One Church Gathered Yet Scattered

Summer has always been a season when the Goshen family both gathers and scatters.  But in summer 2020, this is truer than ever.

In these pandemic times, a major question before us is how to be a healthy, unified church while some of us are coming to in-person worship services and others are remaining at a distance.

Let me clarify that it’s right and good for some to keep their distance.  Health considerations prompt many people to avoid gatherings.  And with our current streamlined services (i.e., no Sunday School or child­care), some young families are opting to stay home and join us by live­stream.  (By the way, as a next step forward, we’re re-launching Kids Time Celebration for grades K-4 in the 10:30 service Aug. 9.)

So it’s very understandable that, for now, our church family is in this hybrid, gathered-yet-scattered form.  The Lord has us in this “place.”  So how does he want us to thrive in such a moment?  One key way is by keeping the Bible’s “one another” commands in the forefront of our minds.  Even though we’re not all coming into each other’s physical presence, we are all present in the GBC family.  As a church, we’re one body with many parts (unity in diversity), and all of the parts are vital to our collective health as a single, spiritual organism.

God’s one another commands include:  Accept one another (Rom 15:7).  Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9).  Bear with one another (Eph 4:2).  Forgive one another (Col 3:13).  Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16).  Pray for one another (James 5:16).  Encourage one another (1 Thess 4:18).  Confront one another (Col 3:16).  Be kind to one another (Eph 4:32).  Bear one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2).  Love one another (Rom 13:8).

A key to following these church health prescriptions is commun­i­ca­tion.  And these days we have many options for connecting in addition to face-to-face—like Zoom, email, social media, texting, and talking on the phone.  Much of this is happening (with small groups, Bible studies, student ministries, etc.).  But a good deal more could take place if we dive deeper into the one another commands.  How is the Father prompting you to reach out to your sisters and brothers in Jesus?  Remember, as you bless others, you’ll be blessed as well!