BY CHRIS FORTUNE
Throughout the challenges of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rev. Jeremiah Holcomb is grateful his members have followed health guidelines that have allowed them to continue worship.
“Our people’s receptivity is what I have been thankful for the most at The Refuge Christian Church,” Holcomb said. “Our people have not balked at wearing masks and caring for their neighbor so that we can continue to do it in a safe way.”
As church leaders in Eudora reflect on the previous year, many of them have brought in the new year by focusing on unity and keeping as many members involved as possible through online services and smaller worship groups.
Holcomb said he tries to give themes for each new year and this year he focused on restoration and the importance of restoring community.
“This year, the pandemic broke so many things for us culturally and societally,” he said. “We are just focusing on restoration in general.”
One of the reasons behind Holcomb’s message of restoration is how divided he believes the country is right now.
“It has really been ugly to see how division has really run rampant in our culture at large,” he said. “Here we are, the United States of America, and it feels everything but united right now.”
Holcomb said his members have been responsive and given good feedback about the gatherings centered around restoration, which will continue for two more weeks.
Mike Kelso, moderator of the church council at the St. Paul United Church of Christ, said the church has been without a minister since Oct. 1, when the Rev. Shannah McAleer retired.
Kelso said unity was the main message sent over the two services that they have had since the new year.
“We have been utilizing members of our congregation that have volunteered their time to prepare a sermon or a message for that given Sunday,” Kelso said.
They recently started the process of searching for a new minister, which Kelso said can take six to 18 months. He said it was an eight- or nine-month process to hire McAleer.
“When you are doing that search, you need to figure out as a congregation who we are and where we want to be,” he said. “That helps guide your search for a new minister because you want to find the right person.”
Kelso believes the message of unity applies to his church and the nation as a whole.
“Certainly, at our church level, we need to come together as we start this search for a new minister,” he said. “No doubt locally and nationwide we need to come together.”
The Rev. Josh Monhollon of Eudora Baptist Church has worked on improving communication with his members throughout the pandemic. There are families he assigns to each deacon at the church to call and check on.
“One thing that we’re going to continue to do and improve on is our online presence,” he said. “That was a big need that we started to tackle over this past year and just contacting people more throughout the week.”
Over the past year, he has repeated to his members that anything can be gone in an instant and it is important to keep faith.
“We are living in dark and uncertain times with political and social unrest and a pandemic,” he said. “Whatever the day holds, we still have a God that is faithful to its people.”
The Rev. Shannon Watterson of Cornerstone Eudora is continuing to work to keep members involved and said he will modify any events that he needs to as the church moves forward.
“The main thing that we are focused on is creating opportunities for everyone that wants to worship,” he said. “We meet in person, we meet online, and then we have our small groups that meet together.”
Watterson wants to be prepared to conduct online services if that is the way things will look moving forward.
“If this is the new normal, I’m going to do my best to use every tool possible,” he said. “We have invested in the online side of things and remote Bible studies that can be held by Zoom.”
Watterson said he has told people to stay safe and if they don’t feel comfortable coming to the church, they have the option to worship online on the Cornerstone Eudora website.
“I just want to help people and you can’t help people if you don’t have contact with them,” he said. “You have to reach out to them however you can.”
Reach reporter Chris Fortune at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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