Sharing Faith – COVID19 style by Eileen Padmore

Ironic, isn't it?  Placed into lockdown on 23 March with still no end in sight to social distancing – and the local ACW group invites us to write about new avenues for sharing faith.  A few years ago someone suggested that Maslow's well-tried hierarchy of needs should have WiFi as the foundation layer. This did the rounds of social media as a joke, but maybe there's a point.

First my trip to Cyprus was cancelled – which meant I could, after all, be confirmed into the Catholic Church at Easter along with the rest of the Journey in Faith group. Then that was off too.  Do churches ever close I asked myself?  Did they even close for the 14th century Black Death pandemic?  Should they close?  I'm not sure.

But they did and there have been positives.

The first has been the weekly Bible study by zoom (including priest and laity, age range 15-75) set up and led by a lad in his mid teens.

The second is the WhatsApp group in lieu of weekly meetings. This has helped us to:

• function on a more level playing field
• be more interactive
• share prayer needs 24/7
• share stories
• get to know each other as real people from assorted backgrounds
• swap humour, music, pictures – alongside links to homilies masses and Bible passages.

So why did this not happen through the regular Journey in Faith group?  I suppose because we were meeting on church property with the intention of preparing ourselves to be admitted to the church.  Although there was huge tolerance, listening and understanding – it would have seemed a bit off-beam to share a photo of our pet dog, or a funny clip from Facebook, or a 'rolling on the floor with laughter' emoji sandwiched between Mass from Walsingham, our favourite Bible verse or a most precious insight that came in the middle of the night.

WhatsApp-ing allows anything from anyone at any time of day or night. When Mum died unexpectedly there was immediate sympathy and prayer from all quarters.

Then there was the 'domestic' when my husband spilled a bottle of water over my computer desk (don't ask) risking laptop, phone, keyboard and mini-link. I rushed to the airing cupboard for towels to discover everything sodden from a major boiler leak.  Again, lots of concern.  Even an offer of practical help from a formerly unrecognised engineer in the group.  What a saint!  He was willing to visit with toolbox immediately!  Fortunately we went through official channels and spared him the risk.

What will happen when we get back to church to do christianity properly?  The focus will be back on God through the simplicity and beauty of the sacraments, of course.  But dare I suggest that outside these, we might recognise Jesus more easily in each other as we go about the ordinary business of our everyday lives? 

 Eileen Padmore has retired from a life spent in health care and academia, having worked in Sierra Leone, Zambia, Eire and Northern Ireland (in the troubles) as well as inner city Birmingham and Leeds.  She has had articles published in Woman Alive, Christian Writer and contributed to the popular ACW Lent Book. Married to a professional musician, the family includes a feisty springer spaniel and a large African tortoise. 

Her new website / blog: BenedictUnravelled.uk can be viewed here