Resources
Right now, we don’t need churches to create a bunch of new programs. What we need is for the people who attend those churches to simply be good neighbors and to do it in a careful and thoughtful manner.
Karen Gieseker, Infections Disease Epidemiologist
Learn how to be a good neighbor
There’s a great series on RightNow Media based on a book called The Art of Neighboring, by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon. The series brings attention to a conversation in Matthew 22:36-40 between Jesus and a teacher of the law who wanted to test him. The teacher asked Jesus what is the greatest commandment. Jesus replied, 1) love God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and 2) love your neighbor as yourself.
What if Jesus meant what He said?
What if Jesus actually meant that we are supposed to love our literal neighbors? We’re in the middle of a pandemic. How can we do this while following mitigation guidelines for COVID-19?
Social Distancing, Not Social Isolation
We realize that there’s a difference between social distancing and social isolation. One helps to keep us safe, the other, over an extended period will negatively impact our mental and physical health. Likely, you’ve seen that there are fewer people driving around town. Probably, your face to face interaction with coworkers and friends has dropped significantly. But I bet you have also noticed that there are more people out walking in the neighborhood—people you don’t ordinarily see.
What A Great Opportunity
It’s could be a blessing! You may have more opportunities to build relationships and connections with the people who live around you than ever before. The key is learning how to do this from six feet away! Watch this series and find out how.