Thursday, August 27, 2020
What We Miss About Church: Congregant Reflections
For our devotionals this month, we asked various congregants what they miss the most about being together. Join us for this series of reflections that remind us of what we miss and who we are called to be.
Scripture for the Day
Romans 8:35, 37-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
On most Sundays, and at least one other day of the week, I could usually be found at First Presbyterian Church. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all that and I really do miss being at church.
There are four things that I miss the most, as we have had to distance ourselves from each other. I miss Sunday morning church service in Winship Chapel and the intimacy created by that space, in addition to the comfort of singing together the hymns that I grew up singing. I miss the opportunity to serve, in tangible ways, by volunteering each week at the reception desk and in Community Ministries. I miss Tuesday book club discussions that provide the opportunity to share diverse thoughts and experiences with an amazing group of people. I miss my Sunday School class - Choir and Friends - where we began our journey studying Genesis and have been tarrying along the way through each book of the Bible on our way to Revelation. After two years of study, we had been making our way through Chronicles. The knowledge gained in that class, and the fellowship, have been real blessings.
The enduring commitment from First Presbyterian to serve others, the genuine opportunities for fellowship, and the consistently enriching worship experiences are the things that drew me to the church. These things richly exemplify the overarching welcoming spirit of First Presbyterian and I miss that.
Though we may be physically separated, we are one in Christ, and knowing that brings me comfort, joy and hope - hope for the time when we can gather together again.
