Items

• 
  12/03/2021

  Brad Peterson Oral History, 2021/12/03

  Brad Peterson is currently a pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Boyceville, Wisconsin. In this interview, Brad discusses COVID-19 and its impact on his career as a pastor, the community’s response to the pandemic, and his personal life. He talks about the challenges he has faced, specifically, living within a community that has shown resistance to COVID-19 regulations. COVID-19 has created many implications but Brad tries to focus on the positive outcomes of COVID-19. For example, Trinity Church now offers online worship and will continue to offer online services as it has proven to be a popular and comfortable way to worship.
• 
  2021-11-30

  Project Hospitality on the Frontlines of Covid

  This video was put together by our development department. It showcases the work Project Hospitality has done during the pandemic.
• 
  12/15/2020

  David Huber Oral History, 2020/12/15

  C19OH
• 
  2020-05

  HIST30060

  This photo was taken in May 2020, when Melbourne restrictions prevented religious gatherings from taking place. I attend Westgate Baptist Community church in Yarraville in the western suburbs of Melbourne, and it had transitioned to zoom for its church services by this point. On the day this picture was taken, we were meant to organise our own bread and wine for the ritual of communion. It was strange to source these elements on our own and even stranger to just pass them to each other instead of being given them by the pastor. It probably took some sense of gravitas and 'specialness' out of the ritual. At the same time though, it was evident that in a very precarious, unprecedented time, this community was really hanging on to such rituals for some normalcy and comfort in a sense of the divine's presence. We would not be back to in-person services until February 2021.
• 
  2021-03-09

  Oral History with a Rural Church Pastor

  Abstract: Josh Colson grew up in Southern Illinois. He attended Welch College, earning a BS in Christian Ministry and an MA in Theology. Additionally, he is currently a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, pursuing an MTS. Mr. Colson is currently the pastor of Brandon’s Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in Bumpus Mills, TN. The church is part of a small rural community, being in one of the smallest counties in middle Tennessee. In addition, Mr. Colson is the Faith Representative for the community health board. In this interview, Mr. Colson recounts the effects COVID-19 has had on his duty as a member of the clergy, his congregation, and his community.
• 
  2020-09-24

  Christopher: Find the things that gives you peace

  Christopher is the administrative aid at the African American Museum of Nassau County. He works with museum director, Joysetta Pearse, to promote understanding and appreciation of African American culture, art and tradition through education, interpretation, exhibitions, collections and programs for the enrichment of the public. Chris discusses his work, as well as how we hopes to come out stronger, on the other side of COVID. He also discusses the loss of his uncle and getting a diagnosis of his own during COVID.
• 
  2020

  Transgender Atheist Army of the Anti-Christ (Staged by Joe Biden)

  Apparently, according to a pastor, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (who have a history of mistreating LGBTQ+ people are their rights) are building an atheist army for the Anti-Christ full of transgender individuals. Humorously someone decided to accompany this headline with an image of people in maid costumes at war, adorned with a transgender pride flag on a tank with guns.
• 2020

  Mourning During COVID

  Being a pastor in the time of COVID-19 has been a difficult task, and nothing has been more difficult than leading people through the process of mourning the loss of loved ones. In my church, multiple people have lost husbands, fathers, and friends. Towards the beginning fo the pandemic our church lost one of it’s most recognized members to complications due to surgery. However, because of the coronavirus the standard practice of end-of-life ministry, helping the family with mourning, and leading them through rituals which help the family receive closure with their loss was unavailable. I, as the person’s pastor, was unable to be with him in his last days, and neither was his wife. Any final prayers, family meetings, religious discussions surrounding the topic of death which are standard with pastoral ministry were impossible because of the virus. The funeral was small, less than a dozen people. Many of their friends and family were left without any normal medium to mourn and lament the loss of their friend, husband, father, and brother. This left many people in spiritual limbo, and drastically changed the way people were able to mourn. Religious funerals, grief care, and even simple things like having people cook meals for them are invaluable to help with the process of mourning loss and accepting death, not just for the immediate family but for all around. A family friend can, perhaps, mourn by bringing the family flowers or food directly. But, under COVID there is too much of a risk. They now have to mourn alone. The same goes for family. Though they had a small graveside burial, they didn’t receive the social benefit of being surrounded by all who loved and were affected by their husband and father, the edification of seeing the sum, value, and product of their life expressed through tears, laughter, and people united to mourn and celebrate life. The ceremonies themselves, offering a wealth of support during a time of mourning, is enough of a loss, but there is more. After the rituals end, the family is still left without a core member of their life and need further help to manage their grief. Normally, in religion, a pastor can offer a level of grief counseling. But for those technologically behind, who can’t FaceTime or use Zoom, receiving this care becomes both difficult and brings up several ethical issues. How does a pastor, like me, meet with an elderly woman to walk them through grief? How can this be done without risking infection? Is it better to leave them alone to mourn without their religious community and authority? All of these problems have brought light to the importance of religious responses to major life events. Beyond the topics of faith, belief, dogma, and the supernatural, religion offers a wealth of benefits to people’s basic life needs, be it sociologically, psychologically, or existentially. It helps them put words to the indescribable pain they feel. It gives them a channel to express the loss in their heart. It gives communal space to lament, cry out, laugh, and find meaning through suffering and pain. Religion gets people through the darkness that is inherent to existence. COVID, however, has changed how this is done, and actively harmed people’s ability to mourn in a proper, healthy way. There is now one less way to manage traumatic, scarring life events, and find healing and recovery that comes with the penetrating pain in death. Hopefully, we will find healing from COVID, but not just the virus itself, but all that has been lost because of it. Hopefully, we can find healing from the loss of mourning, the loss of celebration, of community, of sacred expression. The sickness from the virus is only one thing of many which can bring devastation. To fight the virus is only part of the process of restoration. We also need to recover everything else in our lives the virus ripped away.
• 
  04/11/2020

