February 7, 2021
We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
Romans 8:28 (NiRV)
Dear Westside:
If someone would have told us in January of 2020 that we would soon be entering into a time of worldwide pandemic, lockdowns, social distancing and mask wearing, job insecurity, online schooling, online church services, racial tensions, and furthering political divides, we wouldn’t have believed them. But this is exactly what happened and in many ways where we still find ourselves. For most, this has been a challenging season to say the least. Westsiders have experienced their share of stress from temporary loss of jobs and the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19.
Stressful times bring out the best and the worst in people. And we have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in others and in ourselves. At times, we have been encouraged. At other times, we have been discouraged. We have had time to think about what matters most and become healthier. We have had time to think and think and think and become lonely and paranoid. We have seen our unity. We have seen our disunity. We have been stirred with desire to change, and we have felt threatened by calls to change.
Yet, God has been at work. God has been at work in and through the people of Westside Chapel. Sometimes his work has been easy to see. Other times his work has been harder to see and understand. Yet, I am convinced God is continuing a work he began. What follows are both my reflections upon God’s work in 2020 and my anticipation of his work in 2021.
Westside is one of the most generous congregations I have been a part of. In March, we had our first stay at home order. Many Westsiders were laid off from their jobs or dealing with decreased work hours and decreased income. Westsiders immediately responded with generosity toward one another. The Benevolence Fund is set up to help Westsiders when they have financial needs and is managed by the Deacons. Since March, the Benevolence Fund went from several hundred dollars to almost $10,000. Much of this money has been dispersed to Westsiders in their moment of need. This is just one example of your generosity. Through your generous giving, God has been at work.
Westsides have also sought out ways to care for one another in other practical ways. Some have made and delivered hot meals to those who were battling illness or other obstacles. Heather and the Deaconesses have hand written encouragement to Westside women. The Deacons have helped other Westsiders with immediate needs and used their weekends to repair the church building. I know there are lots of other acts of kindness that I am unaware of. In these acts of kindness, God has been at work.
I have also seen resolve and endurance among Westsiders. We have met on Zoom calls. We have had services online, outdoors, and with limited numbers indoors. We have had to navigate setup and tear down of computers and sound equipment, hot weather, cold weather, technical difficulties, sound problems and internet speed issues among other difficulties. The Church Council has embraced connecting and caring for the logistics of the church via monthly Zoom meetings. For the first several months of the pandemic, the Elders met weekly on Zoom to pray for our congregation during some of the toughest times. Jenny, Lynne, Heather and Esther helped to organize monthly outdoor children’s get togethers. Glen, Josh, and Keaton regularly helped with setup and tear down when we were conducting outdoor services. Tim, Josh, Alison, Keaton and Francie regularly helped with our worship ministry. Tim took a significant role of pastoring us through his worship leadership giftings. Brian spent many hours on the phone with me helping to resolve whatever our most recent technical difficulty was. Mary Ann and Davis have helped with decorating, maintaining our building and are always ready to help wherever there is a need. Paul outfitted our sanctuary with an air filtration system to help keep us safe during COVID-19. The Health Team met with me and helped me to make decisions about safety. Gabe and Josh helped cut and sand hundreds of pieces of wood for our manger project. Davis and Daphne volunteered weekly to help with the church finances. Geri has continued to serve faithfully as our secretary and accountant. Jenny has been my constant companion, sounding board, and an amazing servant leader during this process--I couldn’t do what I do without her by my side. I know there are others I haven’t mentioned. It has been a challenging season; but in your resolve and endurance, God has been at work.
2020 also forced us to deal with many areas of the heart. We have been challenged by differing views on COVID-19, politics, and racism. We have been challenged with differing interpretations of current events and how we are called to respond. Guest speaker Reggie Screen shared on how the gospel speaks to our prejudices. In his first message, he stated that “Whenever there is a crisis the Holy Spirit wants to turn that into an opportunity.” His second message spoke of how the gospel awakens us to our role of reconciliation. Doreen shared about her experiences as an immigrant from Africa in light of current racial tensions in America. God has given us an encouragement to use this season to deal with our personal prejudices and biases. We are still in process. Yet, I believe that as we let God do the hard work of examining our hearts--as we humbly enter into conversations with people who are different from us with a desire to see them like God see them--we will grow in our love for each other and for the people of Greensboro and the Triad. God is stretching us in many areas. God has been and is at work.
