Community comes together through online learning, music and prayer

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The community is coming together to bring lessons, songs, and sermons online for anyone in self-quarantine or out of work or school.

Folks all over the world are starting to be or are already quarantined, at home for most hours of the day besides the occasional grocery trip.

Cabin fever may be setting in but there are community members here and in other cities are taking time to bring people together through song, lessons or prayer and it’s all online.

To avoid the risk of spreading the coronavirus, more and more states are encouraging residents to stay inside their homes.

During quarantine, celebrities have gone to social media to help bring everyone together.

John Legend held a free concert on his Instagram and YouTube page. Gal Gadot also posted on her Instagram saying in part, “It doesn’t matter who you are where you’re from, we’re all in this together.” Other stars joined Gadot in singing “Imagine” by John Lennon.

And it’s not just nationally, folks here in South Bend are also taking to the web to help out fellow community members.

“I have several different books. I have books for preschool children. Brown bear on popsicle sticks so they can interact. And I asked people to send me the names of the children so I can give them a shout-out,” Jennifer Robinson said. She used to be a teacher and said that with schools closing, she wanted to help students continue learning in a fun way.

“I think it’s very important. If children miss, just even in the summertime, they go back several grade levels. I just think it’s important to have a story-time so mom and dad don’t have to read all the time,” she said.

She’ll Facebook live Monday through Friday, 2 times a day, starting next Monday at 11. And she’s not the only one in South Bend to help others through Facebook.

“We felt the only way to stay connected as a congregation was to go online,” Mark Lantz, a Pastor at Christian Center Church said.

Letting residents know that South Bend has their back.

“That isolation I think intensifies the emotional fear many people have but when there’s a community they know they have where they can come together, even if it’s online, they can come together they can encourage one another,” he said. “That just alleviates, calms those fears where we can just encourage each other. We can get through this.”