Congregations find new ways to connect in the age of COVID-19
Rev. Pete Harris at Sharon United Methodist Church, broadcasts a "short take" for Facebook Live late last week.
During these strange days of self-imposed quarantines, cancellations, and closures, life for those who regularly attend church services is being deeply affected by the recent and rapid changes to this integral part of their lives.
Most local churches have closed their doors and have shifted to online platforms. Even the few who had determined to remain open, at least for quiet prayers with parishioners, were deterred by the publication Saturday of a message from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office:
“Washtenaw County Health Department recommends the cancellation of faith-based gatherings or in-person services of any kind. Instead, consider posting sermons on social media, hosting group meetings via video chat, setting up text or phone trees to check-in with members. We must all do our part to protect our health and the health of others, particularly our most vulnerable community members.”
Indeed, many of those “most vulnerable” are also the elders in our society or those whose compromised immune systems make them more susceptible to illnesses like the coronavirus.
As Pastor Chris Kurtz, of Emanuel Church, says, “Those who have a lifelong connection to the church—our older members—are a blessing.” But those are the same members about whom pastors are most concerned. They are also less likely to be reached by email or other online platforms.
“That’s the biggest challenge for us,” Kurtz said. “They don't use computers, they aren't on Facebook. To keep those folks connected to what is happening in the church, we had to step back from technology a bit and go back to the 'Dark Ages’—we use the old standby of the telephone.”
Like many other local churches, Kurtz is currently doing recorded services that he describes as “very limited, very abbreviated from what we would normally do on Sunday morning.” The service is recorded on Thursdays, set up to be posted to Facebook at the regular church hour of 10 am Sunday, and is posted to the church website, www.emanuelucc.org, on Monday morning.
At St. Mary Parish in Manchester, Fr. Bosco Padamattummal is celebrating “private Masses,” without a congregation present, each day in the church, offering them for parishioner intentions. The Sunday Mass at St. Mary, also offered by Fr. Bosco, is video recorded on Saturday evening and immediately posted to the parish website, stmarymanchester.org and in the "Posts" section of its Facebook page.
Parishioners are also made aware that there are online and television Masses available on both Sundays and each day of the week at EWTN (Dish 261 and Comcast 393 or online at https://video.ewtn.com/daily-mass/ and at “Word on Fire.”
Community Bible Church, too, has shifted its ministry online. “We currently have weekly sermons available on our website communitybiblemanchester.org," said Pastor Ron Clark. “I am sharing a series titled, “A Biblical Response to COVID-19.”
He added that the church stands ready and willing to help or counsel anyone in need, and can be reached at 428-8709.
Pastor Dillon Burns of Manchester United Methodist Church explains that they are doing things “differently” now in light of the stay-at-home order by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last Monday.
“We've closed our building and are offering our worship as a live stream online through YouTube,” he says. “For the first two weeks, we streamed from the church sanctuary with fewer than five volunteers. We are continuing to stream our worship but now are doing it from my house while including music and readings that were pre-recorded by church members and included in the live feed. We've had good attendance and heard from many that it's been a good way to maintain a sense of normalcy by continuing to ‘go’ to church in a very unusual time!”
Knowing that not everyone has internet access, the church also produces an "at-home" worship guide each week with suggestions for how to worship with a small group in your home. This guide is shared on the church website, manchesterumchurch.org, and by mail. For more information, contact 428-8495.
In addition to worship, Rev. Burns has also begun a weekly video chat study on the Psalms as another way to virtually gather. The church youth group is also meeting over video chat.
Out at Sharon United Methodist Church, Rev. Pete Harris is currently "live streaming" an abbreviated service on his personal Facebook page, Sundays at 10:30 a.m. The service is also listed as an audio file with the bulletin and sermon text available on the web site www.sharonumchurch.org.
The church also has a team reaching out to all the members/friends of the congregation each week, via phone calls, email, and other methods. And Harris is doing a series of two or three “short takes” during the week as well, that are published on Facebook.
“Our sign out front says it all: ‘God loves you. How can we help?’” Harris says. Call 428-0996 if you need to find out.
