Campus Hill church youth enjoy an outdoor hike together.
Reaching Beyond: Ministry Opportunities During a Global Pandemic
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“These young people let me in more during our time in quarantine than they ever did before we went online.”
40 Pacific Union Recorder
utting aside the horror of a contagious disease,” said Christopher Stanley, youth pastor at Loma Linda University church, “the pandemic had some uniquely positive features.” While it may seem a bit “Pollyanna-ish” to find a silver lining in the global pandemic, as a youth pastor, Stanley saw real benefits to life moving online. “In modern society, kids have very little time to reflect and process their own internal voices,” Stanley explained. “Technology has become ever more pervasive, and their schedules both in and out of school are packed, leaving no time for them to be awed and reflective.” During the pandemic, however, this changed. Thirty youth regularly logged on to Stanley’s virtual Sabbath School on Instagram—and stayed fully engaged the entire time. In the live feed comments section, they shared things and became vulnerable in ways Stanley says they would never have done in person. “These young people let me in more during our time in quarantine than they ever did before we went online,” he said. Stanley built an interactive program from the very beginning. Each week, they chose a different Bible story and examined it in detail, using their imaginations to fill in the gaps. For example, when they read about Jesus celebrating at Simon’s house following the resurrection of Lazarus, the group concocted a party theme and menu for the celebration.
Southeastern California Conference
