By Chantalé Fletcher
THE Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago (PCTT) has adjusted to the new normal brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This according to Moderator The Right Revered Joy Abdul-Mohan speaking at the PCTT’s First Annual Virtual Convention held on Saturday.
She said that since March 2020, the PCTT had adjusted to the “new normal” which was not new any longer.
Abdul-Mohan said, “This bought us to some trepidation, doing something new.”
She said, “There is no doubt that this First Virtual National Convention will not be the same as an in-person convention, because we are living in unique times.”
Abdul-Mohan said, “Way before the pandemic hit, churches, including ours, were struggling with the question of how to be more relevant and compelling in our context, as many have been wondering what the future holds for the church and whether they will be able to survive?”
She said, “We have known for a long time that to be the church in Covid-19 and beyond, we need to make a paradigm shift and transform the model by which the church functions.
“For the church to survive, it needs to be robust in its missional focus and identity by seeking out the ostracised and marginalised through active pastoral care.”
Abdul-Mohan said, “The PCTT cannot be inwardly oriented but must embrace its reformed heritage and missional responsibility yet it’s hard when we have grown accustomed being church only within four walls and not going beyond these walls. This Global Pandemic taught us more about what it means to be the church beyond four walls.
“The PCTT did not stop existing because our church buildings were closed. Covid-19 did not stop us from being church, rather it clarified what being the church meant and compelled us to engage in the missional opportunities in our current changing context.”
She said, “The work and mission of God’s church must not cease in a time of crisis. We can use this new experience as an opportunity for spiritual growth and to strengthen relationships, and in doing so, we will enter new unexplored areas of ministry and servant leadership.”
