COVID Archives - Page 5 of 5 - Rebekah Simon-Peter Coaching and Consulting Inc.

The Spiritual Value of Quarantine

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Nov 30, 2020

A few weeks ago, my husband tested positive for COVID. I dropped everything, hurried to the drive through testing site, relinquished my comfort for a long-stick swab of my sinus passages, and prepared for ten days of quarantine at home.

Next up was cancelling appointments, rearranging my schedule, and discovering a grocery delivery app. Soup and other comfort foods arrived at the front door. Like runners intent on training for a marathon, we boosted our immune systems at regular intervals with zinc, vitamin C, vitamin D and the like.

Along with my husband, I had some mild symptoms: sore throat, cough, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. But they passed after a few days. Then came the real test: would the constraints of quarantine be a blessing or a burden?

The first week was spent on a pre-planned holiday break. With no place to go, I was gifted with time, and the immediate presence of the artifacts of my life: half-finished projects, piles of papers, forgotten tasks, and Jerry, my husband of twenty years.

Spiritual Value

What I experienced during quarantine amazed me. I finished a project for a gardening group, submitted an almost-forgotten homework assignment for an online class, and cleaned out the pantry. I put things away that had solidified into semi-permanent fixtures on the kitchen counter. I took online yoga classes, settled into my body, and did downward facing dog next to my schnauzer, Beau. I held tricky yoga poses with better balance. I called family members and friends I had neglected. I attended online prayer and meditation groups in comfortable camaraderie with people I had just met. Most importantly, my husband and I resolved old impasses, broached new topics and found a new favorite series to watch. And we slept long hours.

I realized that I had been holding myself just so for many long months. Somewhat guarded, somewhat fearful. Quarantine changed all that. It brought me home to my body, my breath, my dreams, my soul, my home, and my marriage. In a word: my life.

By the way, my test results came back negative. (I must have had sympathy symptoms, my rhythms matching my husband’s.) Even so, I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world.

I’m very aware that, for some, many even, quarantine can be a stressful and dangerous time, and I empathize with all of those for whom quarantine causes suffering. In my case, however, the burden of quarantine turned out to be a blessing.

Moving Forward

As you plan to be home for the holidays, I want to invite you to join me in a spiritual retreat for Advent called Christmas Through Jewish Eyes. We’ll explore the main themes of the season: light, family, and salvation. We’ll read the Bible in a fresh way, study the scriptures from a unique perspective, and witness the ancient light of Christ, alive in us and in the world. We may even do a little yoga!

Your First Sunday Back

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jun 1, 2020

“What should we focus on during our first Sunday back in the building?” someone recently asked me. “Celebration,” I said, without thinking. “Celebrate who you have become through this pandemic. A crisis of this proportion has expanded your capacity. Own it. Celebrate what you accomplished together. Even if, and especially if, you have sustained losses. Don’t let their passing be without meaning.”

The scriptures lay out a history of celebration in the midst of national trauma. The Passover celebration took place in the wake of a dozen plagues. Both Moses and Miriam led the Israelites in song and dance after crossing the Red Sea. Even the song was sung at contemporary Passover Seders, Dayenu (translated “it would have been enough”), is a litany of God’s faithfulness in light of an unspeakable tragedy.

In this article, I am going to share the three steps to celebrate your first Sunday back even as COVID-19 continues to spread. Just as importantly, I’m going to share a bonus step with you about how to not waste a good crisis.

Celebrate Your First Sunday Back

On your first Sunday back, a celebration is highly appropriate. But when you celebrate, make sure that you don’t focus on God’s faithfulness to the exclusion of your own. God’s faithfulness means nothing if you don’t join in the dance with God. Likewise, your readiness means nothing if you have missed God’s cues. Celebrate your wins as a mutual partnership with the Divine.

Remember the Journey

As you prepare to celebrate, first, highlight the events and turning points that led you to this moment. For instance, when and how did you make the decision to go online? When and how did you throw caution to the wind (figuratively speaking, of course) so that you could quickly organize for worship outside the building? When and how did you decide the way you would make online giving available? Online pastoral care? Online missions? How did you reach out to your community? What ministries have continued unabated? Who has been involved in these decisions and ministries?

