Charity in the Age of COVID
How to touch a world you aren’t supposed to touch.
“What can I do to help?” This is the question I asked myself as I sat in my mother-in-law’s house during my state’s COVID-19 shelter in place order. This wasn’t a question I thought was going to be asking in March of 2020. I was supposed to be house sitting in Europe with my husband for our honeymoon. But now, as millions of people were losing their jobs because of COVID, I wanted to know how I could help them. And if so, how to do it virtually.
I looked at what the current needs were and what I had and what I could do within the limitations of the shelter in place rules to meet those needs. I learned that many people who had jobs could no longer do them at the moment. They were in this waiting period until things opened up and they could go back to work. I also learned that not everyone was getting their stimulus check or receiving unemployment checks, which would greatly assist them during that period of economic uncertainty.
I took inventory of what I had at my disposal to meet needs and realized that while we were separated by distance, we were still able to connect with each other over social media. I also knew that there were people like my husband who were able to keep their job and work remotely, and therefore were in a beautiful position to help others.
With all this in mind, I created Acts423- an Instagram account and Facebook page as an avenue in which needs could be shared, and givers could be connected to meet these needs. As I was working out the details of how this could play out, a passage in Acts 4 came to my mind. Jesus had recently risen from the dead, the Holy Spirit had come upon believers, and the church was spreading throughout the Roman empire. In Acts 4, the disciple Luke describes this early church movement:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. Acts 4:32-35
The sentence “No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had” really stood out to me. This view that, what I have is not my own but actually a resource given to me to share with others, was a view I wanted to encourage all believers to embrace especially during this time when the needs are so high.
Based on that verse, Acts432 was created. I would receive a need and then post the need on the Instagram and Facebook page. Then people would directly message the account letting me know they wanted to give and I would connect them to a path to give that was best to meet the need. The needs ranged from a utility bill, to money for basic needs, to rent payments.
The most incredible thing was to see how fast needs were met. Sometimes within a 24 hour period, the entire need was met. I was encouraged by the Acts 4:32 mentality people had. I witnessed how people saw their possessions not as their own but as something they had to share. It was exciting to see how God can use anything to meet needs.
This invitation to make a difference with the people around you is an invitation everyone has. As COVID-19 continues to impact our communities, I would encourage you to look at the current needs, what resources you have available, what you could do within the limitations around COVID-19. Jesus once took 5 loaves and 2 fish and fed over 5,000 people. And get this: Jesus isn’t the one who brought the fish to the table. It was the child. Jesus merely multiplied what was offered in obedience from an unlikely protagonist with a plate of food. What might Jesus do with whatever scraps you handed over?