By Rev. Heath Curtis
Now is the time for congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to demonstrate good stewardship of the gifts the Lord has given them.
The following is what we are doing at our parish in response to the COVID-19 situation. I hope it may offer you some ideas for what your congregation can be doing now to serve your members and your community.
On March 8, we put out a parish plan to mobilize the Body of Christ to serve one another according to each one’s vocation in home, church, and community.
The focus here is the folks — designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — who are at higher risk for COVID-19 complications (aged 60-plus, chronic health conditions, or compromised immune system).
We encouraged our members to think about how to serve one another by focusing on the doctrine of vocation.
- Start at home — Who are the members of your family who fall into these groups? You need to do their shopping for them as they should not be going out to get groceries and medications.
- In the church — We need to identify the people in our congregation who are in the higher risk categories who do not have family to shop for them. Church members who are in good health and under 60 were asked to volunteer to do shopping for these folks.
- In our community — Church members were instructed to check with their neighbors and see if any of them needed this kind of help. Our church volunteers will do their shopping for them as well. I also contacted the mayor of our town and let him know about this service.
It is vital at this time for the Church to serve with the love of Christ and to lead with confidence in our Heavenly Father’s gracious care.
This is our idea of how to do this. What are you doing in your church? Share in the comments!
Rev. Heath Curtis
Coordinator for LCMS Stewardship Ministry