Somehow or another, I am involved in about 8 teams that connect in various ways. That's not to mention our families and friendship circles. So I feel I am learning a thing or two about ways to keep relating virtually when the real deal is not possible. I thought I would share 10 ideas that spring to mind ... and it would be fun to hear of any others, so do pop a comment on this post!
1. A regional group is meeting over Zoom every morning at 10am. People are free to opt in or out, and can bring any updates or prayer needs they hear about from their nation or region.
2. A mission team is connecting over Zoom at the same time each week, to share how they are doing. This team records the call so that those who can't make it can watch and see how others are doing.
3. CMS created a web space for people to post their laments, in the form of words or photos. This is also on Instagram under my the Church Mission Society feed. If you are new to the idea of lament as a perfectly fitting response to our present circumstances, you could try reading this article.
4. One group produced a daily devotional designed around lockdown realities and made it available as a pdf. (Let me know if you'd like to receive it.) They set up a Facebook group so that people can share thoughts about how they interacted with the devotional.
5. Tim is producing daily 15 minute videos, sharing stories of God's faithfulness in the past as a way of orienting people towards the future with faith. These have been shared on You Tube and in a Facebook group, so let me know if you've missed them.
6. We have a weekly Zoom connect on Friday evenings for our Sabbath group to share communion from our homes. A different person facilitates each time, using a liturgy that we've become familiar with when we were still able to meet in person. If you'd be interested in seeing that liturgy, let me know.
7. We have friends hosting group worship times over Zoom, with one person or a couple leading a prepared time of musical worship and simply offering online connection to encourage others. This kind of thing is happening all over, along with poetry, theatre and read alouds. It's amazing.
8. My brother-in-law is leading live workouts over Instagram every Saturday morning. He's one of many people (including the awesome Joe Wicks!) who are trying to keep us moving in our own homes.
9. In the UK, people have been lighting a candle in the window at 7pm every evening then sharing the photo on Instagram and Facebook, sometimes with a post about how they prayed. All these little lights going out into the world!
10. Various dressing-up options (see yesterday's post) include choosing a different colour each Tuesday and dressing up in that colour for a Zoom call, in addition to bringing an item of that colour that says something about how they are doing. Another group has designated 'Fancy Friday' and post photos of themselves dressed smartly as a way to connect.
I guess all this tells us is that we are wired for connection. In spite of various doomsday reports that have predicted the end of meaningful connection thanks to the prevalence of screens and social media, we are now seeing a slew of creative ways to seek out connection using those very same mediums. A nice twist of perspective, isn't it?
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