Page 31 - PC Issue 14 Summer 2020

Connection
NEWS
Re-Imagining Ministry—Online
presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2020
PRESBYTERIAN
31
By the Rev. Dr. Tim Archibald,
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Calgary, Alta.
I was beginning my annual Silent Re- treat at a local retreat centre on March 15. I had settled into my room, had my first meeting with my spiritual di- rector—and then everything changed. The Government of Alberta announced the indefinite closure of all schools in the province and mandated citizens to stay home as much as possible. The Silent Retreat was postponed, and the next morning our staff at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Calgary, Alta., met for the last time in person until further notice.
That first week we devised a plan and set priorities for our next steps in ministry. It was time to re-imagine and implement our whole ministry—ON- LINE! Our staff began meeting online each day through Google Meet. Al- though the building was closed, our ministry was open as staff adjusted to working from home—answering calls and emails as if we were in the office. Every major crisis brings with it unexpected problems, and also cre- ates unprecedented oppor tunities. We wanted to be able to deal with the problems, and yet seize on the new opportunities that were before us.
Daily video devotionals
Our first priority was communication. It was crucial to keep our congrega- tion engaged, connected, informed and inspired. Many of our families already receive weekly congregational emails. We set out to expand our list and committed to sending five daily
video devotionals each week. Our three ministers took three days of the week, our director of music ministries prepared a musical devotional for one day, and every Monday a different per- son from the congregation offered the devotional. The response has been enthusiastic. People who live alone find that it has given them an every- day connection to community and to people they love. It has also helped to keep the congregation better engaged in Sunday’s live-streamed service by maintaining a flow of ongoing connec- tion and engagement.
Our New Normal of coming together—online
Our Family minister began a “Life Online” study on Philippians every Thursday. One Friday night, younger families were invited to get together and unwind at an “On-wine and Cheese” evening. The youth group, Session and ministry teams began to meet regularly online. Our website was totally reworked to be the central hub for the ministry of St. Andrew’s. “Our New Normal” is a section on our website dedicated to all relevant information for ministry in this new season.
Live-streamed worship
Our second priority was planning weekly live-streamed worship. We had experimented with this earlier in 2020. At that time, we had 10 to 15 people connect with us—mostly seniors from our congregation who were unable to physically attend Sun- day worship.
In preparation for our first live- stream-only Sunday, we engaged a sound technician who assisted our A.V. coordinator in improving the quality of our audio and visuals. Our communications coordinator dispensed with the Sunday bulletin in favour of spending more time on slides and visuals for the online ser-
vice. We sought to keep the number of people in the sanctuary for the live stream to five. A greeter was desig- nated to welcome and engage with people during the service through the chat mode of YouTube. People from the congregation read, lead prayers and share pre-recorded testimony. Since our first live-streamed worship experience, we have included more videos and preaching, as well as live singing and accompaniment for con- gregational song and special music.
Our Faith Formation team collabo- rated on a number of ways to ensure children were also included in the live stream:
• Each Sunday, prior to the start of the service, one of the Sun- day School teachers tells a pre- recorded “Children and Worship” story, employing visual aids.
• Our Family minister also pre- records a “Children’s Time” that is incorporated into the online service.
• Activity sheets related to the scripture reading for the day are sent out by email. These can be printed off for children to engage in during the online service.
The response to online worship has been amazing. It feels as though the walls around our ministry have fallen away, and we are now transparently available everywhere. Our average in-person attendance on Sundays is 250. Through live streaming, we now connect with anywhere between 550 to 750 people—from every province in Canada and beyond. Members have been sharing our worship ser- vices over social media and email. On
it might be the kind of outreach our church could try.
We started out small, with an order of 500 booklets per quarter and one person to deliver them. Today, our distribution of Our Daily Bread has grown to 2,300 booklets per quar- ter with five people who deliver the booklets, as well as the added help of a group of dedicated people who
Easter Sunday when we shared com- munion, one new guest commented, “Thank you for allowing full par ticipa- tion in the grace of communion in a safe place. Wonderful.” Visiting a new church just got a lot less threatening.
This new season is an impor tant ministry opportunity for us—not sole- ly for keeping connected with our own congregation, but also for developing new relationships with those who are seeking spiritual sustenance. In a cri- sis, people are often more aware of a need for God. We want to be available to minister to them and fulfill our vi- sion of Growing. LIFE. Together. With God.
Pastoral care
Pastoral care has been our third pri- ority. We began by phoning every household on our list to check in. Volunteers continued to call those who required regular check-ins and wrote notes on a regular basis to those who are not online.
One couple in our congregation initiated a ministry called “Through the Window,” where they would visit a home and conduct a video-record- ed interview from a safe distance, through the window and over the phone. People would answer ques- tions related to how we are “Growing Life Together with God” in the time of COVID-19. The interviews are then sent out through our congregational email.
Our Pastoral Care minister has ini- tiated “Wonderful Wellness Wednes- days,” where anyone can join online to learn about wellness and spiritual care during this season, or to simply
stamp our church information on the inside prior to distribution. The book- lets are delivered to about 40 busi- nesses, usually once a month. How- ever, some businesses require refills every week. A small plastic box with about 15 to 20 booklets is provided to the businesses depending on the demand.
The Word of God is now in many
talk to some other folk from our com- munity of faith.
Our Side by Side ministry, although on hiatus, has found ways to remain connected with the families in the pro- gram who are living with dementia.
Giving and being the helpers
Giving and being the helpers was our final priority, because mission and ministry are even more crucial at a time like this. Online giving was encouraged through our website, through signing up for pre-authorized remittance and through the old-fash- ioned mailing of cheques.
Volunteers in our congregation have been active throughout this season. The St. Andrew’s Depot of the Calgary Food Bank was reopened to help the considerable need in our community. Health protocols were developed to protect our volunteers and neighbours in need. Our Benevo- lent Fund is aiding our neighbours who find themselves in greatest need. Some volunteers have been dropping off groceries at people’s doors or doing pharmacy runs, while others have been assisting those who need computer or tech support to connect online. Among the do- nations St. Andrew’s received was $600 in Walmart gift cards, which were distributed to families strug- gling to find work in this difficult eco- nomic season.
We are excited by the many ways God is using us in Growing. LIFE. To- gether. With God. As a community, God is making us more flexible, open and creative—all crucial qualities for growing the church in this new era.
hands. We are farmers, planting seeds. This is a very low-mainte- nance method of doing outreach. I encourage your church to consider this endeavour. Since we started dis- tributing Our Daily Bread devotionals four years ago, we have stamped and delivered over 22,000 devotional booklets. Who would have thought that God would use our small church to put out God’s Word in our com- munity? Trust in the power of prayer!
To learn more, visit the Our Daily Bread Ministries website at our- dailybread.ca.
Our Daily Bread: Sharing God’s Word
By Phil Benjamin, Coordinator of
the Our Daily Bread distribution at Forbes Presbyterian Church in Grande Prairie, Alta.
About four years ago, Forbes Presby- terian Church in Grande Prairie, Alta., received a bulletin from Our Daily Bread Ministries—a non-denomi-
national, non-profit organization that produces an extensive range of mate- rials to help people grow in their re- lationship with God, the most notable being the devotional, Our Daily Bread.
The bulletin identified a gentleman in Vancouver, B.C., who was dis- tributing Our Daily Bread devotional booklets around the city. We thought