Lots of congregations have gone online in the last two weeks. It seems like a big shift and more than enough to feel like we are still up and running. But are there other things we can do during this shutdown that may be safe, helpful and well-timed?

One of the things about being an invitational church is the readiness to greet and welcome people when they come. A section in The Invitational Christian talks about quality and being ready for people. An empty building, at least for a few weeks, is not just a huge bummer (which it is) but it’s also an opportunity. There are probably dozens of things that could (even should) be done but that simply don’t fit into the pace of normal life without really being intentional. But now normal life is gone for a while. There may be things that can be done best when you have nothing else competing. These things will make things better for reaching out and welcoming people into the life of the church when we can gather again.

For example, look at the paint down the side aisles of your sanctuary. Is it dusty, dirty or deteriorated in any way? Look at light fixtures and shelves. Are they dusty or wearing cobwebs? Does the carpet need cleaning? Would a deep clean or new paint in the restrooms bring them up to a more acceptable level? The list is somewhat endless. There are most likely projects that would make your facility cleaner, more functional and more welcoming that need doing. There may be chances to do just that now.

Many of these tasks can be done by one or at the most, two people. For example, if painting requires any use of ladders then no one should be doing this by themselves for safety reasons. But two people, one on one side of the sanctuary and one on the other, could each use a step ladder and paint the side aisles of the church without being at all close to each other, but still available if someone did fall. Other tasks could just be done individually. A person heads over to the church building alone and deepcleans the bathroom or dusts or sorts clutter to be thrown away or properly stored. With proper scheduling, someone could do something one day and someone else another and only drive from their house to the church and back and never be with another person in the process. Lots could be done, and our buildings may sit empty but being prepared for the day when they will open again.

Doing this would require some clear agreement on what needs to be done – a team could meet by conference call or Zoom/Skype and agree on the work. It would require some scheduling to ensure protocols are kept and people remain physically safe distances from other. And it would require at least one or two people who want to use this time to make improvements to the building in ways that follow guidelines for the time in which we live. When people return, we’ll be more ready to receive them than when this all started.