Will they return? Churches post-pandemic

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Mendalla

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Just read this Canadian Press article on MSN. What do others think? It seems the pandemic has hastened the doom of some declining churches. Is that going to be widespread? What will be needed to bring people back? Is this going to be the "big shakeout" that shows which churches will live on and which have reached the end of the road?

 
of course it has?

in a great land
that r still in lockdown and never left it (tho now thanks to the incredible efforts of warp speed and great supply chains that has led to at keast 60% of a third of a billion peeps vaxxed etc etc if yer fully vaxxed masks are more and more optional in places.

i have already been to church services. one where everyone is part of an official oppressed group
they have a lot of nrg lol

and of course these lockdowns...i wonder how many churches died (just like how many people died due to virus and lockdown and economic woes and shaming and violence etc etc)

i dont know how churches with no money can survive?

#MutualAid networks
 
Our church has been quite successful at coping with the pandemic. The important work, pastoral, worship, and education, has gone on. Outreach has been dealt with differently. Some fundraising has happened. I was at the church yesterday, masked, with my KitchenAid mixer, whipping many quarts of cream for a strawberry pie sale which had been facilitated electronically.
 
Our church has been quite successful at coping with the pandemic. The important work, pastoral, worship, and education, has gone on. Outreach has been dealt with differently. Some fundraising has happened. I was at the church yesterday, masked, with my KitchenAid mixer, whipping many quarts of cream for a strawberry pie sale which had been facilitated electronically.
I am curious, though. Was your church already like that, ie. already a very "alive" congregation, so already better equipped to weather a storm? Or did people go above and beyond because of the crisis? Or a bit of both?

My thinking is that the churches that survive/thrive will be the ones already in decent to good shape and the ones dying will be the ones already on the ropes

IOW, maybe this is survival of the fittest in action. The churches best adapted to the post-Christendom world are also the ones best adapted to handling a crisis.
 
Remember that among all the corruption ... there shall be signs and icons of a weaker goodness ... if only to disturb those obsessed with winning a high position ... the base of fallacy ... of how thought is lost over concerns of loss of position.

In the process deficient folks are said to be dismissed ... without care! Bottom line??? Deposed ... a sinker ...
 
I am curious, though. Was your church already like that, ie. already a very "alive" congregation, so already better equipped to weather a storm? Or did people go above and beyond because of the crisis? Or a bit of both?

Bit of both. Strong leadership, in the form of the most energetic person I've ever met in ministry, plus a veritable stable of retired ministers, and a current board chair who was a family GP for many years, and so has that nice old family doctor decisive, but kind, persona. And the congregation has a very solid core of former, and current, farmers, with generations of history of the area. One of my favorite couples are the Drury's, he being grandson of Premier E.C. Drury.

But there's also been a bit of above and beyond, because we tend to be like that.
 
Bit of both. Strong leadership, in the form of the most energetic person I've ever met in ministry, plus a veritable stable of retired ministers, and a current board chair who was a family GP for many years, and so has that nice old family doctor decisive, but kind, persona. And the congregation has a very solid core of former, and current, farmers, with generations of history of the area. One of my favorite couples are the Drury's, he being grandson of Premier E.C. Drury.

But there's also been a bit of above and beyond, because we tend to be like that.

Out standing folk in the field of understanding as divided from emotionalism? Tis a rare and difficult case to encounter ...
 
One local GROWING Methodist church handled their services this way back in April: 2 services, one masked and the other no-mask. Eventually this created hard feelings among the 2 groups; so the services were again combined with great success (no mask!). With ongoing reports of miracles and other answers to prayer, that Methodist church's weekly prayer group has expanded with great enthusiasm and, of course, no masks or social distancing. It's interesting to see which churches have thrived during Covid and which have lost heavily. For example, the local Assembly of God church (Pentecostal )has apparently lost most of its members!
 
