Staying Connected in Northern Indiana: Serving Our Communities Through the Pandemic
As society adjusts to meet safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Salvation Army finds new ways to engage their church members and serve the physical and spiritual needs of their community.
The Salvation Army Muncie Corps has continued to meet the needs of the community in their food pantry as they serve those struggling due to job loss and lack of food. Through the generous donations of gift cards from Meijer and donations from the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware Counties, the Corps has been able to continue serving those in need with these additional resources.
Like many of our Corps units, The Salvation Army Muncie Corps has also been taking to Facebook to connect spiritually with their church members. In addition to sharing Sunday services via Facebook live, Major Mark Litherland has been posting daily videos called the “Muncie Minute” to share scripture and to connect the community with a daily source of positivity and faith.
The Salvation Army Marion Corps, serving a significant population of older adults, has been unable to utilize the same social media resources that other Corps have been using to reach their congregates for worship. So, Lieutenant Jessica Smith has needed to get creative.“Most of my congregation is older, and many of them don’t have social media or even internet access at their house,” said Lt. Jessica. “So I had to think, how can they still feel like they’re getting church when they don’t have these other avenues?” Instead, Lt. Jessica has provided weekly devotionals to her congregates and instructed them to do these devotionals each Sunday at 10:30AM. The knowledge that they are all practicing the same devotionals at the same time each week allows them to feel connected in their faith.
Reaching specific demographics in the congregation has also led Major Normalene Daniels of The Salvation Army Huntington Indiana to connect to her church members in ways specific to their needs. The Salvation Army Huntington Corps serves several individuals who work in essential roles in the community, working in places such as body shops, factories, and nursing homes. As a result, these individuals remain as busy as ever, but continue to reach out to The Salvation Army when they are able. “It has been interesting…several of them have just stopped by, talked to me for twenty or twenty-five minutes, and then it’s like ‘Okay, gotta go now!’” explained Major Normalene.
Through all of the uncertainty surrounding us in these current times, The Salvation Army is committed to serving the physical and spiritual needs of the community, even if it means making a few adjustments.