An Update: Pandemic Life in Intentional Community

Dear Beloved in the Desert friends,

Thank you for your prayers and support over the past months as Beloved in the Desert's Corps Members, Board, and I sorted out how to respond to the Pandemic's risks and the continued calling and commitment to pray, serve, and live in intentional community. I have been inspired by the community, Elaine, Maxine, Suzanna, Jess, and Alex, who have demonstrated profound faithfulness, prayerfulness, hard work, resiliency and flexibility in the midst of all of the adjustments that the pandemic has required. Each partner non-profit placement site has shown inspiring leadership in making quick adjustments to their essential services, many of whom have had to expand due to need. Thank you for your prayers for them!

In addition to their life’s rhythm together as a community, they are doing all that they can to stay healthy and stay home as much as they can. They have been practicing precautions while also delivering prescriptions, preparing food, shopping for immunocompromised people, and staying engaged with their adjusted formation schedule via zoom. This extended into planning and leading their own worship during Holy Week - a truly holy time from what I have heard and the teary-eyed smiles I have seen.

I am grateful for the help of the national network of ESC Program Directors who have met more in the past month than we probably have in the past two years to compare notes, update protocols, and share best practices. Out of this commitment to one another has come some surprising fruits in the way of creative formation opportunities, an online Q&A for incoming corps members, a weekly service of Compline online across the network, and even an unprompted message from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. 

Thank you all for your support - it's been a great first year marked by quite the season of change. Thank you for your openness to where the Spirit is calling us all into deeper commitment to prayer, service, and community.

In Christ,

Taylor