“They should do something about that.”
“Somebody should figure out a way to make that better. “
Sound familiar? These are just a couple statements we hear when things aren’t going well in our communities. And recently we’ve had plenty of opportunity to use those phrases. The recent stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines are two that come to mind. Fortunately, as Christ followers, our faith teaches us and encourages us not to run away from problems but to look for opportunities in these obstacles and in turn serve God.
One of the things I truly enjoy about Faith Lutheran is that we are encouraged to be the “they” or “somebody.” After all, Faith Lutheran’s conviction is: Living our faith through our work and service in the community changes and renews those around us, ultimately changing the culture in which we live. While the pandemic has impacted Faith Lutheran and all of its members, our faith encourages us to look beyond our walls and recognize opportunities to serve our community. As our small groups met via Zoom in March and April, the topic of serving arose. After some discussion Welbrook, the assisted living facility in Bloomington, was identified as a group in need and an opportunity to live out our faith.
As we all know, the stay-at-home orders and social distancing rules have significantly altered our daily interactions. But not nearly as much as it has for our friends in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. For safety purposes, our friends at Welbrook have been operating under much stricter guidelines which have greater social restrictions placed on residents and staff. Residents have been in their rooms for longer periods of time meaning significantly less social interaction with other residents and staff. Dining areas were also off-limits and residents were taking their meals in their rooms alone or with a roommate. So our friends, who already had limited interactions with family and friends, had that limited even more due to no fault of their own. The residents really needed to be reminded that people outside of Welbrook cared and had not forgotten about them. Looking at this situation it was so easy to say, “They should do something about that.”
With support from the church our small group did do something about it. While practicing safe social distancing a group of Faith members put together more than sixty Boredom Buster Bags – one for each resident. The bags contained puzzle books, tissues, Chap Stick, candy and just as importantly a note of encouragement. While this gift may not have changed their living situation, it was a reminder that people cared. Maybe those bags were enough to renew their spirits and alter the culture in which they were living. And to show our appreciation for the Welbrook staff, each employee received a Chik-Fil-A gift card. After all, they were not only the physical caretakers of our friends but their social community as well. Each bag and gift card contained Faith’s web address encouraging them to follow us online.
Upon delivery of the Boredom Buster Bags, it was noticeable that Welbrook lacked the traditional marks of spring and summer like potted plants or flowers. This was understandable as staff had little time to spare as energies were allocated to the newly implemented safety procedures. Unfortunately, the residents were not experiencing the beauty or the fragrances that would accompany summer flowers. Somebody really needed to figure out a way to make that better!
And so that same group of Faith members did find a way to make that better. Days after dropping off the bags, a group of Faith members planted fourteen large pots containing petunias, verbena, alyssum, impatiens, begonias, etc. They were delivered to Welbrook the next day. Each pot is now placed in the courtyard area where residents are able to enjoy the warmer weather while safely practicing social distancing. Through God’s grace, living our faith through our work and service in the community changes and renews those around us, ultimately changing the culture in which we live.
Doug Dowell