Ministries Respond to COVID-19 at SELU
(HAMMOND, La.) As Louisiana enters Phase 3 of reopening, on-campus ministries at Southeastern Louisiana University continue serving the community to the best of their ability while still keeping the safety of students in mind.
At Southeastern, there are three primary ministries at the edge of campus, these being: the BCM, the St. Albert CSA and the Southeastern Wesley. These ministries would typically be gathering places for students to relax, study and socialize in any normal semester, but with the rise of COVID-19, they’ve had to apply new strategies to continue operation.
Although some events have ceased or moved to digital-only, the free lunches provided by each of these ministries have remained, with each organization following a similar approach. Ministry members stand at the door handing out containers of prepared food, typically provided by other local churches.
According to Pastor Sam Hubbard, the Southeastern Wesley even increased to handing out free lunches three times a week during the summer while waiting for the CSA and BCM to return.
Typical church services and events have also been hit hard, although yet again, the churches have found various ways to continue to be inclusive and reach out to their communities.
At the BCM, hours of operation are limited to a few hours in the afternoon each day. According to the BCM intern, Emily Lay, there are also many virtual get-togethers done using Zoom such as “Late Nights” on Thursdays.
Wednesday afternoon meetings at the CSA have had limited capacity compared to past semesters so they now offer virtual attendance.
On a related note, Sister Renée Daigle, assistant director of St. Albert Catholic Church, said that the church has been having four Masses on Sunday and has expanded the typical sanctuary to allow more people to attend while still adhering to social distancing.
Out of concern for the safety of individuals who live in their building, the Southeastern Wesley has moved all of their gatherings to online for the time being. Thankfully, these gatherings are based heavily on dialogue. The larger issue is however the inability to reach out to as many people as in the past.
“Really the only component that’s missing is the personal interaction,” Hubbard explained. “In the past, we would have people staying here almost all day, and you know the conversations that you miss out on and the fun you would have… that’s the big one.”
According to all three organizations, opening up more and getting back to normal will be based on policies of Southeastern, and so while they’re limited in what they can do for the time being, the leaders and members are taking the necessary changes in stride.
