The Rev. Deacon Beth Simpson - Calvary Episcopal Church, Columbia
This reflection is part of a series celebrating women's ministry, June 2022.
My grandmother and I spent a lot of time together during my formative years. She took me to church, taught me to cook, and took me to visit all the homebound ladies who had been active in her church. We always took cookies or soup and spent long afternoons rocking on the porch and sipping tea. I learned to be a good listener during those visits!
Fast-forward a “few” years to today, when my ministry as a deacon at Calvary, Columbia, finds me engaged in ministry with our members who have a hard time getting to church. I schedule the Eucharistic visitors and spend a day each week visiting parishioners. Every one of them devoted many hours to their church when they were able, and it is important for them to know that they have not been forgotten. Our contact with people during the time of isolation brought about by Covid has been especially important and life-giving—for the ones we visit, and for us.
We create sacred space in nursing home rooms and make altars on over-the-bed tables. People who have lost the ability to have conversations often participate in the liturgy. I say, “The peace of the Lord be always with you,” and she responds, “And also with you.” I say the Lord’s Prayer, and she joins me. Sometimes I sit at a piano in a common area and play the old hymns, and residents who no longer speak sing along or gently hum.
For many years, Calvary has led a monthly worship service at The Bluffs, a long-term care community. Our ministry was paused due to Covid restrictions, but we have joyfully returned! A team of us leads the residents in a simple liturgy. The residents come from a variety of traditions, so we make it as inclusive as possible. Singing familiar hymns, like “In the Garden” and “How Great Thou Art” never fails to unify us! Occasionally someone from a Pentecostal tradition offers a powerful testimony. I am always moved by their stories of faith and hope and their love of God. So often they comment on how much they miss going to church. They are grateful that we bring church to them, but we believe that we are equally blessed!
My grandmother died more than twenty years ago, but her spirit lives on in me. I will always be grateful that she invited me to join her in her ministry. As a deacon, I am reminded of the importance of asking others to join me in mine!