So many of our discussion groups migrated to an online format during the pandemic. A few months ago, many areas began to see circumstances that allowed them to have safe in-person gatherings again. We all celebrated this! Although we are realizing that our pandemic struggles are far from over, we wanted to share the story of one group that stuck with it and endured through the “Zoom Age” of BEMA.
The following is from Walt & Teresa, sharing their experience and some wise words:
Greetings from one of your Atlanta BEMA Discussion Groups. We started as three to five couples meeting once a week for a year or so before the pandemic. Discussing BEMA episodes and the supporting materials each week has been a spiritual lifeline, so we were not about to let a quarantine make us give that up. We started meeting via Zoom back in March of 2020.
Although it is not the same as meeting in person, it has worked amazingly well for us. Barriers like traffic, distance, weather, meeting room size, and, thanks to the shutdown, even schedules, were removed. Our coordinator sends out the episode and a Zoom link each week and whoever can join in does. We now have an average of twelve people who meet weekly on Zoom, and it has even allowed us to have our friends from Florida and California join us from time to time.
As things started to open up again, we had a potluck dinner as our first in-person gathering in months. For some of us, it was the first time we had met—but we all felt like old friends.
Our challenge going forward is finding the balance of the flexibility and availability that online meetings offer with the warmth and energy that in-person meetings offer. It is a challenge we welcome! Either way, we plan to continue discussing BEMA episodes every week. (And we are just starting Session 3.)
