Release Date: November 1st, 2021Navigating a Pandemic
The pandemic has been a difficult journey for church leaders but imagine being a high school student on Zoom all day and then going into another Zoom call in the evening for youth group. Now imagine being a youth leader/pastor trying to get youth excited about that Zoom call.
Bethel Ethiopian Evangelical Church youth group leader, Hanna Negussie, recently shared her insights in organizing and leading youth through the pandemic.
This is a conversation between Yeabsra Agonfer and Hanna Negussie.
How has the structure of your youth group changed due the pandemic?
Hannah: “We went from meeting in person twice a week over pizza and Bible study to meeting on Zoom. We were so used to being involved in each other’s lives, and then we completely transitioned to an online system. In the beginning, we just wanted to get our heads above water. We focused on running Sunday services. When we had met in-person, we had volunteers responsible for taking a role in some parts of the service. When we moved online, the responsibility fell to the youth pastor and me. We needed to adapt to see what kinds of roles we could create for the youth so that they still felt like they had a role to play. During Sunday service, we included roles like scripture reading and announcements and delegated tasks as we created new programs.”
"I would reach out and ask if there were concerns they wanted me to pray for."
How did you get youth engaged?
Hannah: “It was hard to get the youth engaged. There were a lot of texting and FaceTime calls happening just to stay in touch and make sure the youth felt welcomed. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays we had Zoom calls for anyone who wanted to pop in to chat or pray. If I did not hear anything, I would reach out and ask if there were concerns they wanted me to pray for. We started training three leaders who then started leading Bible studies. It took a lot more effort to run things virtually but it was consistency and opportunities for people to be involved that made it work. The discipleship classes and small group meetings allowed youth to build more confidence to participate in Sunday service.”
How did you provide a nurturing environment for youth in spite of the distance?
Hannah: “We have not done everything right. When we were online many youth would not turn on their cameras. As leaders, it was important for us to be very encouraging and gentle. There were times where we could have been frustrated because people did not show. We also had to consider that it was hard for them to navigate; it did not feel like “church” to some of them. I personally reached out to them and asked ways that I could meet them halfway. For a lot of them it was as simple as tutoring or meeting outdoors. It was important for us to salvage a relationship with those not wanting to be in a Zoom environment.”
What are some exciting and challenging things about getting back to meeting in-person?
Hannah: “There is a lot of excitement and not a lot of fear, which is great. It is important as believers to set that example of courage as we go back into the world. It is important for youth to see courage in their leaders and for them to know that their leaders are not afraid. We obey the guidelines and restrictions, and there is still so much joy, celebration and laughter.
"It is exciting that we can finally be in-person where relationship building can happen a lot more naturally, but it comes with a new set of challenges."
People who did not show up online are showing up in-person. There are also some members who joined online during the pandemic and actually prefer it. There is still that challenge of reminding and getting people to adjust to this new reality. It is exciting that we can finally be in-person where relationship building can happen a lot more naturally, but it comes with a new set of challenges. Not everyone is comfortable with decisions that are made. Our challenge right now is knowing how we can serve everybody and how we can meet the youth where they are.”