So, I have been encouraged. But I also see areas that we need to grow in.
Leadership: My prayer has been that God would raise up more leaders at Westside who understand the times and know what to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). This is a prayer for myself, for our current leaders, and for those who will step into leadership. I believe Westside has an important part to play in bringing Jesus’ love to the Greensboro area. Additionally, we need leaders who are committed to learning what it looks like to lead in a multiethnic, multicultural context. One of my goals for 2021 is to grow in developing leaders. I especially want to grow in my ability to lead in a multicultural context. But I need others who will join me in this process. It won’t be easy, but God will help us.
Connecting: There is a good chance that much of 2021 will look like 2020 with social distancing, mask wearing, online services, and limited numbers in our inperson services. More than ever, just connecting on Sunday morning is not enough. We need to continue to take COVID precautions, but we need to make building meaningful relationships with one another a priority. For some that will mean meeting through a platform like Zoom. For others it will mean staying socially distanced and wearing masks indoors or outdoors. But we need each other more than ever. I believe in the purpose of the local church. I believe God has put this beautiful group of people from different cultures, with different ethnicities, and from different socioeconomic backgrounds together for such a time as this. We need to find ways to connect, to use our gifts, to encourage one another. It won’t be easy, but God will help us.
Mission: This is a season that can easily make us inward focused. I want to encourage you to be looking for opportunities to connect God’s love to your friends, neighbors, work colleagues, extended families, classmates, and fellow students. But I also want us to be praying about our church's role in the community. What are ways that we can bless our community right now? How do we as a church bring the love of Jesus to the diverse community we have been placed in? We also have time to pray and plan for what our outreach will look like on the other side of this season. Will FEED look different? What about VBS? How do we live out our mission right now and in the future?
I am grateful for all of you. I expect that Westside will look a little different when we get to the other side of this season. I leave that to God. For those who have persevered, we will have a shared experience to look back on someday. It will draw us together. It will increase our appreciation for what it means to be a church family.
God is at work,
Pastor Kipp
If someone would have told us in January of 2020 that we would soon be entering into a time of worldwide pandemic, lockdowns, social distancing and mask wearing, job insecurity, online schooling, online church services, racial tensions, and furthering political divides, we wouldn’t have believed them. But this is exactly what happened and in many ways where we still find ourselves. For most, this has been a challenging season to say the least. Westsiders have experienced their share of stress from temporary loss of jobs and the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19.
Stressful times bring out the best and the worst in people. And we have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in others and in ourselves. At times, we have been encouraged. At other times, we have been discouraged. We have had time to think about what matters most and become healthier. We have had time to think and think and think and become lonely and paranoid. We have seen our unity. We have seen our disunity. We have been stirred with desire to change, and we have felt threatened by calls to change.
Yet, God has been at work. God has been at work in and through the people of Westside Chapel. Sometimes his work has been easy to see. Other times his work has been harder to see and understand. Yet, I am convinced God is continuing a work he began. What follows are both my reflections upon God’s work in 2020 and my anticipation of his work in 2021.
Westside is one of the most generous congregations I have been a part of. In March, we had our first stay at home order. Many Westsiders were laid off from their jobs or dealing with decreased work hours and decreased income. Westsiders immediately responded with generosity toward one another. The Benevolence Fund is set up to help Westsiders when they have financial needs and is managed by the Deacons. Since March, the Benevolence Fund went from several hundred dollars to almost $10,000. Much of this money has been dispersed to Westsiders in their moment of need. This is just one example of your generosity. Through your generous giving, God has been at work.
Westsides have also sought out ways to care for one another in other practical ways. Some have made and delivered hot meals to those who were battling illness or other obstacles. Heather and the Deaconesses have hand written encouragement to Westside women. The Deacons have helped other Westsiders with immediate needs and used their weekends to repair the church building. I know there are lots of other acts of kindness that I am unaware of. In these acts of kindness, God has been at work.
