Long Covid has entered the English language. Basically, “Long COVID or long-haul COVID is a condition characterized by long-term health problems persisting or appearing after the typical recovery period of COVID-19.” Of interest to me, the term did not originate in a medical journal but as a hashtag on Twitter. The term has no single, strict definition nor do hard and fast measures exist to determine if an infirmed person is experiencing symptoms specific to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
As a pastor, I find myself regularly evaluating Long COVID in the church. I don’t mean the physical symptoms some of our members face. I mean factors now part of our church members’ lives that did not exist before March 2020.
Stress on the Employed
We have all seen the signs asking for our cooperation because a business is short staffed. Fewer automobile mechanics mean longer wait times for needed car repairs. The same goes for getting into the dentist office or finding someone to do home maintenance. For whatever reasons, there are not as many people doing jobs as there were before COVID-19. That puts stress on the still employed.
Multiple women and men in our church work far more than they need to work or desire to work because there are not enough employees to do the job. Recently, one of our church members told me there used to be 9 people on the work team. That number is now 3. The remaining 3 must do the work of the previous 9. Last Sunday, one church member was driving to our building to gather for worship when the call came to come to work, a call that could not be refused. Similar scenarios play out every week in our church and, probably, in most churches.
The call here is to pay attention to those not in attendance at our weekly gatherings or in a small group. There is a reason for their absence, and the reason may be they still have a job. When you miss someone’s presence, do the work of a disciple and contact the person. Pray with them. Inform them of announcements missed. Share with them burdens you heard others express and pass on to them the Scriptures read and studied.
Comfortable with Isolation
Remember the early days of the pandemic? Next to our church property is highway 494, a bustling thoroughfare even on snowy days like today. But in March 2020, 494 was an endless stretch of cold blacktop. We hunkered down, watched too much television, completed puzzles, and become more comfortable with isolation.
Last week the Washington Post published an opinion piece full of facts and figures detailing the decline in time spent with people and the rise in time spent alone. This grabbed my attention:
The average American spent 15 hours per week with this broader group of friends a decade ago, 12 hours per week in 2019 and only 10 hours a week in 2021.
On average, Americans did not transfer that lost time to spouses, partners or children. Instead, they chose to be alone.
I cannot speak for all pastors and churches, but I can speak for ours when I say it appears our church is not exempt from this trend. Isolation by choice is not healthy for the individual Christian nor for the whole church. God did not create us to live in isolation (Genesis 1-2), and our Lord is not leading his church to live in isolation (Ephesians 4). The call here is to consider to what extent, if any, you have become comfortable in isolation, and to counter the trend by exercising your gifts toward others in the church, by receiving from the gifts of others in the church, and by choosing to spend time with other Christians in our gatherings, our small groups, our events, and your informal get-togethers. We cannot do the work of a disciple in habitual isolation when we have the capacity to engage.
Like those continuing to experience physical symptoms from Long COVID, I suspect the church too will experience symptoms. May we rest in God’s grace to address both the physical and spiritual impact.
As always, I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.