In this month of Valentine’s Day, I’ve been thinking about love, namely the hunger people have for real, authentic love and relationships. The U.S. Surgeon General, last year, spoke about the “devastating impact of the epidemic of loneliness and isolation in the United States.” One result of this “epidemic” is people turning to AI apps to receive it. One such app, Paradot, is described as “a digitalized parallel universe where you will meet your one-of-a-kind Al Being.” That being with its own emotion, memory and consciousness will provide a person with the companionship and love that they long for.
I volunteer at a ministry called Inasmuch (IAM) and its director, Mary Ann Mings, sent us volunteers this note last week:
“So yesterday I saw a woman who has never been to IAM; ever. M [the woman’s initial] was very ‘subdued’ as she waited. She came for bus passes, but didn’t know anything about us. She is homeless. I gave her the bus passes, and she didn’t say much. I told her that I would love to pray for her if that was okay. She hesitated and then said nobody has ever prayed for me. I said well I would love to if you are okay with it. She sat there for a minute and said, ‘yes.’ I said, ‘How can I pray for you?’ She said, ‘Love.’ I didn’t say anything so she would continue talking. She told me she has never felt loved, and she would like to feel loved. She said she has always wanted to be in a relationship and be loved. So I prayed for love. When I finished, she was crying.
“As much as the world tries to convince everyone that the world is a Hallmark movie with a happy ending, it isn’t. There are so many people like M who just want to feel loved. Our prayers for them are a form of connection that are not a substitute for a loving partner or a child or a parent, but they are a connection done through the love of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.”
The church is in the perfect position to address this epidemic of loneliness and isolation, and it can be as simple as us offering a person a prayer. How are you and your church responding?
P.S. Fresh Expressions is a model of ministry especially designed to listen to people, meeting them where they are resulting in authentic relationships and Christian community. Check it out!
— Ed Fenstermacher, Associate Director of Church Development
Making Disciples, Transforming Communities 