I have also seen resolve and endurance among Westsiders. We have met on Zoom calls. We have had services online, outdoors, and with limited numbers indoors. We have had to navigate setup and tear down of computers and sound equipment, hot weather, cold weather, technical difficulties, sound problems and internet speed issues among other difficulties. The Church Council has embraced connecting and caring for the logistics of the church via monthly Zoom meetings. For the first several months of the pandemic, the Elders met weekly on Zoom to pray for our congregation during some of the toughest times. Jenny, Lynne, Heather and Esther helped to organize monthly outdoor children’s get togethers. Glen, Josh, and Keaton regularly helped with setup and tear down when we were conducting outdoor services. Tim, Josh, Alison, Keaton and Francie regularly helped with our worship ministry. Tim took a significant role of pastoring us through his worship leadership giftings. Brian spent many hours on the phone with me helping to resolve whatever our most recent technical difficulty was. Mary Ann and Davis have helped with decorating, maintaining our building and are always ready to help wherever there is a need. Paul outfitted our sanctuary with an air filtration system to help keep us safe during COVID-19. The Health Team met with me and helped me to make decisions about safety. Gabe and Josh helped cut and sand hundreds of pieces of wood for our manger project. Davis and Daphne volunteered weekly to help with the church finances. Geri has continued to serve faithfully as our secretary and accountant. Jenny has been my constant companion, sounding board, and an amazing servant leader during this process--I couldn’t do what I do without her by my side. I know there are others I haven’t mentioned. It has been a challenging season; but in your resolve and endurance, God has been at work.
2020 also forced us to deal with many areas of the heart. We have been challenged by differing views on COVID-19, politics, and racism. We have been challenged with differing interpretations of current events and how we are called to respond. Guest speaker Reggie Screen shared on how the gospel speaks to our prejudices. In his first message, he stated that “Whenever there is a crisis the Holy Spirit wants to turn that into an opportunity.” His second message spoke of how the gospel awakens us to our role of reconciliation. Doreen shared about her experiences as an immigrant from Africa in light of current racial tensions in America. God has given us an encouragement to use this season to deal with our personal prejudices and biases. We are still in process. Yet, I believe that as we let God do the hard work of examining our hearts--as we humbly enter into conversations with people who are different from us with a desire to see them like God see them--we will grow in our love for each other and for the people of Greensboro and the Triad. God is stretching us in many areas. God has been and is at work.
So, I have been encouraged. But I also see areas that we need to grow in.
Leadership: My prayer has been that God would raise up more leaders at Westside who understand the times and know what to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). This is a prayer for myself, for our current leaders, and for those who will step into leadership. I believe Westside has an important part to play in bringing Jesus’ love to the Greensboro area. Additionally, we need leaders who are committed to learning what it looks like to lead in a multiethnic, multicultural context. One of my goals for 2021 is to grow in developing leaders. I especially want to grow in my ability to lead in a multicultural context. But I need others who will join me in this process. It won’t be easy, but God will help us.
Connecting: There is a good chance that much of 2021 will look like 2020 with social distancing, mask wearing, online services, and limited numbers in our inperson services. More than ever, just connecting on Sunday morning is not enough. We need to continue to take COVID precautions, but we need to make building meaningful relationships with one another a priority. For some that will mean meeting through a platform like Zoom. For others it will mean staying socially distanced and wearing masks indoors or outdoors. But we need each other more than ever. I believe in the purpose of the local church. I believe God has put this beautiful group of people from different cultures, with different ethnicities, and from different socioeconomic backgrounds together for such a time as this. We need to find ways to connect, to use our gifts, to encourage one another. It won’t be easy, but God will help us.
Mission: This is a season that can easily make us inward focused. I want to encourage you to be looking for opportunities to connect God’s love to your friends, neighbors, work colleagues, extended families, classmates, and fellow students. But I also want us to be praying about our church's role in the community. What are ways that we can bless our community right now? How do we as a church bring the love of Jesus to the diverse community we have been placed in? We also have time to pray and plan for what our outreach will look like on the other side of this season. Will FEED look different? What about VBS? How do we live out our mission right now and in the future?
I am grateful for all of you. I expect that Westside will look a little different when we get to the other side of this season. I leave that to God. For those who have persevered, we will have a shared experience to look back on someday. It will draw us together. It will increase our appreciation for what it means to be a church family.
God is at work,
Pastor Kipp