Reflections and Questions as 2020 Ends

What didn’t happen in 2020 changed all of our lives, personally, and as a community.

There was no General Conference Session. No election of new officers. The long-awaited meeting had to be postponed. Zoom became the meeting place of Executive Committees and local church boards. Local worship services moved online. Sabbath School classes seemed to prosper on Zoom where presenters and attendees were suddenly able to gather from far flung living rooms. Simply switching on the home computer could make it possible to discuss the weekly lesson with people from across the world as well as from across town. The changes to our church life in 2020 were many. Through all the turmoil of the year, we found each other, talked, shared news and books, and worshipped together.

The economic changes wrought by the pandemic made all of us nervous. As an organization that lives on the generosity of its readers, we here at Spectrum worried about what would happen to our financial base. To our great relief and gratitude our readers stood by us.

Thank you to each and every one who made a year-end donation to Spectrum. You are the light in the midst of this dark murky year for us. You have given us the ability to look ahead to 2021 with confidence.

There are a few hours left in 2020 for those of you who still wish to make a contribution, still want to support the media that you depend upon.

Who knows what 2021 will bring? Will enough people be able to gather in Indianapolis in May to form a quorum for the business of the General Conference to take place? Or will the Session again be postponed? What will the ongoing effect of the pandemic do to our schools? What changes will we see growing out of the 2020 social justice movement? Will local churches play a more dominant role in the Seventh-day Adventist community? How will your church-life change?

There will be much to discuss in 2021. We look forward to the conversation and invite your support and participation in Spectrum as the place for community through conversation.

Again, our thanks for your support in 2020. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for you.

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Bonnie Dwyer is editor of Spectrum.

Photo by Danil Aksenov on Unsplash

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