Isolated Church: Week Seven – Loss

Grow with God during the COVID-19 lockdown. Short on time? Scroll down for a lite option!

Week seven: Loss…

Loss is something that has and will affect us all at some point, if not already. It could be that you have lost a loved one, it could be that you are angry about losing the opportunity to go away or celebrate a birthday with friends. You could be sad at the loss of your school prom. We want to share with you some stories of our persecuted family, who despite huge loss, are able to cling onto Jesus. When our lives are turned upside down by loss, the amazing promises in the Bible, and our loving heavenly Father, stay the same – and that’s something really worth knowing and depending on. So, dig into this week’s material and let us know what you think!

Before you jump in, we also know that during this global crisis our church family around the world are in need. The losses that we are experiencing are being shared by Christians who are really struggling during this outbreak. In India, many Christians come from poorer communities. Being on lock-down means they can’t work, which means no money for rent or food. And this is where we can stand with them, providing what they need whilst restrictions are still in place. Please check out the new coronavirus crisis appeal here, take on a fundraising challenge, share the link and help your church family around the world. Thank you!

Week seven: Reflection download…

Download this little devotional for prayers, stories, activities and some Bible stuff to help you lean into God despite the fear and doubt that you may be experiencing through this crisis! Reading through, with some time to stop, think and pray, shouldn’t take no longer than 20 minutes max, but take your time, we want this stuff to sink in for you! This reflection works alongside the video, so you can either stream it or download a copy…

Download the Isolated Church ‘Loss’ reflection…

Download the ‘Isolated Church – Loss’ Video reflection…

Short on time? Only got ten minutes?

If you haven’t got loads of time or aren’t a big reader, don’t panic, you can still use the materials. Try this:

  • Download the reflection watch the video.
  • Reflect on the questions, then read Marian’s story.
  • Pray the final prayer. You’ll be done in under 10 minutes.

Simple.

Week Seven: Youth leader notes…

We’ve also adapted the reflection above to give you some ideas and content to use in a virtual youth group setting. Have a look at the notes below to see how you can work through the stories, discussion points, prayers and activities with your group in an online chat. You don’t have to use all the material, see what will work for you.

Download ‘Isolated Church: Loss’ leader notes…

If you’d like one of our team to join your youth group via video – we’d love that! We’re often out speaking at Youth Groups and events and would be happy to present a quick thought or devotional to help your group grow through the current crisis. If you’re interested, then drop us a line at youth@opendoorsuk.org…

That’s it for this week. Thanks for checking out the resource. We hope you’ve found it useful, challenging and inspiring. Let us know what you think and tell us any things you’d like us to cover in future weeks too. Drop us a line at youth@opendoorsuk.org – we’d love to hear from you.

Want to access other Isolated Church reflections?

Head to the Isolated Church landing page to download all the reflections we’ve produced so far.

We support people who are beaten, tortured,
imprisoned, falsely accused, and hated simply for following Jesus.