Separate, But Not Alone by Andrew Nash

Fear is personal. It cannot be shared; it separates us. It is one person against the cause of their fear.

One way to fight fear is through community. Community is collective; it is empowering. Sharing our fears helps to fight those fears. A community reminds us we are not alone.

Second Baptist Church has closed its doors on Sunday morning through at least April 4 because of coronavirus precautions. Restaurants and businesses will not be open. It is scary to think this is an unprecedented pandemic.

But history shows that this is not entirely unprecedented. Second Baptist Church closed its doors on Sunday mornings a few times early in the 20th century while fighting other pandemics. We have a community history of dealing with similar problems; therefore, we are not alone in our fear.

In the present tense, we can feel separated on Sunday morning without community groups or sharing a cup of coffee between services. But we are not alone; we are united in how we can take care of each other in hard times.

Take the example of my basement freezer. My family welcomed Cary Donovan Nash on Leap Day this year, four weeks early. With a NICU baby, everything feels on hold until you leave the hospital to come home. Even after arriving home, there are bills, and policies, and weigh-ins, and sleep schedules to track.

While Cary spent six days in the NICU, our families made freezer meals and literally filled our freezer. Our friends at Second Baptist set up a meal train for when we got home. While no one else experienced what we did, we had regular reminders that we were not alone.

First Corinthians 12 reminds us that we are each a part of the body of Christ. Verse 14: “The body is not made up of one part, but of many.” Each of us is separate and unique and isolated for a good reason. Yet we are not alone; we are together in Christ.

As we continue to feel isolated and separated—from school, from work, from each other—do not forget that we have a community here at Second Baptist to lean on and that you can create community for someone else.