March 15 will mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic for our church and our strange odyssey away from our home at Marshall Elementary School. Starting with the clubhouse at Palomares Hills (pictured on right), we have moved locations eight times. We want to remember and reflect on this remarkable year. We are thankful for the many people who have served the church during this difficult year of ministry. Most of all, we give thanks to God for leading us and preserving us through the storm.
Reflections by Tracy Ong
To be honest, much of last year feels like a blur to me, haha. But, there are some memories I will always remember. I remember the confusion and panic when Marshall Elementary told us we couldn't meet there anymore and every single time there was a problem with the livestream (which happened frequently in the beginning!). I remember carefully marking up the many pages of protocols issued by the county and state and writing ones for IGC. I remember recruiting volunteers for my reopening task team, which kind of felt like enlisting people to join the army. I remember participating in our church's mask-making assembly line, which made me feel like I was a part of Blue Star Moms. In particular, I remember one Sunday at 3Crosses when the Internet didn't work. My brain was scrambling to think of what we could do. We resorted to using Zoom on my phone to stream the service, and I remember feeling bad that my phone kept moving and parts of my head/face kept showing up on the screen :p
I remember being grateful for and in awe of the pastors and elders and how they shepherded (and continue to shepherd) our church through this pandemic. It has not been easy to lead a church during this time, and our pastors/elders have done so with much grace and faithfulness. I remember the spirit of teamwork and camaraderie we shared, and that even though we didn't agree on everything, we had discussions that led to decisions we all supported. I will always remember their love for the church, their desire to honor God in every decision we made, and their dependence on Him. I will say it again and again: we have amazing, God-fearing leaders, guys.
Most of all, I remember God's provision and goodness to us. Without a doubt, He has led us this whole time and sustained us - and He will continue doing so! People have faithfully stepped up to volunteer and have generously given/lent us their cars, equipment, homes, and time. I remember the staff at 3Crosses, who were so hospitable and accommodating and even prayed for us when we visited. I remember the encouraging emails I received. I remember how crazy it was when HARD issued a permit for us to have service at San Felipe. So many small miracles. God is able. Jehovah Jireh. God is good. God has been, is, and will continue to be with us. All glory be to Him!
Reflections by David Yi
A year ago (!), when I was unofficially deputized as part of the IGC LiveStream Geek Squad™, I remember the excitement, anxiety, and pressure of producing a livestream each week. There was this feeling that we could provide this small gift to people who had suddenly been stripped of the presence of their brothers and sisters. For me, I had the livestream crew in my house each Sunday, and just seeing them in the flesh each week felt like a (somewhat guilty?) privilege. But we missed the singing, the communion, the fellowship, the faces. We were just coping as a church.
In the midst of the learning curve and technical challenges of live-streaming (and caring for a newborn), one of the most memorable "coping" mechanisms for me was the Saturday night IGC Counter-Strike Crew®. 1) We got to have some community over headsets and first person shooters, and 2) We put our livestream rig through its paces in a GPU-intensive, bandwidth-sensitive stress test. 2 birds, 1 stone! So big shout out to the CS-GO squad for their contribution to my coping, and the success of our livestream!
For sure, I'll never take for granted the physical gathering of the church again. In 1939, in an underground seminary in Germany, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, "The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer... The believer feels no shame when he yearns for the physical presence of other Christians... It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us. Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God’s grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren." I love y'all and thank God for our church.