Coronavirus Pandemic

As we reflect on the last seven months of living through a pandemic, the words of Jesus, spoken over the results of His miraculous intervention for a hungry multitude, suddenly take on new relevance and urgency: “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.”

“[This year] has been a memorable year for the family of Blue Mountain Academy,” says Sanghae Kim, Bible teacher and pastor of the Blue Mountain Academy (BMA) church. “Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the school closed as it was finishing a Week of Prayer.

The First Church of Coatesville in Pennsylvania recently organized a “Sunshine Ministry,” to bring joy to their senior members. The ministry group visits seniors at their doorstep, providing socially distanced fellowship, singing, prayer and encouraging words. 

During the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio Conference leadership recognized one thing: Ministry does not stop. Woven into their COVID-19 “Ministry Action Plan” are words of encouragement: 

For six years listeners have been enjoying the WGTS 91.9 Summer Concert Series with Tysons Corner Center. It’s the station’s premier summer event on Friday evenings on a large outdoor plaza. This year the pandemic changed everything, but the series continued, albeit in a new format.

Many churches across the Columbia Union Conference are still closed for in-person worship due to the coronavirus pandemic, including all churches in the Allegheny East and West conferences. Churches in the New Jersey Conference have experienced 38 deaths as a result of COVID-19. Eighty percent of these churches are now open at 25 percent capacity, reported President Dave Weigley at the September 17 Columbia Union Conference Executive Committee meeting.

These are five life-saving words. When each day seems to bring a heavy weight of chaos, conflict and uncertainty, these simple words of Jesus have a great impact: “I will give you rest.” He prefaces these words with an open invitation: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden” (Matt. 11:28, NKJV). 

As antiracist protests continue throughout the nation and worldwide, the Liberty church in Windsor Mill, Md., organized a peaceful demonstration supporting black lives. 

“Believing in the Lord was one thing; getting to know Him though has been life-changing,” shares Amanda Stevens. “I am not the same person that I was even three months ago. I have yielded my life fully to Jesus. And I love Him."