Looking back at the OneWord Journal posts for 2020 is like reliving the year in a mostly good way. The year started like any other, and the posts reflected our unsuspecting journey into the year. Then the pandemic brought new layers of content and connection for us as we related to each other electronically. As the church moved online and with so much of our lives focused in our homes, especially in the early months, OWJ became a resource for connecting like never before since its beginning.

Here are some highlights by category.

FIRST PERSON STORIES:

Missionaries shared how they were coping those first weeks of the pandemic in Global Voices for a Global Pandemic.

College Church evangelist Daniel Bair gave us an inside glimpse of Englewood Family Outreach and its decisions about ministry early on in the pandemic in Stay at Home to Save Lives

Thoughts on the way to work in The Why of God’s Details from Marilyn Papierski

Susan Zimmerman’s search for a summer comet In Search of Neowise brought her face to face with something much bigger.

FOR CHILDREN

Kids’ Harbor scrambled to give children and families resources online as the Sunday morning classrooms stood empty for months. There were Bible stories read by teachers and leaders in a series of resources for viewing at home.

There were puppet shows produced where a room in a home became a video studio. Here’s the Story of Esther.

MUSIC

H.E. Singley shared a series of hymns and devotionals for us to listen to and reflect on while at home. The first was Like a River Glorious.

We also enjoyed songs of glory and gladness from Pastor Erik Dewar and his team. Here’s His Glorious Grace We Praise.

The brass ensemble’s Doxology

MEMORY PIECES

Di DiLeonardi recalled a childhood recipe story for community.

Pat Cirrincione’s At the Heart of Home is Freedom recalled and looked forward to “home.”

John Maust’s Undeserved shared a lesson on giving from his childhood.

Lorraine Triggs’s Off My Pedestal remembered a trip to London as she riffs on statues and the Savior.

POETRY and SHORT FICTION

A poem from Dan Haase Wounded Peace

Waiting in Line, a short story from Wil Triggs, brought both doubt and wonder.

PRAYERS

Elder Tom Nussbaum allowed us to reprint a prayer he prayed in morning services.

Pastor Josh Stringer’s prayer through Psalm 121

Pastor Wendell Hawley’s prayers always speak. Here’s one we posted from September.

VIDEOS

A video of Psalm 121 gave us a pandemic reflection

Another video of Psalm 122 gave us glimpses of pre-pandemic churches (ours and others around the world) engaged in worship with no masks or no social distancing.

A video encouragement for Outreach from Luis Orellana