How to Stay Connected with your Small Group During the Coronavirus

It’s hard to ‘do life’ with your small group when ‘life’ currently consists of being stuck inside your house, confined to only a handful of places and limited to your immediate family.   Times like these can make us feel disconnected or alone and small groups have never been more important. 

If you’re a small group leader, or even a weekly attendee, here are a few ways to make sure you stay plugged in with your group. 

1.) Clean up your contact lists 

If you don’t already have cell phone numbers and emails for your small group, now is the time to update your list!  While most leaders will have everyone's numbers, it can be beneficial for everyone in the group to share each other's contacts.  You can do this easily by creating a Google sheet and sharing it with each member. And while you’re at it, add a column for birthdays and special life events.  Just because we’re apart during this time doesn’t mean we can’t also celebrate birthdays or anniversaries from a safe distance.  

2.) Have virtual bible study 

No, Jesus didn’t have ‘zoom’ meetings back then but if he lived in 2020, the sermon on the mount would probably have been live streamed!  You can use any number of methods to bring your small group together to at least mirror community. It’s best to do live, real-time lessons in order to keep everyone engaged.  If your group maybe isn’t tech savvy, you can also pre-record a video to email or include in a Facebook group.  

Having a place where members can still engage is paramount during isolation so really allow conversation to flow whether on a video call or an online forum.  

3.) Check-in 

In addition to hosting a virtual bible study, checking in with your group is imperative to remind people that “Hey! We’re still here and we’re still a group!”  Calls, texts, even snail mail are great ways to bring people back when we’re all so spread out. You can check in with folks one on one or do a group call to brighten someone’s day.  You never know who’s feeling the loneliness and it’s our job as brothers and sisters in Christ to make every person feel welcome and wanted.  

4.) Plan for the future 

Nothing keeps people moving forward like talking about the future.  

While we don’t know how long social distancing will continue, we do know it will come to an end one day.  That’s why planning for future events, like a picnic or a party, sets the tone that the group will meet in person again.  By about week two most people are feeling the cabin fever so allowing them to have something to look forward to can help to keep people’s minds on the future.  

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Talking to your kids about the Coronavirus

Many small children don’t understand the gravity of what’s happening.  And with the COVID-19 outbreak being such a large disruption in day-to-day life, it can leave kids feeling uneasy and stressed.   

All of us yearn for stability and while these are incredibly unstable times, it’s important to create a sense of safety. Many parents have found themselves juggling working from home in addition to being a teacher, entertainer, and parent.  It can be a demanding time when you’re doing all this and coping with adolescent emotions as well.    

That’s why it’s important to explain what COVID-19 is, how it affects them, and how they can be safe. 

Keep your nerves in check

There’s no sense in having a discussion with your kids if you’re anxious about the virus.  Try to process your own fears before diving into a conversation with your children. They will model your mindset and it’s important you present information about the coronavirus in a calm, rational manner.  

Talk at age-appropriate levels 

Your teenager is likely to have just as much or more information than you do about COVID-19.  You’ll have a very different conversation with them than you will with your six year old. For younger age groups, it’s important to keep it light and help them understand the virus in more low-level, general terms.  

Try to understand your child’s fears 

As adults, it’s important that we listen to our children’s fears and anxieties.  A young person may misunderstand certain aspects about the virus or not comprehend the important steps they can take to stay safe.  You can calmly listen to their concerns and go over the CDC’s recommendations for keeping healthy together. Most important, remember that you’re their resource for information and truth. 

Focus on Safety 

Many children don’t understand the importance of washing their hands or practicing good hygiene.  Now is the best time to instill proper sanitation practices like avoiding close contact, covering coughs and sneezes, and disinfecting frequently touched/used surfaces and items.  

You can review the CDC’s complete guide for preventing the spread of COVID-19 here. 

While we all know washing our hands is the first line of defense in killing germs, we should also focus on mental health.  During this time, many families are spending a drastically increased amount of time inside their homes. While this is great for family bonding, new issues may arise including high stress, emotional instability, and developing bad habits out of boredom.  

To try to prevent this from occurring, you can do daily or weekly check-ins to ensure your family is moving forward together.   

Emphasise Prayer

Times of unrest are the perfect time to pray.  It’s important to remind your kids that God is always with us, no matter what’s happening in the world around us.  

Now is a great time to establish daily prayer and remind your family that God is our ultimate source of peace and security. 

If you’re looking for fun activities to do with you family, check out ‘10 Family Activities to Shake Cabin Fever’