Reflections from throughout Adventist HealthCare on providing care during COIVD-19
Stephanie Grant, Managing Chaplain Shady Grove Medical Center
Stephanie Grant’s team has faced new challenges and increased demands to provide spiritual care to patients, families and hospital staff during the pandemic.
Story by LaTasha Hewitt
MSNBC recently featured the Berean church in Newark, N.J., for their efforts in providing meals to needy families during the COVID-19 crisis.
Prior to the outbreak, the Berean church operated their food pantry twice a month on Sundays, faithfully feeding 100 to 200 families. Due to the pandemic, however, the demand for food increased. Many people, including church members, were furloughed or lost their jobs completely.
When food suppliers asked if they would be will- ing to receive more food for distribution, community service leader Felice Williams and Pastor Henry Davis got on board.
Historia de Eduardo Monteiro
A medida que evolucionó la pandemia de COVID-19, se cerraron las puertas de muchos negocios, desde gimnasios, tiendas de mercaderia y restaurantes hasta escuelas y lugares de culto. Sin embargo, esta crisis ha abierto ampliamente lo que considero “puertas de oportunidad”.
Editorial by Eduardo Monteiro
As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved, the doors of many businesses closed, from gyms, retail stores and restaurants to schools and houses of worship. This crisis, however, has widely opened what I consider to be “doors of opportunity.”
Story by Jose Albino
I was born and raised in New Jersey as a Seventh-day Adventist, and attended church every Sabbath. My family was involved in every church activity and religion was embedded into our lives through the Bible, home worship, church worship and prayer.
At the age of 18, my family moved to Puerto Rico, but I remained in New Jersey to attend college. Quickly church and worship took a backseat in my life. This period lasted for more than 20 years.
A few months prior to the coronavirus pandemic, I felt the Holy Spirit talking to me in subtle ways. I felt ashamed by the life I had chosen and how I’d completely put God aside. I began to pray and ask Him for help.
Story by Andre Hastick
“It seems as if one morning, we all woke up, and everything was different,” says David Klinedinst, Evangelism and Church Growth director for the Chesapeake Conference. “While we were unable to hold in-person seminar meetings here in the Chesapeake Conference region under coronavirus-related mandated restrictions, we still felt a commitment to advancing our evangelistic mission.”
Story by Andre Hastick / Originally published in Chesapeake Currents
On the morning of August 4, Tropical Storm Isaias spawned an EF-1 tornado with winds exceeding 100 mph, touching down in the Dover, Del. area, according to the National Weather Service.
The tropical storm and tornado impacted the Dover First Christian School (Del.), causing damage to the property. High winds knocked down trees, fencing, as well as an exterior brick wall, exposing underlying structures. However, in the wake of the storm, the Dover church and school community rallied together.
Story by Janesta Walker / Originally published in Chesapeake Currents
Discussing what is happening with America’s schools has been the hot topic across the nation all summer. People have been waiting for the Coronavirus Task Force, local governors, and regional Boards of Education to make decisions and give guidance regarding the safe reopening of our nation’s schools. On an almost weekly and sometimes daily basis, guidance has changed based on new statistics and resurgence of the coronavirus in different regions. All the while, educators have been chasing a moving target.
Story by Cecily Bryant
As many parts of the country sheltered in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, the term “new normal” took root in everyday life. Children were home-schooled, health care was done virtually and work meetings were facilitated through Zoom and other electronic resources. So much changed so quickly. Only months ago, church members from Allegheny West Conference's Southeast church in Cleveland, Ohio, enjoyed the simple pleasure of opening doors and walking freely into a church so many consider home.
Story by Elizabeth Anderson
One of the ways Liliana, a mother who was abused at church when she was young, bolsters her children so they don’t become prey “is to give them agency, confidence…that they are in charge of their bodies.” She has explained to her three daughters that they don’t have to hug anyone at church if they don’t want. “When they are toddlers and little children, hugging brother so-and-so is not an issue, right? But once they become 12 and 14, those hugs can become very uncomfortable…maybe not because brother so-and-so is a predator but because I am 14 and I don’t want to smash my breasts against this old man,” Liliana says.