Cassandra sat in front of the computer, her eyes fixed on the small screen. Three young children gathered at her side. It was unlike any Resurrection celebration she ever witnessed, vastly different from her childhood memories of fragrant flowers and the low slant of the spring sun casting soft light into the sanctuary.
Sundays at church were a regular occurrence in her household; her mom made certain of that. Being there felt almost like home. Even with the familiarity of the weekly gatherings, though, there was always something special about the pageantry of Easter.
As she got older, the draw of the weekly services waned and soon she was attending primarily for the biggies: Christmas, Easter and Mother's Day. COVID-19 threatened even that. So, when the unemployed, single mom heard about the Easter Bag outreach, Cassandra was eager to return to her spiritual roots while also securing special treats for her kids.
Instead of a customary pew, the family sat around the kitchen table as Pastor Joyce Smith hosted the event through Zoom. For many on the call, this was their first exposure to video-conferencing as Wi-Fi and computers are often a luxury that families in this Chicago neighborhood can't afford. For those who have access, the financial drain of the pandemic means food takes priority over the internet.
Smith understands the needs well. She founded Better Days Community Outreach Services in 2015 in the suburb of Calumet City. For years, she has teamed up with Cru® Inner City to provide the bags to low-income neighborhoods she serves. Each bag contains candy, toys and gospel literature. Since 2020 she has had to punt because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
From the early days of the coronavirus, Pastor Joyce and her ministry team have faced a slew of unknowns as the virus has cycled through a series of surges and retreats. Ongoing lockdowns and restrictions didn't minimize the needs of the homeless and poor constituents served by Better Days. If anything, it made them even more vulnerable. Even now, with the surge of the omicron variant, Better Days is adapting to meet needs.
How do you minister to the already marginalized when they face possible job loss? How do you encourage those you are not allowed to see, let alone hug? How do you use a valuable evangelism tool like Easter Bags to share the gospel when group gatherings have been banned or forced to socially distance? How does a ministry called Better Days bridge the gap when all people are seeing is suffering and uncertainty?
"We had to be quite creative and careful," she said.
That's when Pastor Joyce and her team turned to Zoom, the ultimate kitchen table during coronavirus. Both years, they planned presentations to the families, including using the breakout feature so the children could play games and do other activities.
Ministry volunteers also used the breakout time to connect with parents, who expressed fear about their livelihoods, keeping their homes, homeschooling and isolation.
"People weren't certain. I mean, they're not certain now, but they definitely weren't then," Pastor Joyce said. "That brought about a lot of anxiety for a lot of people and it still exists."
The Zoom meeting also gave Pastor Joyce the opportunity to talk about the Easter Bags, which contained sweet treats, a colorful Good News bracelet explaining the plan of salvation, and a Bible story activity book designed for children. It proved to be an important outlet for the adults, too.
"The interactiveness of it was good because everyone had been quarantined and there was no interaction with a lot of family members," she said.
After the Zoom meeting, volunteers followed distancing guidelines to drop off the Easter Bags, sealed in plastic bags on participants' porches.
During the Zoom gathering, Pastor Joyce noticed that emotions were palpable. Even those families who only attended church for Easter seemed to grieve the inability to gather for the holiday.
"The children would get dressed up in their spring clothes, get candy and look out for the Easter Bunny and now things have changed," she said. "The emotions were high (fueled by) the uncertainty as to what was going to happen with their finances and their home life situations."
Pastor Joyce said that over the past two years, parents have been grateful to have a conversation about Jesus and the hope His death and resurrection provides, especially during chaotic times. As a result, numerous people made decisions to follow Jesus as their Savior, including Cassandra.
"(She) appeared to enjoy story time just as much as her children," Pastor Joyce said, adding Cassandra continues to wear one of the gospel bracelets and is praying more. She plans to take her children to church as soon as it becomes safer.
Pastor Joyce said she was also blessed by the opportunity to recast the vision for such a vital outreach to the community.
"To be able to talk to them was truly a blessing and refreshing," she said.
Photo by Chris Montgomery/Unsplash
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Lori Arnold serves as senior writer for Cru's inner-city ministry.
Cassandra's experience is a good reminder that a simple Easter bag can transform the lives of adults, too. Share her story on Facebook or other social media platforms by using this link:
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