Page 7 - CBFK SUMMER Newsletter 2020 flip

What I’m
Learning About
Working With Partners
During Our Pandemic
by Rev. Scarlette Jasper, M. Div. CBF Field Personnel Director, Olive Branch Ministries
“Nobody told me there’d be days like these, Strange days indeed – most peculiar, mama”
– John Lennon, Nobody Told Me
How our lives have changed in just a short time. The needs of the poor have changed. They have in- tensified. The needs of those with mental health issues have changed. They have intensified. The needs and issues of those facing home- lessness including isolation and being ostracized have intensified. The need to be the presence of Christ and our need to follow the instruction to love our neighbors has intensified. My commitment to advocate for those in rural poverty has intensified.
My ministry looks a little different these days. There is not as much “hands on” ministry. I still minister to those facing homelessness and food insecurity while practicing so- cial distancing. I am unable to meet with my senior groups, conduct ed- ucational workshops, or facilitate my support groups in person.
This has caused me to stretch my- self and get creative in ministry, using technology to connect. As I have reached out to my partners to see how I could best support and minister to our participants I have discovered greater needs for ministry with those usually leading
partner programs. Where does the minister go when they need to be ministered to? It is the same with my partners. Like ministers, many in the nonprofit field have a calling to teach, and serve their communi- ty in times of difficulty, stress, and crisis and are struggling with this involuntarily separation from their community, friends, family, and their sense of “call” and direction. I received a phone call when the “shelter in place” recommendation came out. It was one of my ministry partners. She was in tears. “How can I help the families I work with if I have to close my center?” Anoth- er phone call with another partner involved discussing the dilemmas of trying to minister to her elder- ly participants and make sure they were being cared for. Another part- ner was not only facing the difficul- ties with how to carry out her work from home, but facing personal cri- sis at home as well.
Thankfully I have been able to be a support system for them. Not just as a ministry partner, but as indi- viduals who are struggling with who they are and what to do now. This is the relational aspect of “walking alongside” of my partners. Over the years our relationships have evolved into deeper relational ministry that goes beyond our day to day work. I have learned that this is the most important component of my work, in all aspects. I always knew that it was important and have always strived to build these relations. Now I truly know the value to this deep- er relational ministry with my part- ners; for them, and for me. We are indeed stronger together.
What I’m Learning About
Church Ministry
During Our Pandemic
by Chris Blair, Pastor, Faith Baptist Church, Georgetown
When I was asked to write this article about what I had learned from the pandemic concern- ing church ministry, immediately I felt scattered. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle and wor- ry and panic and livestreaming and writing and calling and texting and messaging, I had not sat down to think about what I was learning, so much as what I had to get done.
My whole mental process through these two months has been “How can I keep in touch with my people who are as physically scat- tered as I am mentally and spiritually?” And then it hit me! Maybe that’s what I’ve learned from this whole thing! Maybe instead of Covid-19 being an intrusion on my ministry, maybe it has become a platform for me to dive more deeply into it, and maybe it has become a mechanism for forming me more into my pastoral identity.
One word kept coming to mind as I thought about this article, and that word is “remem- ber.” I’m reminded of the covenantal term in Scripture the many times where it says “that God remembered His people.” And while that’s not a cognitive issue for God, for me, during this pandemic, it was. Not being able to see people’s faces or shake hands or verbally recite their name in a normal greeting, which I’m sure we’ll never take for granted again, has made it difficult for all ministers, but especially on one who was already new to his congrega- tion. Remembering was key for me.
I needed to remember birthdays, holidays, meetings, prayer requests, sick, shut ins, nurs- ing home bound, touching base with even healthy members, and even now, remember- ing cleaning and sanitizing procedures, and
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