When 2020 began, who could have ever imagined just where we’d be by July? With the global pandemic, our lives have taken quite a turn. While the effects of COVID-19 have been horrific all around the world, the infection rate has worsened in my country. Without clear and decisive leadership using actual science and making sure every citizen has access to personal protective equipment and accurate testing, there is very little chance that the infection rate will slow down any time soon.

On top of that, some police officers have felt empowered to use their authority to oppress, harass, and kill Black and Brown people. When four police officers killed George Floyd, it was only one of the latest cases to inspire a global movement for racial justice. But it’s not just police officers who feel they have the right to detain, harm, or kill people. A White father and son team shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery and were filmed by a friend doing it. Ahmaud was jogging while Black. Thank God they are all being charged with murder. Protests for justice, for George, Ahmaud, Breonna, Tony, and so many others are still happening every day in major cities across America and around the world! This feels like a real moment for change. I pray that it is.

We humans enjoy connecting. We connect with family members on special occasions. Many of us enjoyed the weekly connections with friends at Sabbath services when they were allowed, and we look forward to returning to those times again.

Connecting allows us to catch up on each other’s lives—travels, special occasions, celebrations—or give support to others during stressful times. We get to share new information, maybe new places to visit, learn new information, or give support that someone else needs. That’s how we can enrich someone else’s life and, in turn, have our own lives enriched and improved. Connecting in person is valuable because you can sense each other’s joys and challenges and give hugs and personal responses. In-person, connections are great.   

SDA Kinship wants to give you all the resources possible to help fill your time during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place.

 A Week at Quest Learning Center

BY JERRY MCKAY

By the end of the first week of September 1982, I had decided to relocate to Pennsylvania for counseling. The first thing I had to do was to call Perry in Japan, because my decision would require his finding a teacher to replace me on short notice. At $3.00 per minute, our call was brief. Perry said that any inconvenience my decision might cause did not concern him. Rather, he was concerned for me. After sharing a few details about my visit with Colin, I thought I had put Perry’s reservations to rest. That was not the case. Two days later, Perry called back.

Perry feared that my life—in fact, my whole identity—would become organized around homosexuality instead of a bigger paradigm—my maleness within a Christian framework. He was concerned that by going to Reading, I would establish and reinforce my identity through a sexual framework by being with and talking to other homosexuals, day in and day out. I thought Perry’s concerns were legitimate, but my ship named “Identity” had already set sail.