I had the opportunity to speak briefly with one of our members, Denise Leaks. She is a Sunday School teacher for the Adult Division. I wanted to learn a little more about how she has been able to handle and stay focused during the COVID-19 pandemic. After 30 years of dedicated attendance and service at another church, she has made the last 8 years at Broadview her home.

One of the things that Denise shared with me was how good it is to be spiritually grounded at this time. Her Bible study and meditation times help her to hold on to her faith while finding security and peace in the Lord. We laughed a little when she told me that initially, she was a little angry when the church closed. She was looking forward to being part of the worship experience and fellowshipping with others. It was still early and the outbreak was in the early stages. Of course, we both understood and laughed a little more about her initial reaction as we are only human.

Denise has used this time to stay busy. Prior to the pandemic, she led a women’s Bible study and has adapted to technologies like Zoom. Recently, she began to take time each day to think about what she is grateful for instead of focusing on the negative. During our conversation, we reflected more on our current climate, which included both the pandemic and the recent murder of George Floyd. She shared an analogy of how parents would discipline their children with a timeout. It feels like this is where we are now, is a type of timeout. First, the pandemic and stay at home orders and now a possible lockdown under Martial Law. Just like a timeout, the time is to be used to reflect and review the behaviors that may have gotten us to this point. How have we lost our focus and commitment to God?

What will be our attitudes when we finally begin to come out of this period? Will we forget how the Lord has protected and kept us and try to get back to what is deemed “normal”? Or will we continue to pray and call out to the Lord?

Our conversation ended with us both looking forward to one day getting back to fellowship in the church. The possibilities are great. The hopes for a new pastor, new ideas, and open minds were exciting. Her final thoughts, “The church has to be different. We have to grow together in order to be effective.”