Connecting to Christ During COVID-19

April 19, 2020
By: Bill Conger

People are looking for answers during this time of uncertainty in our country. The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked fears and stress for many, keeping doctors and mental health care professionals busy. People are also looking for spiritual answers. This week’s Q and A is with Dan Gulley, minister at the Smithville Church of Christ.

Bill Conger: What can we learn from church history when it comes to thinking about the threat of pandemics?

Dan Gulley: One lesson we can learn is that the church usually responds in a very positive and powerful way. After a long day of healing all who were sick and casting out demons, it is declared in Matthew 8:17 concerning Jesus Christ: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” It is further recorded in Acts 10:38 that Jesus “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Authentic Christians in every generation since the first century have sought, in the words of Scripture at 1 Peter 2:21, to follow the example and walk in the steps Jesus left us. There have been many pandemics throughout history, and the church typically seeks to follow Christ’s example in not only cooperating to stop the spread of the disease, but also marshaling human and financial resources to relieve and heal those who suffer from the effects of disease. Just over a hundred years ago, beginning in the fall of 1918, the “Spanish flu” came to the shores of the United States. John Mark Hicks, a professor of theology at David Lipscomb University in Nashville, recently wrote about the response of churches of Christ in America to that pandemic. Hicks reports that pandemic eventually killed 700,000 in the United States and more than 50 million globally, making it the worst pandemic in modern history. The title of Hicks’ very interesting article is “How Churches of Christ Responded When the ‘Spanish Flu’ Killed Millions” (christianchronicle.org/how-churches-of-Christ-responded-when-the-1918-spanish-flu-killed-millions). In that article Hicks notes that many congregations of the church canceled services, and some Christians focused on feeding and nursing the poor. He cites the example of the Russell Street church of Christ who helped the Red Cross and opened and allowed their church building to be used as a hospital because the city hospitals were turning people away. Christians attended the sick, exposing themselves to risk of infection. Although most congregations did not meet, they continued to worship on Sundays in their homes with their families and maybe a few friends. While there are a few exceptions, a look back through history reveals that the church usually seeks to do what Jesus did when He walked the earth. The church seeks, however imperfectly, to bring relief and aid to those who are suffering. That care and concern by people of faith is being seen in our local community and all across our great land in the current coronavirus pandemic, and it is making a difference.

Conger: Some people ask whether the virus is a plague or judgment from God. What does the Bible say?

Gulley: The answer here is two-pronged. The Bible does indeed record instances when sickness and disease was sent by God as a punishment. When the proud Pharaoh of Egypt stubbornly and rebelliously refused to allow Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian slavery, Exodus 9:9-10 records that dust spread across Egypt and caused “boils” that broke out in sores on man and beasts throughout all the land of Egypt. Other examples, including cases of leprosy, could be cited. Having noted that, a healthy dose of caution is needed before we decide that a particular modern pandemic is a judgment from God, including the coronavirus. The Old Testament book of Job in the Bible makes clear that not all people who suffer sickness and disease are bad people. Jesus Himself in John 9:1-4 makes clear that not all suffering and sickness is due to sin. Suffering can be self-inflicted through sin (1 Peter 4:15). We are warned in Scripture at Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death” (spiritual death in this verse). But we must also remember that Jesus Christ, the only sinless Man who ever lived, suffered for us. On the one hand, to say with absolute certainty the current coronavirus pandemic is a specific judgment sent from God would be to put ourselves in God’s place. On the other hand, surely the widespread threat of this disease should sound an alarm and cause all people to recognize and acknowledge our need for God and His help in dealing with not only physical diseases, but the spiritual disease of sin and death.

Conger: What advice do you have for people to decrease their fear and anxiety during all the uncertainties?

