Not sure if you’re aware of it or not, but things have changed. Nothing really seems the same as it was, say, about a year ago. One of the things that I’ve noticed that's different is how people interact. Friends and even family who used to run up and hug one another now approach each other with apprehension, if they do so at all. Conversations that used to last for ages in the aisle of the grocery store or in the lobby of a building now are just muffled “hellos” or even just a wave. I know it’s for everyone’s safety that we’re all so cautious, but isn’t it also a shame? Missed vacations, Christmases apart, delayed marriages, births in solitude (okay, maybe that one isn’t terrible), hugs from grandparents transformed into kisses blown from afar. Seems that even the introverts are missing social interaction these days.
 
We’re really looking at how to “do life together,” even with a little distance between us. God has given us an opportunity to engage and connect with people in a new way over the last year. We are exploring how to create an online church campus where people can experience serving together, connecting with one another, and growing their relationship with God and others. 
 
If a million people can be one happy family on Xbox Live, where, they joke, they know one another well and even propose marriage without being on the same continent, then we can have groups that not only exist but thrive online, too. And, coincidentally, that’s what we are working on right now!
 
We’re also figuring out how to allow others to serve online. You might already know that we have chat hosts during our online Sunday services each week, but did you know we also need volunteers who can host in our Ridge Kids and Student Ministry programs online, host groups, and even chat with others who need a safe place to talk?
 
With a little luck (and a vaccine) things will start to feel like we remember soon. When that happens, we’re still going to have an online campus, because in the past year God has shown us that our community is more than just Columbus and the surrounding areas. It’s everywhere. Our mission remains the same: to do “whatever it takes to reach out community for Christ,” but our definition of community has changed, and we believe it’s for the better. Join us, won’t you?

Whatever it takes!

Tim