Unusual Times Spawn Infectious Creativity

“One of our young adults in our group recently attended a suicide prevention awareness event for her psychology degree, and they talked about these signs that say things like, ‘Don’t give up’ and ‘You are worthy of love.’ She suggested that we put them up on the road by our church. We went out and got some, and I put them up last weekend. Even something small like a sign can uplift someone’s spirit. People really need hope in times like this when they aren’t sure what tomorrow will look like.”

Tylor Watts, East Salem Church

 

“We had to ask all of our high risk volunteers to stay home. Many didn’t want to. Their hearts are at PACS, so being told to stay home, even for their own safety, was such a hard message to deliver. We care so much about them though, and we want to see them on the other side of this. Some of our volunteers asked, ‘How are you going to do this without us?’ And they were right. It’s been really hard without them. Some things have been impossible and we’ve had to stop, but it’s been the right thing to do.

"We put a call out asking for help delivering food boxes, and people showed up. Every day they’re still showing up. We’ve taught them how to do it with no contact, how to be socially responsible — not sharing more than food. But people’s willingness to come out and do this in a safe way has been so encouraging. People have helped pack food boxes. Kids coming back from college have shown up to help restock shelves. Drivers out of work in their normal jobs have come in to do pickups from grocery stores. The people who have come in to try to fill the ranks behind those who have had to stay home have made all the difference.

"Yesterday a woman showed up who had never heard of us. She said, ‘I don’t know PACS. I’ve never been here. My family is healthy, and they have food. But I’m in an online chat group with some other families in our neighbor, and I found out one of our neighbors is staying home due to preexisting conditions. They needed food. I messaged them and asked where I needed to go to get it for them. They gave me this address. I’m here picking up food for someone I’ve never even met.’ People are putting themselves out there to help people they don’t even know.”

Laura Pascoe, Portland Adventist Community Services executive director

PACS is still looking for volunteers to help continue serving people in need. If you are not at high risk and would like to volunteer, send an email to laura.pascoe@pacsonline.org.

 

“We are creating districts in our local church community based on location. Each board member has committed to 10 people they are calling this week. I spent some time using Google Maps to chart the membership in their geographic areas. You can create ‘lists’ in Google maps, so this has been a huge help in getting a picture of where everyone is spread. We have made a commitment to look out for each other without putting the vulnerable at risk. We are hopeful that this can be the start of stronger support networks within the local church.”

Nate Hellman, Gladstone Park Church pastor

 

“Not everyone is savvy with technology. At Crosspoint we initiated a technical support line. We wanted our older folks to have access to someone that they could rely on to help them use programs like Zoom or to help them find our livestreams. When it comes to our younger folks, some of them are serving as the people willing to be called with technology questions and that kind of thing. One of the biggest issues we’ve acknowledged is the isolation factor. We’re trying to create a digital connection but also intentional, personal connections through phone calls.”

Troy Wallace, Crosspoint Church pastor in Hillsboro

 

Hood View Church has 12 elders, each of whom has been assigned a “parish” in the neighborhood near their home. Though the elders usually contact their “church parish families” at least once a year, the COVID-19 virus has increased those contacts to more than once a week.

“We ask a lot of questions,” one of the elders says. “How are you doing? Do you have enough food? Could you use some fresh veggies? Are you getting the church worship and Sabbath School services through the internet? Is there anything I can help you with today?”

So far, the answers are generally benign. However, as the elders offer to drop by with a pound of beans, a couple rolls of toilet paper and the new Sabbath School quarterly, the parish relationships are quickly deepening.

 

Oregon is asking everyone to “Stay Home, Stay Well” right now.

But that doesn’t include Tim Mayne, a pastor in Tillamook, Oregon. Mayne is the spiritual leader for a very active congregation, school and hospital. He is also a firefighter based in the nearby beach community of Netarts.

“We work every day,” says Mayne, “and the Stay at Home order doesn’t apply when the oyster plant catches fire.”

The 911 call came late Sunday afternoon and brought numerous fire vehicles down the beach road to the oyster processing plant. Mayne is the fire chaplain. That means he’s always there, working shoulder to shoulder with the other first responders, pulling hoses, spraying water and making sure the last embers are dead.

“It’s like being a full-time pastor for a team of highly trained caregivers,” says Mayne. “No virus can keep me from that.”