Recently I had the opportunity to interview Sarah Knisely, a licensed Clinical Counselor, mother and wife of Steve Knisely - the Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church of East Liverpool (Western Reserve District). During this COVID-19 Crisis Knisely has seen a great need to be a resource for people’s mental health. She has taken it upon herself to host weekly sessions via Facebook live videos on the church’s Facebook page to help people work through their feelings of fear, doubt and anxiety, and how those emotions intersect with and inform their faith. Each session centers on one topic and combines time in Bible study, discussion and practical guidance in dealing with the challenges that topic brings into an individual’s life.
These sessions with Sarah take place every Wednesday evening at 8:30pm on the church Facebook Page. You can find the page at facebook.com/FUMCEastLiverpool or by searching First United Methodist Church of East Liverpool. All of the previous sessions are archived and shareable so feel free to watch and invite others you feel could benefit from these videos.
Sarah’s story is just one of many that are happening right now in our conference. Please email us at communications@eocumc.com with stories of how your congregation or faith community is answering the call of Bishop Malone to reach out to your community in creative ways now, during this time of COVID-19 pandemic and into the future.