Kathleen Lanzalotto leads the BTELC through challenging times

Born and raised in New Jersey, Kathleen Lanzalotto became the Director of the Baptist Temple Early Learning Center last year, just as the pandemic hit. At first, the decision was made to shut down the ELC, but the child-care needs of medical personnel and other essential workers led us to reopen.

Leading the training and creation of new protocols, Kathleen created a safer environment for teachers and children. In two weeks, we were back in business. By the end of the year, we acquired a new van and expanded our after school program by providing services to other area schools.

Kathleen always wanted to be a teacher but had been told she was not smart enough. Kathleen has dyslexia, a disorder that makes learning difficult. Refusing to accept limitations, she attended school part-time and earned a Bachelor’s degree in child development and business.

Her personal struggles with traditional learning systems helped her to raise two children with dyslexia. Both achieved academic success. The oldest received an Associate’s degree in cosmetology, the youngest is in college studying to be a doctor and has a 4.0 Grade Point Average.

Following her husband’s death in 2010, Kathleen moved to San Antonio to be closer to family. Having previously operated a Montessori Academy in New Jersey, Kathleen opened an early learning center in San Antonio, applying her academic training and her sensitivity to children who learn differently.

She sold her successful business but soon returned to the field of early childhood learning. Feeling there was more for her to do, Kathleen accepted the position at Baptist Temple. Kathleen wants to take BTELC to the next level, so it becomes the standard for other schools to follow. Our Google rating went from half a star to 4.3 stars in her first year.

Kathleen's leadership has enabled the BTELC to excel through challenging times.  We recently passed all our inspections with no negative observations. Parents are saying, “I’m calling you because you have a five star rating.”

BAPTIST TEMPLE COVID-19 UPDATE 2

After taking the month of April to learn and prepare, we returned to public worship on May 3. Forty-eight gathered (about half our pre-COVID-19 attendance) for our thirty minute service. We followed health official guidelines. Family groups sat together (six feet apart from the others), every other row of pews was closed, and we all wore masks.

We are taking special care with cleaning but that only lasts as long as it takes for the next person to touch a surface. The best way to ensure personal safety is to wear masks (to prevent the transfer of vapors that carry viruses), don't touch your face (to prevent transfer of viruses you might have picked up from a surface), wash your hands (or sanitize) every time you touch a surface (in case you forget not to touch your face.) Gloves are a good idea, too.

Some people are not yet ready to return to church. The people who returned first tended to be essential workers and those who are OK going to Walmart, etc. It's OK not to be ready. People will return when they feel comfortable. That may take a while for some.

The church has over 2000 years of experience with pandemics, most much worse than this. The church returned to the assembly each time. Baptist Temple will survive this, again.

A more recent experience is 9/11. Remember what flying was like before? We came to accept the new restrictions as part of our lives. I don't know how things will look next May but I know we will adapt. Remember when we didn't wear seat belts?

In the meantime, we are still a church that is functioning effectively in the face of this great challenge. Our phone angels are making sure our people are not forgotten. We are becoming more focused on outreach as our visiting angels are reaching out to folks in our community who are in need. Our admin staff is busier than ever navigating the new spiritual and legal challenges. Our early learning center staff have become heroic in their efforts to care for the children of other essential workers.

Bible study is still being conducted via conference calls but we are prayerfully waiting to discern the best scenario for regathering in person. Perhaps, in the future, we will do both.

Another change is that VBS will not happen in the traditional summer way. We are considering making it part of a fall relaunch of Sunday school. There are better days ahead.

Join us, when you're ready, at 10:55 on Sundays.

BAPTIST TEMPLE COVID-19 UPDATE

God has had His hand on Baptist Temple from its beginning. He has protected us and enabled us to do ministry through numerous global, national and local emergencies. Through each one Baptist Temple has listened to God and adapted to the new opportunities revealed within the challenges.

Prior to the COVID-19 emergency, Baptist Temple was strongly positioned for ministry to our community. We had turned our most visible asset, our buildings, into a hub of important services for our community. In doing this, we multiplied our ministry capacity while dividing our expenses. We efficiently and effectively served the spiritual and physical needs of our community. During this time of social distancing, we still operate essential services through our early learning center and funeral office. Meanwhile, our solar panels quietly provide energy for our community, our cell tower keeps folks connected, and our radio antennas keep security alarms on line.

We are ahead of several trends that church consultants have identified for the 21^st Century.