Gulley: First, I would advise everyone to understand that fear and anxiety are not necessarily wrong. The Bible speaks to the topic of fear hundreds of times, and often directs us to “Fear not” or “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). One of my favorite Bible passage on fear is Psalm 56:3 which says, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” The sin or wrong connected with fear is not in being afraid. There are times when fear is appropriate and even necessary to incite us to action and caution. If you wake up in the middle of the night and your house is on fire or a thief has a gun in your face and you are not afraid, your fear meter is broken! But fear that betrays a lack of trust in God, fear that rules us to the point it paralyzes and debilitates us and gives way to constant panic – that is the fear the Bible forbids and condemns. At the end of the day, the peace God grants us is not grounded in the absence of problems but in promise of God’s presence and provision. Scriptures that can help to flush fear out of your heart are found in places like Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 6:25-34, and Philippians 4:4-8.

Conger: What are some practical ways we can love our neighbors in the midst of COVID-19?

Gulley: It seems weird to say it, but maybe the best thing we can do to love our neighbors for the time being is to keep a safe distance away from them! By now most of us know about “social distancing” and washing our hands and keeping our hands away from our faces, etc. Indications are those things are working. They are working because millions of people are submitting to the directives of our political leaders and medical professionals. The “stay at home” mandate is effective if we stay at home (except for essential outings). In our church I have been contacted by younger members volunteering to go to the grocery store or pick up medications or run other kinds of errands for older people or those otherwise shut in. Phone calls, text messages and other kinds of social media contact, emails, even written notes and letter sent by mail — all of these and other means can be used to communicate words of comfort and encouragement to friends and loved ones. “By this we know love”, the apostle John wrote in 1 John 3:16, “because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
I would close by reminding all of us that amidst all the changes and anxiety and uncertainty the COVID-19 pandemic has forced into our lives, there is a constant we can always count on. The Bible declares about in Revelation 1:8- ” ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’ And again in Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

The COVID-19 crisis will pass. Until it does, let us anchor our hope in the Rock of Ages.

Services at the Smithville Church of Christ are streamed on Sundays at 10 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. These services can be reached by going to the website at thesmithvillechurch.com and clicking on the Facebook Live link at the top of the page. At the website people can view the weekly church bulletin and some other Bible based articles and materials.  WJLE listeners can also hear Gulley’s “Got a Minute” devotions from the Smithville Church of Christ on Mondays through Fridays at various times.

April 18, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County’s number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has held steady at 10 since Monday. As of Sunday, April 19, the Tennessee Department of Health reported that 344 people had been tested with 334 negative results and 10 positive. There have been no deaths in DeKalb County from the virus and 7 of the 10 persons tested positive have recovered.

The DeKalb County Health Department will resume its COVID-19 drive through assessments Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the health department at 254 Tiger Drive.

Anyone, with or without COVID-19 symptoms who has concerns, is invited to receive testing for COVID-19. This testing will be provided at no cost to participants, and those who come for testing can remain in their vehicles throughout the process of collecting their samples.

Nurses and/or National Guard medics will collect nasal swabs from those who want to be tested, and test results may be available within 72 hours after the samples arrive at the lab, depending on lab volume.

“I encourage you to take advantage of these drive through assessments at the health department and to continue to do what you can to prevent the spread of the coronavirus by keeping your hands clean and practicing social distancing. Stay at home  and keep an eye on our elderly. They need to be staying at home as much as possible and we need to support them and keep them safe,” said County Mayor Tim Stribling.

“We are working closely with the Tennessee Department of Health and all agencies of government at all levels to minimize the impact on the residents of DeKalb County. That has been and continues to be our primary concern. We will get through this together,” Stribling concluded.

Tennessee’s Coronavirus Public Information Lines are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., CDT daily at 833-556-2476 or 877-857-2945. TDH is posting updated COVID-19 case numbers by 2 p.m. CDT each day at www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html. Find additional information at www.tn.gov/governor/covid-19.html and www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

Visit the Tennessee Department of Health online at www.tn.gov/health.

Connect with TDH on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn @TNDeptofHealth

April 17, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

Students in the DeKalb County School District may be out of the classroom due to COVID-19 but it’s no vacation for them.

Anticipating early on that the coronavirus pandemic would probably shut down schools, administrators developed and later initiated a plan to help students maintain a routine of studying while at home through online assignments or packets of lesson plans sent to them and that will continue for the remainder of this academic year through May.

“Teachers have been staying in touch with their students either online and other means to help them with their homework and to just do a welfare check so that the kids will have some contact with their teachers,” said Michelle Burklow, Supervisor of Instruction for grades K-5.

