The last two years have been different for all of us. At some points we weren’t in-person at all for church, then we’d go back to in-person, then online, sometimes we could have 150 people—it’s been a whirlwind to say the least. Now that we’re back to full in-person services, some things haven’t quite gone back to how it used to be. Some of these changes make us feel like we’ve lost that sense of community.
Here’s how a typical Sunday morning might go:
You wake up on Sunday and wonder, “do I even want to go to church? I could just watch online.”
If you are going to go in-person, you’re going to need lots of coffee.
Then you decide that, yes, you’re going to be intentional about going to church. So, you start driving.
You start walking into the building when the weather wrecks your hair
Finally, you get inside and fix everything that the wind/snow damaged.
The moment of truth: do you shake hands with the greeter?
“Do I try one of these handshakes?”
“Maybe I should just shake their hand? Or smile and wave? I just saw someone else walk right past them.”
And then you see someone you recognize but you’re not sure how to greet them. You honestly aren’t sure when the last time you hugged a non-family member was.
Eventually, the social anxiety goes away as you enter the sanctuary.
You have a scratch in your throat and try to cough just a little
“I just have a scratch in my throat, I swear!” you scream internally. The whole service, you pray that you don’t need to sneeze and see someone do this:
The pastor says “Amen” and it’s a stampede to the parking lot
“If I leave now, I might beat the rush, but I also want to go talk to ____.”
Someone asks your political opinion and you wish you could become invisible
“Avoid conflict whenever possible” has become your motto.
You’re invited out to lunch but you don’t know where to go anymore
“What’s still open? Do we need a reservation? Do I want to eat lunch with that many people?”
You finally get home (exhausted) and lay down for a “quick” nap
And it starts all over again in a week.
We’ve all felt all or most of these things in the last few months, but is this really how it's supposed to be?
Community feels so different now. We need to be intentional about getting involved and finding connection with others who might be outside of our “bubble.” If you’re seeking community, Elim is a place where you can find it.
We’re choosing to be intentional in connecting with our community. Sign up here to join a serve team at Elim.