When Jesse North became pastor of Wrightsville Presbyterian Church in August, he knew he was facing a challenge. Not only was the church navigating its way through changes brought on by COVID-19, but it was also North's first appointment as a pastor. Thanks to his hard work and the passion of the congregation, the church is thriving.

"I took over in the middle of a pandemic, which is a heck of a time to start," said North of taking the helm at the church, located at 205 N. Second St. "I've been super impressed by the congregation. I've appreciated their flexibility and creativity, along with their deep values for serving other people, serving the community and being a blessing to people around them."

North said the church is doing well thanks to creative ideas such as outdoor worship during warmer months before shifting to indoor worship this fall.

"We were trying our best to be together, to offer a worship opportunity for anyone," he noted.

Then, new restrictions and rising COVID-19 numbers prompted the church to shift to online worship. When his 16-year-old son was diagnosed with COVID-19, North said he got to see the heart of the church members in a personal way.

"My family experienced this loving congregation firsthand," he noted. "They just flooded our house with meals. We felt supported and loved."

At Christmastime, the church continued to find creative ways to worship, including holding an outdoor Christmas Eve service in the pouring rain.

"It was a 10-minute service. We held glow sticks instead of candles, and it really rained hard, but people still showed up," North said.

The church is currently providing Sunday worship at 10 a.m. on its YouTube channel and Bible study via Zoom at noon on Wednesdays. Starting this month, it will offer online Communion as well. "We are going to try this," North said. "We're asking members to gather the elements at home and set up a Communion table of sorts."

North, who worked for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for 22 years prior to coming to Wrightsville Presbyterian, said he's been nothing but impressed by the congregation and its desire not only to help others, but also to support one another.

"Everybody says it must be so hard to be a new pastor (who started in) 2020, and it is hard," he stated. "There are some people in our congregation who I haven't even ever seen their faces. ... But I'm getting to know the depth of this congregation in other ways. People are doing their best with what we have. They are not complaining. It's really been amazing to come in and be a part of this church. God is in this, even though we're in this miserable time. God is with us."