Ps. I generally consider your posts re miracles ...bullahit. why don't you start a thread outline the miracles you glitzy refer to and identify why it us a miracle
 
I know a family who claim that they witnessed a miracle. A woman was jumping on a trampoline and fell and lost consciousness.
Someone yelled "She's dead! Pray hard everyone. We need a miracle".
Someone phoned for an ambulance saying there had been a fatal accident.
By the time the ambulance arrived the woman was sitting up and starting to recover.
The ambulance staff checked her over and decided she was ok - and all the while the rest of the witnesses were dancing about praising Jesus for bringing her back to life.

Lots of miracles like that in the world eh.
 
I think I've recounted this here, but one miracle I do have second-hand experience is that of the passing of my father-in-law. He had dementia, early rapid-onset (his brother and cousin died almost identically, same time period, same progression). He was confined to a chair, not responsive, but did eat, and his beloved wife was there twice a day to be with him/feed him. Then he got pneumonia. Despite antibiotics, an immobile person doesn't recover well from that sort of illness. His wife was at his side day and night, called his kids to let them know. So, that day, A travels from Quebec to G's house in Ontario. She intended to spend the night there, and travel north together the next morning. She gets a premonition when she gets there that delay not possible, so they head up the highway together. In the meantime, F-I-L has "died". He ceased breathing, his wife, an old farm woman, had seen death, he was feeling cold, she hadn't called the nurses yet, because she wanted to be with him. Suddenly, there's a huge gasp, and he resumes breathing. Minutes later, his son and daughter arrive, say goodbye, and he dies within 15 minutes of their arrival. That is the only "miracle" I know of, although I know personally that the dying know/control more than we know.
 
That is a wonderful story Bette. It reminds of the stories I have heard of people waiting to die until after a birthday/Christmas/Easter.
 
Imagine a child of love (born without a clue) actually learning by observation! Is that a miracle or a sin given some religions are fixated on the fact that knowledge, intelligence and wisdom are evil ... thus that is dismissed and buried!

Sight unseen ... then that crazy flash ... the catcher in the rye ... naked as Jaeb O' Id ... that mysterious jab ... poke in the heart by the great huntress ... the word for that varies with many pseudonyms and homonyms ... for support of continuance ... dark pro prioress?

Something comes of nothing ... reactions too ... vary!
 
When my father died of dementia, his death was like that ....long period of what appeared to be not breathing, then a breath. I'm not sure of the miracle, but, i do have a sense that sometimes our body just knows when is right, or maybe there are just enough times to balance when someone dies before someone gets there with someone who holds on. Not miracle, just randomness of life.

If it truly is a miracle, why them, why then, why not for others

dont know.

we've probably had miracle threads before. not sure if want to resurrect one? I realize i drifted off again to challenge the concept
 
I believe we are planning for now, at least, on a hybrid church service. Both in church as regulations require, and streaming.
Some are looking into zoom entering into it and maybe being able to see the people and interact..
We shall see.

But also some are too fearful to come back. Some are weighing in as being in PJ's and not having to park, is quite fine.
Saves gas, the emissions, etc. Others cannot wait to see people in real life.

So there is a whole range of ideas and feelings. It will eventually play out as time goes on. But I think if we get back
to some degree people who always came will have a hard time staying away.

I know it has impacted my own health and stamina... not in a good way. But I live where my church is,
so not a problem for me and a few others here. It has impacted most who could not get outside as they would have.

We still have a zoom coffee break every Sunday night which helps relieve some of the isolating effects.

Blessings all....

SW7
 
We have stopped Zoom meetings. I will continue to be cautious though. I’ve had both doses of the vaccine but now I read about “breakthrough“ cases. They are usually mild, according to what I’ve read.

I think I’ll start with the Vespers service. It’s shorter and doesn’t get as many people.
 
Will your congregation offer any online options?
We were doing Zoom, but it was discontinued as the situation improved. The church is following the government recommendations.

However I’m getting more & more worried about the delta variant (it’s very contagious).

I cancelled plans to go out this weekend. I just got an email last night from an old friend (from high school, that would mean she’s 69 or 70 like me).

She’s reverting to lockdown mode. She lives in the Kootenay area of BC. Says that four cashiers at a local supermarket came down with delta.
 
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