Embarking on a New Adventure

In Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, an admirable teenage girl, Miranda, has been stranded on an island for most of her life with her bitter father. She utters these iconic words when she discovers several new people for the first time.

“O wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, that has such people in’t!” (Act 5, Scene 1, 181-184)

In reality, the quote is probably meant to be ironic or display Miranda’s naïveté (many of the people she meets are not goodly at all!). Still, Shakespeare’s line is often used now when we embark on a new challenge or adventure in life. For us, COVID-19 is changing everything with many ungoodly things, but a world of possibility awaits. We go forth into this brave new world as the visible community of Jesus, showing the world what it means to be the world that God intended in creation.

But what does this look like, especially when we can gather in-person again? Going back to the building doesn’t have to mean going back to the past. It’s a brave new world, and there will be new discoveries and adventures. Things will be different.

We will make changes right away. We’ll need to try some new things to see what works (and what is safe). And we will likely continue to make changes until we get to a place of stability and we feel we’re making the best decisions for the congregation and our community. That will take some time.

While we know we won’t go back the same, we don’t know exactly what that means quite yet. Our staff and Leadership Board have only had some preliminary discussions, mostly asking questions and raising issues at this point. But let me offer some things to think about.

First, we will definitely continue digital worship as an intentional opportunity for worship. Of course, we will offer in-person worship, too, but digital worship will not be an afterthought or add-on (i.e. just a video of in-person worship). Online worship is different. It’s a different medium. We will likely invest money in updating hardware and software for our live-streaming capabilities. Also, we are now making DVDs for those unable to connect digitally. (Please let us know if you are unable to worship online and a DVD would work for you.)

Secondly, we know that as restaurants begin to open, they have some rules to follow, including limiting to 50% capacity to allow for more physical distance between people. Likewise, mitigating procedures will mean changing our in-person worship.

Because many want to feel safe and may be timid about returning to a larger group gathering initially, we may offer only one in-person worship gathering along with online worship. Or, we may need to offer multiple in-person opportunities to account for the need to spread out.

Thankfully, we have flexibility in moving chairs around in the sanctuary. We may need to pull chairs out to limit size to one hundred or fewer and have the chairs spread out somewhat haphazardly in different groupings for individuals, couples, and families. Not unlike a restaurant, it’s possible we may also need to take reservations for in-person worship so we can set up chairs adequately spaced for the number of people participating.

We may need to mark off six-foot intervals on the floor or create signage, communicating that our carpeting squares are 2 square feet, so keeping 3 squares between you and others equals six feet.

At least when we first gather in-person, it’s likely we won’t be able to shake hands or hug. We won’t be able to share food. We won’t pass an offering basket. 

We’ll need to figure out how (or if) to utilize greeters and ushers. We’ll have to decide whether we can sing during worship, as singing spreads particles in the air much farther than 6 feet. And how will we provide the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion in a safe manner? We will go back to the building but we won’t go back to the past.

Ultimately, we exist for the sake of God’s mission. Therefore, in the midst this new reality—a COVID-19 world—we will ask many questions: How do we love God, love people, and make disciples of Jesus? How do we reach out so others are aware of Salem and help them connect? How do we help persons make decisions to follow Jesus and commit to living that out in small groups, serving in the world, and sharing Jesus with others? It is indeed a brave new world.