually brought us closer because we now value the relationships that have become so important over the years. We have had to learn new skills to see and interact with people, and we’ve done that.

Some of our seniors who had never heard of text messages and Zoom are now comfortably using these 21st century forms of communication.

What’s even more exciting is the vitality that the Holy Spirit has sewn throughout our congregation. Our ministry teams are doing ministry in ways that require creativity, innovation, energy, imagination, and love. We are doing ministry with a homeless family; we are doing ministry with teenage boys at the Male’s Place; we are participating in ministry with the Presbytery of Charlotte; we are doing ministry with the Charlotte Area Fund and University Park School of the Arts and Bruns Elementary School; we are partnering in ministry with Statesville Avenue and First United and Covenant Presbyterian Churches; we are delivering high quality Christian Education classes to our children and youth; we’re delivering new and innovative Bible Study lessons to adults; we’re reaching out to our seniors and our sick and shut-in and families in distress; we’ve expanded our digital presence and we’re reaching people far beyond Charlotte, North Carolina.

So, how did we do all this in the midst of a pandemic? We asked God to guide us to places where God is already at work, and we joined God in God’s work. We didn’t invent ministry. We are being led in ministry by the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, there have been challenges, and there will be obstacles going forward. But, we are children of a sovereign God who walks with us step by step, day by day, and who will never leave us alone.

Blessings,

Dot

Rev. Dorothy “Dot” Killian
Interim Pastor