“Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations” (EPIC) is a research project that has been — you guessed it — exploring how the COVID pandemic affected congregations. Recently they published a short blog post by Rev. Miluska E. Silencio, a self-described Latina church planter. She finds some interesting parallels between her past experience as a clergyperson during lockdown, and her current experience as a clergyperson during ICE crackdown:
“I believe this shared pandemic ministry experience applies to our current crisis: ICE targeting Latinx immigrant communities — documented or not — through profiling and detention without due process. Now more than ever, churches must pivot to serve immigrants who fear entering sanctuary locations. Ministers must become traveling churches, going to them and applying the adaptability lessons learned during COVID-19…..”