Stories

In May 2020, the leadership of The Orchard decided to resume in-person services following their suspension during the beginning months of the Covid-19 pandemic. Because we were both considered to be in a high-risk category for contracting the virus, we decided that we would not attend services in person. As a result, we felt that we needed to step away from the Welcome Team at our Itasca congregation where we both served. This was a big disappointment because we loved serving in this way. Within a few days of our decision to step away from the Welcome Team, the Lord opened a new opportunity for us to serve Him. We were asked if we would be willing to consider joining The Orchard Online to serve on a new platform as online hosts where we would interact, in chat, with those attending the services. We attended the informational meeting on Zoom and prayed about where the Lord would have us serve. After praying, considering the circumstances, and the timing of this request, we felt that the Lord had led us to serve in this way. During our time of service, it was a blessing and a joy for us to interact with those attending the services. Many times, there were people attending from other states. It was especially meaningful for us to enter the private chat room to pray with those attendees who requested prayer. We are thankful that the Lord called us to serve Him in this ministry.