Bayles is a small rural church made up of children (and boasting a thriving Adventurers Club), young parents (most of whom are teachers), and our much loved mature generation. Since COVID hit, we have had the challenging task of trying to connect all of these people together in front of a screen that they had spent all week looking at. So for a few weeks during the first wave we kept in contact by phone calls, but not through screen time.
But after a few weeks of no face time, and as the pandemic was getting worse, we decided to run a children-focused zoom session every Sabbath morning to give the kids some spiritual sustenance. Even though most of the families were very tired by the end of the week, they found the value of connecting and growing with each other as we played games, shared stories, and prayed together.
Since then and with the evolution of the second wave, we have now added an Adult session to our Sabbath morning, plus a once-a-month combined Youth Regional session with surrounding churches.
I would be lying if I said we weren’t looking forward to meeting at church physically, but these last months have still been a blessing for our church family, and have allowed us to grow in ways we never thought possible.
Dan Brunt, pastor.