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We are in isolation, but we aren’t alone.
As Coronavirus impacts the lives of every single person in the world, the opportunities for you to share good news and compassion are countless. You have the power to help someone through this. To show that hope is possible, that we can make it out.
To help you do this, here are ways that you can help reach out to people in self-isolation and affected by COVID-19.
Write to an Older Neighbour or Relative
Letter writing is considered a lost art, but now we have the time to find it again. We can use it to bless and encourage those who need words of support the most.
Letter writing is also a heartfelt way for you to communicate with some of the older relatives and neighbours in your area. With a letter, you can take your time. Go slow, find the right words of encouragement, and offer an escape from the pervasive bad news on the tv and online.
To help you get started, here are some resources we've picked to help you put pen to paper.
Share Hope Through Social Media
Right now the social media feeds of everybody will be chock-full of bad news. Or fake news. Or just too much news.
This presents Christians with the perfect opportunity for sharing the Good News with people in a way that really stands out. A message that offers hope.
You can learn more about faith and using social media in our look at virtual church.
Mission Over the Picket Fence (or, Get to Know Your Neighbours)
Not everyone around you will be online. If you are looking to reach people in a more direct way, then simply look across the street. You are surrounded by people who need good news as much as you.
(Apologies if you live in somewhat more remote or isolated areas than most. This may not apply to you as much.)
The New Parish offers a way to grow a Christian community by turning to neighbourhoods as a means of reaching people. Rather than over the ocean, mission work can simply be over the hedge - albeit, with a 2m gap.
The Place of the Parish also explores local areas as a means of creating a community through the New Parish Movement. Right now, there has been a surge of ways you can minister in your community.
Donate to a Food Bank
Generosity is in the DNA of Christianity. It is how compassion expresses itself in a material way. In the scramble to support hard-up families and struggling individuals through self-isolation, donating to a food bank is an easy way to demonstrate Christ-like compassion in its most effective form.
Organise a "reach out" movement through your Church with cards so people can ask for what they need
Start Your Own "Little Library" From Home
If you haven’t heard of them before, a “little library” was started as an initiative to get people reading more books in rural areas. It worked by having members of a community create small outdoor waterproof bookcases that anyone in the area could borrow from. They look like birdhouses filled with books.
As well as a fun craft idea for all the family, making your own little free library is a great way to share a range of Christian and secular books.
As a bonus, Little Libraries are a handy way to distribute essentials to people in your area too. Just ensure that you take precautions when making your own little library. Check all the materials and books are clean and the box is regularly disinfected.
Here’s a guide to running your own little library.
Share your Story
Stories keep us from feeling alone. In sharing your story and hearing somebody else’s a bond is forged. You are able to experience the life of somebody else.
Right now, sharing stories is crucially important. Helping form a collective story through self-isolation and using storytelling as an opportunity to show how God changed your life, learning to share your story can be a beacon of hope for people who may need it more.
Our Precious Lives by Steve Morris shows all the amazing ways stories can, and have, changed the lives of people in powerful ways.
Return to the list of practices for Christians during Coronavirus: https://www.eden.co.uk/blog/7-practices-for-christians-during-coronavirus-p1784105
