Smaller groups keep community alive at Ontario church
Going smaller helped connections during pandemic
MAPLE SYRUP and pancakes combined with intentional community care have kept congregants at Woodside Bible Fellowship in Elmira, Ont., connected during the pandemic.
Between 700 and 800 people attended services each week before Covid-19, and almost 1,300 considered it their home church. Last spring, when the pandemic hit, the church’s leaders divided all regular attendees into 10 groups of about 125 people called Life Communities. This helps people stay connected to each other and also makes it easier for people to meet each other’s needs, says Jeremy Malloy, executive pastor of the non-denominational church (www.WoodsideChurch.ca).
When churches opened for in-person meetings, Woodside had five in-person services each Sunday. Life Communities were assigned times. A service was also offered online.
But the pastors still wanted to connect the whole congregation. Instead of hosting its annual community pancake dinner on Shrove Tuesday, the Life Community leaders delivered pancake mix and local maple syrup to each household in the church. The church also provided online trivia games for families to play together. Some households shared their pancake mix and syrup with neighbours.
The church did something similar during Christmas when each household was given a battery-operated candle with “hope” written on it. They all unwrapped them together during the livestreamed Christmas Eve service.
The focus has been “trying to build up the church community,” explains Malloy. “Our next challenge will be doing that in a broader sense with the whole community.”
The Life Communities, which were based around the church’s existing small groups, are a “dynamic structure” that continues even during lockdowns, says Malloy.
“The key is to be adaptable and be prepared for whatever’s coming our way,” he says, noting not everyone likes the change. “I don’t think God wants us to sit still. He wants us to continue His Church to be on mission. That’s what we’re trying to do.”