  Teboho Klaas Oral History, 2020/04/11

  Interview with bi-vocational South African pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church tradition who is also an officer in The Other Foundation, an LGBTQ+ rights organization.
• 
  04/01/2020

  Unknown Consenting Pastor Oral History, 2020/04/01

  Chelsea interviews a California pastor about how services were altered in their church during the COVID-19 pandemic and also about his thoughts what COVID was and how it changed life. He discusses how he thinks COVID was an answer to prayer to find time with family and pay attention.
• 
  2020-04

  “I dunno. It's certainly helped me turn to reassuring scriptures..."

  “I dunno. It's certainly helped me turn to reassuring scriptures to go back into how you connect with God and how God is with us all the time. So you're relying more on that providence of God that presence of God knowing that things are out of our control yet God is still there God is still in charge so I dunno know that's kind of what it's done for me.”
• 
  2020-04-01

  “I think it affected it in a good way where..."

  “I think it affected it in a good way where people always tell me like God's going to provide for you and he's there for you and I'm like uh-huh sure but I got lucky enough to get a job that’s essential so I still get to work and still get to be with people that I love outside of my family and get a pay raise that let’s me pay my bills and let me really believe that God is actually providing for me and made me actually have a stronger faith than I was having before covid.”
• 
  2020-04-15

  Do coronavirus social distancing orders violate religious freedom? Local pastors say yes

  This article discusses pastors in various states suing their government over gathering restrictions that are believed to infringe on religious freedom rights. Specifically, Barry McDonald emphasizes that if proper social distancing was maintained, churches may be able to make a case to be considered an essential service.
• 
  2020-04-13

  Prominent Virginia pastor who said ‘God is larger than this dreaded virus’ dies of covid-19

  This article explains that a pastor from Virginia named Gerald Glenn still held in-person services at his church. The governor of the state ordered that all non-essential businesses and gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited. However, the pastor continued with his in-person services. According to him, his God and preachings needed to continue because they're bigger than the virus. On Saturday, April 11, the pastor passed away due to coronavirus. His wife also tested positive with COVID 19.
• 
  2020-01-04

  US: Church pastor serially violates COVID-19 ordinances

  Pastor Tony from Louisiana was issued a summons because he was carrying services at his church which violated the governors orders. He claims he needs to keep his church doors open for those who are needy and whos souls are lost. A lot fo people gathered at the church because they said they had a right to do so because of the constituion. Pastor added on that his church is cleaner than grocery stores and gas stations that remain open.
• 
  2020-03-30

  Florida megachurch pastor arrested for breaching Covid-19 health order

  This article is about the arrest of Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne of Hernando County, Florida. The Pastor was arrested for holding two or more large church services after the social-distancing order was put into place. The services had more than 100 attendees who were all in close proximity to each other. Howard-Browne was criticized heavily for being “reckless” and putting many individuals in danger of contracting the virus. The article also states that there are a couple states throughout the United States that have decided to make an exception to the stay-at-home orders for faith and religion. Although Pastor Rodney states that his church was cleaned and all staff were taking precautions it still goes against the Hernando County order of having any gathering be less than ten people.
• 
  3/22/2020

  Church goes online and we worship at home.

  Picture I took of my daughter Ava (12) praying with her jr high pastor after his message to the Jr High group online this Sunday.