At Spokane’s Side by Side Ministry, the words “volunteer” and “client” don’t really exist. Instead, people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and those without such challenges who have come alongside them in friendships have created their own term: Side-by-Siders.
One year of unoccupied houses of worship, of virtual services, of online community – I can’t help but wonder how this will forever impact U.S. congregations. I feel honored that I actually get to be part of a research team that gets to study this. It’s aptly called the EPIC project – Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations: Innovation Amidst and Beyond COVID-19.