Gather these memories as stones on a journey, markers of the terrain you have traveled. But don’t stop there. Reflect, too, on the spiritual lessons the pandemic has taught you. Think about the funerals, memorial services, and weddings you may have performed. What did you learn about the value of community? The value of presence? Gather these memories to share as well.

Finally, consider those who have served your congregation and community with kindness, skill, and passion. Be sure to lift them up in prayer, celebrating their integrity and sacrifice.

Choose Your Words with Intention for Your First Sunday Back

Second, as you select which memories to share, be intentional about word choice. You are crafting a narrative that will live on in the minds and hearts of the people. How you frame your communal story sets the stage for what comes next. Instead of getting caught in the post-pandemic blues, set the stage for your next vision and the next stage of growth.

Three steps to celebrate your 1st Sunday back at church. Read more here: Share on X

Growth and Gaps

Not everything you recall will be cause for celebration. Doubtless, you goofed up on some things. You mishandled a challenging situation or relationship. Probably you let some things slip through the cracks. So, third, find ways to acknowledge the gaps as well as the growth. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Both the gaps and the growth can lead to your deepened skill as a leader, and your deepened faith as a congregation.

Has COVID Undone Church Decline?

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | May 27, 2020

As churches prepare to re-open, it’s fair to ask if COVID has undone church decline. Over the last two months, your congregation has gone through a transformation. You have created new forms of worship, established new means for people to give, and launched new communication forms. Most importantly, you have found a new purpose in your communities. Bottom line: your congregation has gotten unstuck.

When your church opens up again, will you still be dealing with the dynamics of decline? Or has the coronavirus turned all that around? The news is promising, but not without risk. In this article, you will discover three ways to solidify the gains your congregation has made so that you don’t allow this crisis to go to waste.

Before COVID: Indicators of Church Decline

In my culture-shifting work with congregational leaders across the country, I have identified a handful of reliable indicators of decline, which I write about in Dream Like Jesus. These indicators are concentrated in the areas of worship, ministry, and congregational culture. When a church is in decline, worship tends to be uninspired. For example, prayer feels perfunctory, and faith-sharing lacks authenticity. This lack of spark translates into declining numbers. As the active presence of the Spirit diminishes in the gathered life of the church, worship attendance lags.

Overall, giving stagnates—the number of giving units declines. The number of people involved in active ministry slides until fewer people are doing more and more work to stay afloat. Underneath all of these indicators is a congregational culture that is more focused on survival than outreach. As the church tries to save itself, relationships become problematic. The need for harmony supersedes risk. Disagreements simmer just under the surface, and when expressed, take on a hidden or surprising form. Decision-making is cautious, slow-paced, and unlikely to support visionary action.

Church in the Time of COVID: Signs of Promise

With COVID, the church has found itself in the surprising position of being in high demand. The church has responded by reaching way out beyond its walls and its usual forms. You now have a more substantial presence—appearing online, in parking lots, drive-in theaters, and captured forever on FB live and YouTube. Not only that, with the shared danger of the pandemic, people have revealed a new level of transparency and honesty.

Congregations have tried new things—willing to risk everything to retain some semblance of normalcy. In this environment, worship has taken on an immediacy. Even though mediated by screens, once boring services have come alive again. Prayers are passionate—laced with compassion, sweetened with urgency, and more relevant than ever.

The church has experienced something of a resurrection. But this miracle is not guaranteed to last.

When your church opens up again, will you still be dealing with the dynamics of decline? Or has the coronavirus turned all that around? Read more here: Share on X

Three Ways to Outwit Decline.

Stay big. Once your building re-opens, you may think you no longer need online worship or online giving. Not true. You have expanded your footprint, attracting new followers, views, likes, and virtual visits. Don’t expect these folks to follow you back to the building. They may or may not. Continue to make online options a viable means of participation.

Stay visible. Don’t retreat into your office once the doors are propped open. Your current partnership in the community is more necessary than ever. Look for new opportunities to serve and new ways to be engaged. Likely you won’t have to look far. Listen to what people say to discern the next need. While you’re at it, ask how you can serve their spiritual needs as well.

Stay vigilant. Crises generate both chaos and miracles. Be sharp in navigating the clutter so that you can tap into the blessings the pandemic has opened up. To help you stay vigilant, give yourself the gift of claiming all that you have learned during the pandemic, and celebrate your newfound capacities.