Top 10 Things I've learned from 2020
10. Pastoring a church and leading during a pandemic can be a hard thing. Thinking through a lot of venues, and the challenges ahead.
9. Streaming online is an ongoing learning curve. From which platform, to trying to keep things somewhat "normal" to having great volunteers to running the camera, computer and having the right equipment. It was the school of hard knocks.
8. Remote learning - Kids weren't meant to learn remotely. PERIOD. There is something about being in-person and face to face. Even in a church setting as well. Yes, we want to keep people safe. And it is a struggle for teachers, parents, and students. How does one control 25 elementary school students at the same time? (what ever happened to limiting screen time?) The balancing of in-person and those students learning remotely and sometimes the teachers (no intention or fault of their own) forget the students online while teaching in person and remotely at the same time. It definitely was and continues to be a struggle.
7. Senior Years are a Community Celebration. Nothing like 2020 with loss of proms, trips, those "lasts" of High Schools. And the Big Graduation Day. These had to be re-thought and the community rallied from teachers going to carpool to one person graduations to virtual celebrations and then the community celebrating 2020. My oldest graduated this year and though it was different, and there was some loss, it was special and helped make the best of difficult situation.
6. People like to fight. Mask - no mask. Politics. Conspiracy theories. Candidates. Racial tensions. etc.
5. There are real Heroes out there. Frontline workers, (Health, officers, fire ), our Grocery workers, custodians etc. To some of the most essential and even essential from day school and preschool to all sort of teachers; and let us not forget our Spiritual leaders as essential as well.
4. We don't like change, but it comes. Locally there was fighting over changing the name of our local schools. Our community was divided. A part of this was the perception of "Racism" (intended or not) and hopefully our community moves forward.
3. Life isn't Fair. It isn't. Dealing with loss, and grief. I lost a friend earlier in the year and several church members including one who called me "His middle son" and because of Covid I couldn't officiate his service. Life might not be fair, but knowing God is there and in control helps.
2. Mental Health issues are real. The issue of mental health has been one usually swept away. Depression, isolation, loneliness, and the need for professional counselling is so needed in our world. I don't hear this enough from others from the pulpit; let alone Government leaders etc. With hearing a lot of commercials on how to prevent suicide, another "celebrity" pastor gone too soon due to suicide etc. These issues are real, and there are real people hurting out there. We need (as Christians) to refer people to professionals and point them to Jesus. Neither is easy. The first step is for some struggling is to admit they need help and on our end - offering or point them where to get it.
1. Covid stinks, I mean it. I really don't like wearing a mask, but do so to protect others. I didn't like it when most of my family (myself included) got covid and lost most of our month of November. (I don't remember much other than sleeping and trying to get well, and it getting to the point where everyone was self-isolating (not just quarantining) and depending on our 15 year old to look after us and feed us all (Family of 5). Trying to learn all the regulations, watching the newest mandates and what they meant, trying to do the best we can with the resources we had.
Other Honorable mentions:
Family is really important in times when it gets tough.
Binge watching shows and seeing new ones can be a good thing. (except for maybe Tiger King) - Cobra Kai fan here.
One size does not Fit all, especially in ministry. I saw churches do remote, drive through, etc. And some churches that are still closed and might not come back. Each did what they thought best in the
circumstances.
The World does not view the Church as essential - but it is. When the shut-downs and lock- downs began - the hardest hit and most controversial was how churches were to react and act. The world needs Jesus - Now more than ever. Our Hope is not in the government, but in Christ.
People will criticize you - no matter what. No matter what we did as a church - there were always some who thought we could of done it differently.
So what lessons did you learn from 2020? Any of the above? Others to add?
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