The Good: My Thoughts on Ministry in the time of COVID-19

In this uniquely trying time, the pandemic has shown us some of the beautiful things (along with some of the holes) in our ministry in the Coptic Church.

I was counting down the days until I could return to church again. I don’t mean to be dramatic. As Orthodox Christians, we are given the Holy Spirit indwelling inside each one of us. We are mystically united to Christ, having “put on Christ” in our baptism. We are in communion with all those who have been in Christ before us and all those who will come after us. Christ comes and speaks in our hearts through the scriptures and reveals himself and his Father to us. All of this is true and it has been sustaining me…but I missed church. I missed the rhythms, the community, the Eucharist, the communal worship.

It’s been quite a *insert overly-used pandemic-related adjective* time. In a way that most of us have never experienced, we’ve been ripped away from the church...in the middle of Lent, nonetheless. And most of us are only just returning as we begin the fast of the Apostles.

Thankfully, there have been some wonderful byproducts of this pandemic. I’ve had a ton of thoughts buzzing around my head as I’ve watched from the sidelines and I thought to put them together and share.

A Faithful People

Was it just me or did it seem like people didn’t skip a beat? It was a powerful thing to see so many friends, family, and even strangers that ended up on my Facebook feed, working to maintain/increase their spiritual participation when they were kept from going to church. The eagerness of our parishioners to be tied to church life was a lovely thing to witness.

I saw:

• several people initiate book clubs with anyone who wanted to make the best use of their time at home

• tons of families set up a “home altar” or prayer corner (complete with the liturgical furnishings and ornaments that are common during Holy Week) to keep up with the prayers of the season

• new ministries were started to make up for the lack of spiritual education people would typically be receiving in church

• Sunday school servants being creative and going above and beyond to make sure their students were being taken care of

• several new podcasts and blogs get started with the hope of making the faith accessible during a time when nothing felt accessible

• a litany written, prayed, and shared

• people volunteer to help those who were in need in their congregations and communities

• A/V teams and communications teams do some pretty magical things to make sure that church life could exist online

I tend to be hard on us Copts, but it was really encouraging and sobering to see the faithfulness and perseverance in our community. When the physical doors of the churches were closed, the life of the Church was continued by a people who were strong, vibrant, willing, flexible, creative, and determined.

Wise Shepherds & the Logistics of a Pandemic

Another astonishing thing to watch was the willingness and ability of our clergy to adapt and do whatever was needed to best serve their congregations. I saw so much creativity blossom here—from Facebook Live sermons to public Zoom meetings, Midnight Praises coordinated and streamed from several households, increased presence on Twitter, leading lectures and bible studies, and even one book published!!

They did all this while balancing everything else they typically do as priests. This no doubt must have included coordinating some difficult funerals, makings the best plans for baptisms and weddings, and working with their bishops and city officials to come up with the best plans to keep everyone safe. My hat's off to them! I also can't forget all of our hierarchs sending consistent and clear guidelines about how to proceed with prayers, communion, and parish life. Things felt timely and were clearly communicated, two things I never thought we'd be that good at ;)

A Helping Hand

Finally, it was splendid to see the parishes and dioceses preparing to care for their parishioners when everyday life just became difficult. I saw many fundraisers helping to gather aid for those who were impacted financially. I saw the coordination of volunteers who were ready to care for the needs of the elderly, immunocompromised, and the sick. I saw hotlines being set up and new websites launched dedicated to being resource banks for the faithful. I saw Zoom meetings and seminars teaching people how to access government benefits and explaining the medical intricacies of the pandemic, offering best practices and being available for all questions. It was quite moving to see our community coming together to care for one another.

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We did a lot of wonderful things during this pandemic and I thank God for the encouragement it has given me and many others during a tough time. Nevertheless, there were some things that I found troubling or that could have been better and I hope to share those soon! Stay tuned for the next one.

Until then, thank God for sustaining us and always being present among (in) his people.