1. Moving from an attractional church model to a missional one. This is a part of Baptist Temple's history and so much a part of who we are that we are surprised and disappointed when a church is not missional.
2. Today churches are built to accommodate 300 worshipers at a time. Large arenas are a Baby Boomer phenomenon whose passing is being accelerated by COVID-19. It seems our sanctuary size fits the new ideal.
3. Multiple worship times are the new expectation. We have offered as many as seven services from seven different churches in multiple languages and styles.
4. A rule of thumb for worship spaces was that filling to 80% of capacity was comfortable. The new post COVID-19 capacity is expected to be 60%. People want more space.

Another of our strengths that, while not a trending, is still God-pleasing, is focusing outreach on the people that other churches overlook: older adults, the poor, the mentally ill and the disabled. While our efforts have been delayed for a season, we have nearly completed our inclusive playground and we will bounce back stronger than ever.

Robert Newman came on staff shortly before the pandemic. This is a clear example of God's hand. His many skills and talents include those that have expanded our internet media communications just when they were most needed. COVID-19 has pushed many churches into the 21^st Century and this will become a growing part of our communications process. We are on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest. We also communicate regularly though our email newsletter, blog, video conference, telephone and mail.

Paths to the future include close contact and small groups. Our phone angels call each of our people on a weekly basis, maintaining close communication while we are apart. When we return, small groups will be a core discipleship strategy. This is not new for us. Sunday school has been at the heart of the explosive growth of Baptist churches for nearly a century. At the same time, parachurch groups such as Campus Crusade and the Navigators used small groups to disciple young people on college campuses and military bases. AA and other 12 step programs use them to help people cope with their pain. Almost all of our members have had experience with one or more of these groups.

I envision a combination of church-based groups, home groups, lunch-time Bible studies, etc. They will be integrated by a support system of training and coaching. The goal will be to help people grow to be more like Jesus, wherever they are on their walk.

Another path for the future is Stephen Ministry. Our highly trained Stephen Ministers will meet one on one with folks who need a little extra grace for a time. The path to the future is a continued focus on the Great Commission:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”

Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)

Responding to a disruptive pandemic

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and 

wept when we remembered Zion 

Psalm 137:1

To better understand and respond to the disruption to society that the Coronavirus has created we can turn to the Bible and study the Babylonian Captivity.

It was the end of worship as they knew it. The Temple was destroyed and the Jews were exiled to Babylon. No more sacrifices at the Temple; the Priests and Levites were left without jobs. It was no longer business as usual but God's people adapted.

Synagogues were organized for prayer and teaching of the Scriptures. The Scriptures became the authoritative and central to worship. They were transcribed using the Hebrew alphabet we know today and men were taught to read it. Scribes and scholars (teacher of the Law) emerged as leaders. When a remnant returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the Temple, the majority remained scattered around the world.

God used these events to shape the world into Jesus which was born. Jews who were able to read the Scriptures were scattered throughout the known world and gathered in synagogues. In Luke 4:16 we read, “He [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read.”

Paul would go from synagogue to synagogue preaching the gospel. In Acts 17:11 we learn, “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

This terrible disruption in the nation of Israel prepared a people who were living in darkness to see a great light. Is the disruption we are experiencing now preparing us for a great movement of God. Is this the beginning or a warning to prepare.

The church has made use of new technologies as they have arrived including printing, radio, telephone, TV, cable, computers and the internet. Technology is moving faster than ever but churches are adapting unevenly. This month churches are using a variety of methods to hold worship services. While the quick action is remarkable, it is possible that the answer goes beyond moving our worship online.

One of the Seven Trends for Churches in 2020 reported by church consultant and author, Thom Rainer, is that worship service size preference is shrinking, Gone are the days of large worship venues. The preferred number is 300 and existing large venues may experience financial strain in the next few decades.

Also, it seems that many people prefer to worship at a time other than Sunday at 11 o'clock. People want options. In the near future, large churches will offer multiple services in smaller sanctuaries.

Baptist Temple has been ahead of the curve with these trends, offering seven worship opportunities on Sunday for groups ranging in size from 150 to 15. During the week an elementary/middle school and an early learning center use our facilities along with numerous service organizations. We have become a vital hub to our community by ministering to both spiritual and physical needs and, by sharing our facilities, we have multiplied ministry while dividing costs.

The world has changed and we need to be prayerfully preparing our next steps. Even if things were to return to they way we were before, we cannot ignore what God has revealed.