Pastor Gary Page at Victory Baptist Church, has currently suspended all services. Although he originally planned to be present for prayer during the 10:30 hour on March 29, and had designated seating at least six feet apart, Page was forced to cancel even that plan at the last minute due to the recommendations issued Saturday. All other services for the the coming week remain suspended, as well.
“I will continue to take it week-by-week,” he said. Victory Baptist Church phone number is 428-7506.
Churches, of course, continue to reach out and connect with all of their members. It’s what they do, whether or not there’s a health crisis going on. At Manchester UMC, members are coordinating and connecting those who can go grocery shopping with those who aren't comfortable or shouldn't be out shopping right now.
“We do also have some who are regularly connecting with our more senior and homebound/'shut-in' members over the phone,” Burns added. “We are living out our belief that we can be the church from anywhere—and we are finding that extraordinary times require extraordinary love and grace.”
St. Mary is also doing a parish-wide Bible study that began last fall and was to have lasted a full year, called "Genesis to Jesus.” Now that it is no longer possible to meet in person, Deacon Dennis and Lynn Waldecker, who coordinate the series, have made it available online to everyone (even those who might not have had time to participate up until now!) You can find it at this link: https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aku2ORF4gf9w_RV2PfkYoYpd3DyF?e=PZaF2p
At Emanuel, Kurtz continues to meditate on how to make Holy Week and Easter Services a little unique, to stand out from the simple online presence he’s already established.
“How in the world do you do an Easter Sunday service?” he asked. “No matter what, it will be so different from anything any of us have ever experienced.”
Larger, mega-churches are used to doing a lot of technology during their special worship services, with bands, light shows, and more, he says. “But churches like ours, especially now that it’s out of necessity that we’re doing this, we are all just trying and learning as we go along,” he muses. “We’re going to try to do something meaningful for our folks.”
At St. Mary’s, the fellowship and outreach projects go on in different ways, despite social distancing. A parish-wide Lenten charity project was to prepare Easter food baskets for Manchester Family Services to distribute (including ham, canned baked and green beans, potatoes, olives, applesauce, carrots, crescent rolls, and frozen apple pie). In spite of the stay-home order, bags managed to get filled and are being given to MFS to distribute before Easter. Parish volunteers also have been calling members on the parish list to check on their well-being and offer the support of the church with any needs—practical as well as spiritual or prayer needs. Call (734) 428-8811 if you need assistance. Father Bosco is also coordinating with other area ministers as the parish supports community efforts against COVID-19.
Churches may also struggle financially through times like these. Some, like St. Mary, had a major financial impact when forced to cancel half of its scheduled Fish Fry dinners (a major fundraiser). They still rely on Sunday giving donations being sent to the parish office or given via the online option on its website. “Fortunately the parish has a healthy financial situation, and generous parishioners,” said Janet Shurtliff, on behalf of the church.
At Emanuel, too, giving can be done either online or via mail, but another option is to stop outside the church’s back door when the administrative assistant’s office is open. “People can honk their horn and she can run down for ‘curbside pickup’ of your offering,” Kurtz said with a chuckle. You can call the church at 428-8359.
Check out the options for mail or online giving at your own church by contacting them by phone or checking the church website.
A major concern is having congregants get “out of the habit” of church-going as we linger on in this time of quarantine. “People find out it’s comfortable to watch the service online in their pajamas,” Kurtz says. “It’s not a bad thing, but we wonder how it might impact us long term.”
He concludes on an optimistic note, however: “I haven't been here a year yet, and this isn't what I imagined my first year in ministry here being like, but I have to say our people at Emanuel are doing a great job of taking care of one another,” he said. “This is a tightly-knit community and everyone really wants to do what they can to help their neighbor and help the community. Everyone is invested in the health of this community—not just physical, but emotional and financial as well. My wife Jamie and I are happy and thankful to be part of this community at this time. We would love to be able to be closer to our far-flung family, but this is our home now and we've grown in a short time to love the people and the community.
"We can't imagine being anywhere else than with these folks at this time.”
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