Wil Triggs

Director of Communications

More than a few years ago, I came into the Commons early on a Sunday morning. I must have been one of the first ones in the church that Sunday. It was just me, it seemed, but no, there was a noise. I turned around and met a stranger, a rather bedraggled man, on the steps going down to the tunnel level.

“Good morning,” the man said to me. We exchanged greetings. He told me that he was homeless, and he asked me if I knew the Seelyes.

“Yes, I do,” I replied, “but they aren’t here yet. It’s too early.”

The man explained that he knew them from years before and was hoping to meet them that Sunday, but, he said, “I really wish I could take a shower.”

Tedd Seelye was one of the first people I met when I moved here. He was a radio communicator who welcomed me to Wheaton with a relaxed warmth. And then I met his wife Joyce, and well, together they were so kind and welcoming. I could see why he wanted to connect with them.

What to do? I couldn’t bring myself to call Tedd and Joyce with a request for an early morning shower from a homeless man, even if they did know him. Unbeknownst to him, they were battling illnesses that would eventually take their lives.

I explained that I was at church early to get some things ready, but I had to go home and pick up my wife and son. “If you wait,” I said, “you can come with me and have a shower at my house, then come back with us for church.”

No, he said, he couldn’t do that. No. But he really wanted one. So, when I was ready to go home, he got in the car with me, and we headed home. I tried calling my wife, but there was no answer. She was probably in the shower herself, I thought. You can imagine the look of surprise when I walked into the house with this stranger and explained the situation.

While he showered, Lorraine made him a makeshift breakfast and then the four of us went back to church for worship.

This year reminds me of that long-ago day. It would be easy to rush right to the pandemic, but we’ve worked to communicate that College Church is for the newcomer and the visitor, not just those who are already here. And the potential for visitors is greater than ever.

Some good pre-pandemic memories of that include Natalie Casey beginning her summer communications internship with us at the Taste of Wheaton event and the many Bibles that people took from our display. The launch of our new logo was a reminder that we want to be true to our past but also adapt to be as friendly and appealing to newcomers as possible. Greeting some newcomers at the bookstall, including some internationals who eagerly took Bibles in their own languages—Mandarin, Swedish, Russian, Korean. Or when I was meeting with John Seward, and we agreed to pray for revival just a few days before the pandemic hit. That’s still a prayer, and one I’m hopeful might bear fruit in the days and weeks ahead.

With online worship our only choice for several weeks since the stay-at-home order, we’ve had some strangers in our church. They haven’t even stepped into our buildings, but they are in our church. Maybe a friend invited them, or they heard about us or they used to come here. Maybe, metaphorically speaking, they’re really just looking for a shower. Let us pray with thanks and anticipation because “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7)

Our current situation with COVID-19 reminds us that God is a communicative God—communication is in his very nature. In times like this, he can use us to speak into the hearts of people who might never consider College Church in a more normal situation. When we get through this pandemic, it will be good for us to remember that online services will continue for those who for whatever reason cannot walk through our physical doors.

Lorraine and I ran into a church member at the grocery store. Lorraine asked if she had seen the new Jesus banners for Easter (hats off to Dave for putting them up twice in two days). She said that she was expecting the usual multi-colored banners of the past. But if there was ever a time for us to put JESUS big and upfront, this is the year.

Moving all of our church efforts online in a week and a half was no small feat. It involved so many in our church spilling well beyond the confines of our communications staff. From the Hallelujah Chorus video (thank you Robin and Adam and the whole cast) at the end of our Easter service (785K+ views as of this writing) to the weekly videos of Kids’ Harbor and STARS lessons and stories to a new online format for Connections and the Annual Report (thank you Tony, Jordan and Jonathan) and a high school podcast (with Zach and Michael).

More changes are coming, with new email communications, expanded social media efforts and a new website and Connections design. But even as channels and vehicles of our communications change and adapt, may the unchanging love of Jesus guide and shape our hearts to be more welcoming next year than we were last year.