Slideshow image

As we weather the storm of a global pandemic, we may be calling on both new and familiar resources to find our way through. There are so many different experiences in the midst of this time, whether you are lonely or struggling to care for your family, whether you are anxious or bored, whether you are grateful for the spaciousness of time or slogging through a mental health struggle, whether you are working hard at the frontlines or un/under-employed and weighed down by financial stress. Reach out to the Pastoral Care Team or Pastor Alissa if you need specific resources and support in this time.

Collected here are some prayer and spirituality resources meant to strengthen and comfort. This list isn't at all exhaustive, but it might inspire you to find what fits at this time. You may find it challenging to focus on things that have usually nourished you, and that's normal. Trust what you're drawn to in this moment. Trust that God is holding you through it all, and will continue to work within you.

For reading and looking

A Time such as this: Rejoice! writers reflect during life in the shadow of COVID-19, March 2020. Also download the 2 follow-up devotionals: A Time Enduring and A Time Under Pressure.

Common Prayer, a liturgy for ordinary radicals, is daily prayer you can follow year-round. 
d365 is another daily online devotional. 

Follow the lectionary in your scripture reading, which we often do in Sunday worship. Practice lectio divina with the scriptures.

Lectionary Poetry - Explore the weekly scriptures through the words of poets. Sign up on the Englewood Review of Books website to receive each week's batch of poems in your inbox.

CommonWord at Mennonite Church Canada has many books to borrow or links to other resources. They are continuing to ship loan orders in this time.

Print some mandalas for prayerful colouring.

For listening

Take our moments and our days is a free app version of the Anabaptist Prayer Book. Join other HMCers online for shared prayer with this app on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:30pm (you don't need the app to join, you can just listen and pray).

Pray-as-you-go is a prayerful, musical, scriptural podcast, from the Jesuits. It's not too long (less than 15 minutes) and can set your day in the right space any time of year, including Lent. You can also print the daily prayers from the Sacred Space website.

Listen to (and sing) uplifting music. Just a few ideas: Voices Together videos, Nathan Grieser (songwriter of "I will sing with you"), music from Taizé, hymns from GIA Publications.

Just be silent and open to the movement of God's Spirit.

Spiritual Practices with Children

MennoMedia has provided free home Sunday school resources from the Shine curriculum that we use as a congregation.

Bryan Moyer Suderman (smallTall Ministries) is doing live singalongs on Facebook: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1:23pm.

Illustrated Ministry has been providing free weekly resources during COVID-19, which accompany your HMC bulletin email. Visit their website to find and purchase more resources.

SALT Project has various printable resources geared toward families. If you find something that interests a few HMC families, talk to Pastor Alissa about making a congregational order.

Activities and ideas from Mennonite Central Committee.

Calvin Institute of Christian Worship has compiled a few resources for families.