Although the State Board of Education recently voted to freeze grades of Tennessee students where they were as of March 20 for the remainder of the academic year, Burklow said the homework allows the kids to improve on those grades and to keep them from falling behind.

“Our whole goal here is to prevent a spring and summer slide and maintain the skills the kids had before schools were closed so they have this opportunity to polish up on the skills that they have already practiced and to keep those sharp for when they do come back to school,” said Burklow.

The change leaves the option open for students to improve grades if their local school district can provide and they can access materials online or through some form of distance learning. As it stands now, the remote learning can only improve, not lower, a grade.

For 6th to 12th grade students, most are being served through Google Classroom, a streamlined, easy-to-use tool that helps teachers manage coursework. With Google Classroom, educators can create classes, distribute assignments, grade and send feedback, and see everything in one place.

“We have been using Google Classroom for three years and with the high school students having their devices at home it has been a fairly easy transition because our teachers had already been posting things on Google Classroom so our students are familiar with and have been using it for a long time. Some students prefer to have the packets in their hands to work with and that is fine. We are here to accommodate them too,” said Dr. Kathy Bryant, Supervisor of Instruction for grades 6-12 students.

“One important element is the social emotional aspect for our kids and that they have a purpose every day and when they get on Google Classroom and meet with all their classmates they have that familiarity and are able to interact. That is happening once to three times a week, depending on the week and the teacher but our teachers are meeting with the students online and are able to see their faces and that means a lot,” added Dr. Bryant.

Many Kindergarten to 5th grade teachers are also making use of Google Classroom as well as other platforms in teaching their students.

“Some are meeting with their students through the Google Classroom while others are using the See saw, Facebook, Zoom, or other modes of digital learning. It’s whatever the teacher feels comfortable using with the students. We have left it up to each individual teacher. The schools have narrowed the digital platform they can use because the principal wants to be familiar with it in case there are any questions. Most of them are using Seesaw or Google Classroom,” said Burklow.

Another source is ReadyRosie, an early education online platform, to provide short videos and free resources with simple, engaging activities for Tennessee families and children, ages pre-K through 3rd grade, to do at home.

“ReadyRosie is an app that parents can download on their phone and it is another resource from the state to help families engage with their children during this time by doing simple, instructional activities at home while promoting learning and bonding with their children.” said Burklow.

Through ReadyRosie, all families have access to ReadyRosie Modeled Moment videos, which equips them with simple and fun activities to help their children learn while at home. Around two minutes long in both English and Spanish, the video “moments” feature real families demonstrating instructional activities that parents can then replicate with their own children and are rooted in learning goals for children on topics such as literacy, early math, health and well-being.

The ReadyRosie platform is available for Tennessee families through September 1. Families can easily register for free today here, https://readyrosie.com/tn/, and can sign up to receive weekly text messages or emails with curated playlists of activities.

The state has also contracted with six PBS television stations to deliver daily instructional content for students during COVID-19 school closures. This partnership provides all students with access to daily learning opportunities right in their own homes. These stations deliver two hours of programming with high-quality instructional content from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CST. Four hours of content are also being streamed overnight, which viewers can watch live or record.

In addition to freezing student grades, the Tennessee State Board of Education recently approved other emergency rules for the rest of the school year.

In a unanimous vote, the nine-member board approved a reduction in the number of required credits from 22 to 20 for high school seniors. Those credits must include four math, four English/language arts, three science and two social studies credits. In addition, the board formally adopted temporary changes waiving the requirement for seniors to take the ACT and SAT tests to graduate.

Another change removes requirements that students have a focused area of study and pass a comprehensive exam for advanced classes including Advanced Placement and dual credit classes in order to get weighted credit, putting students statewide on the same playing field going into college.

The changes, good for 180 days, also allow no students to be counted absent or truant, a reflection that some students have no access to the internet for online instruction.

Some changes to licensing procedures give teachers an extra year, until the end of August 2021, to complete requirements and also extend the deadline for teachers whose licensing was expiring this year. Teacher evaluations will not be done this school year.

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