"Church is Scattered"

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – On a normal Sunday morning the Otter Creek Church is teeming with life: The gathering room is filled with families and friends making themselves late for service while chatting over steaming cups of coffee. The Sunday school check-in station is bustling with young parents putting matching stickers on their screaming toddler and his or her little monogrammed diaper bag. The sanctuary is populated by those of all ages from the youth group pews all the way back to the Amen corner. But since March 7, none of the approximately 1,800 registered members have attended a Sunday service at the Brentwood, Tennessee church just south of Nashville. Otter Creek closed its doors to protect its elderly and vulnerable members amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Decisions like these have been difficult for congregations around the world who rely on Sunday morning worship to foster community and communion.

“The church is inherently relational. People to people. Eyeball to eyeball. Face to face. Religion generally and Christianity specifically is deeply rooted in human connection. … It's a physical faith. So having to switch to ZOOM, FaceTime, etc is a serious challenge,”The Rev. Josh Graves said in an email. To maintain a sense of normalcy, the ministry staff and the elders decided to provide a livestream of both Sunday services, and they have tried their best to make the morning feel as normal as possible for everything down to the regular communion time, elder benediction and even the slides above the stage and the lights.

But the transition was not easy. The rapid spread of the virus left staff having to reroute and rewrite the entire service: everything from the sermon down to the songs. “In normal times I map out a sermon/teaching series based on a) a theme (suffering, hope, relationships, heaven etc) or a specific book in Scripture. Because of COVID-19 I adjusted the sermons ‘on the fly’... Now I am back to my ‘normal’ way of planning/doing sermons but contextualizing in light of COVID-19,” Graves said in an email. The worship team now sings with full sound equipment to an almost-empty sanctuary, their songs centered on words of hope and encouragement chosen specifically for this season.

Associate worship minister Savannah Smith says that the song “It is Well” has become an anthem for the team. It proclaims “Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well, with my soul.” Graves attempts to match this message of hope from the pulpit. The first virtual week, he invited members of the congregation with a medical background to dispel rumors and to quell panic, and the second week, he interviewed various ministers about what they’re doing to support the congregation. “We are a community that keeps doing ministry during tough times. That is, we keep serving, loving, growing,” Graves said in an email. Graves also said that director of student ministries, David Rubio, has been ahead of the curve in finding unique solutions to the unusual circumstances. Rubio, a man known for his selfies and spirit of encouragement said that he has had to get creative with reaching out to students when he usually relies on small group meetings and face-to-face interactions. He and his team utilize social media and zoom to share daily Bible verses, organize Netflix watch parties and even livestream staff member Merritt Rowe reading The Chronicles of Narnia in a bedtime-story fashion.

Despite his positive attitude, Rubio is worried about how long the virus will last and how it will affect summer missions and church camp, both staples in the program that are prayed-over and planned for most of the year. Even in this period of uncertainty, the Otter Creek staff declares that, “Church is not canceled. Church is scattered.” In this time, Graves said that Otter Creek is continuing to provide counseling and support. The congregation’s website now has a link to a Google form where those who need it can request financial or emotional support. Others who are in a better place are also entitled to fill out a form to explain how they can help with services like grocery pickup, child care, temporary housing or prayer.

The church is also trying to celebrate growth and light despite the dire circumstances. The third week into virtual services, Graves and elder Phil Gibbs announced that Otter Creek had signed on to partner with another Nashville congregation, West End Church of Christ, to expand their reach in Music City. West End Church of Christ, a small congregation with a large building, offers more square footage that can be dedicated to homeless ministry, college outreach, and an expansion of the Otter Creek kindergarten program. Graves and Gibbs invited members to dream about how members can hit the ground running in serving their community once it is safe to reenter the community.

Note: I am a member of this congregation, but given the COVID-19 restrictions, working with my home church was the most effective way to get full access.