The Bendigo youth group met at the local 10 pin bowling alley in August, just after Regional Victoria had come out of lockdown. We filled two lanes and 3 youth invited new friends to come join the fun with us. The youth leaders (James Antonic, Ben Grigg, Rebecca Grigg and myself) had a great time mingling with the youth, going head to head with some of them with a strike challenge and some finding they were better with the bumpers up. It felt so good to be physically together in community again. At the end of the evening I said “Thanks everyone for coming along tonight, we’ll be meeting in 2 weeks time at the church hall for youth group”. There was a buzz of energy as I said that, an excitement that you could feel because we were heading back into our ‘normal’.
10 days later the Premier announced Regional Vic would be going back into lockdown 3 hours from the announcement. This time the news hurt. Not only was youth group going to be cancelled, it was around the same time the Community Plus camp was being cancelled for the second year in a row and I felt like all control over what I was meant to be doing had been taken away from me.
It wasn’t until I was able to pivot my mindset: instead of dwelling on the past and what I would usually be doing at this time of year, I focussed rather on what I could do despite the restrictions.
This has helped me get to a really nice place of conversation with many youth and young adults from all across Australia – not just generic conversations but there is a depth in the letters we write, the emails we send and even when we share a cup of tea together as we video chat.
The pivot has helped me to recognise that productivity can’t look like it used to in checking off events but rather it has stripped my ministry back to the basics of sharing the message of Jesus in with those who are seeking Christ.
The pivot has released me from a subconscious pressure to keep everything the same as pre-Covid has allowed me to focus on what I can control. Even though lockdowns are hard, I hope you can find the silver lining, just as I have.
Alicia Turner, Youth and Young Adult Minister - Australia Wide