Page 18 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
ONLINE MINISTRY
A Gift from Covid to St. John’s, Medicine Hat
18
PRESBYTERIAN
SUMMER 2021
presbyterian.ca
Darrell Risk at the sound board and Dave Cruickshank at the monitors.
in the process, the importance of offering an online service—either re- corded or live—as a continuing op- tion. As we made plans to prepare the worship space for our eventual return, we were also considering what tech- nology would be needed. It was time to call in a professional. And it was more than a happy accident that the professional we called also happened to be the son of a retired minister of St. John’s.
Dave Cruickshank owns a busi- ness that offers all manner of tech- specific help here in Medicine Hat. St. John’s hired Dave to give the church’s website a facelift in 2018, and he was happy to help us put to- gether a list of equipment that would help us offer a better online experi- ence. The Session authorized the purchase of a new computer, cam- eras, wireless microphone and as- sorted software that would “get us started.” So, we got started.
By the end of August, Session judged that we could safely resume holding worship in-person, but we did not have our new equipment organized. So, for our first stage of “hybrid worship,” the preacher dou- bled as tech director, running the Zoom meeting from a cart-mounted computer in front of the pulpit, which had to be repositioned to capture the soloist. The Zoom call was recorded,
and the recording was later uploaded to our YouTube channel. (Look at us—we’re innovative and experi- menting!) It was also exhausting.
Gradually, volunteers offered to help with the tech—prompted by a Sunday featuring a guest preacher who was not interested in doubling as tech-director. Darrell Risk took charge of the Zoom meeting and camera positioning. Then the time came to set up our new gear.
Did I mention this plan also re- quired an Internet service upgrade? Of course it did. And once that was complete, the “GOD-CAST control center” was ready to go.
Dave and Darrell now operate a two-camera live stream via YouTube that is also part of the Zoom worship call. It’s a marvellous bit of techni- cal magic that involves Open Broad- cast Software and creating “virtual
cameras” for Zoom participation. The result is that people can wor- ship in person (currently up to 15% of the capacity of the worship space, or 35 people) or by joining the You- Tube live stream, which is simulcast in the Zoom call and embedded on the homepage of St. John’s website while being recorded and archived on the YouTube channel for those who prefer their worship on another day of the week.
The Zoom link is sent out weekly by email, and the YouTube channel is linked through the church website at stjohnsmedicinehat.ca.
Is it perfect? Not at all. Is it cool? We think so. Is it church? Even our least technical members have told us “yes.” And we owe it all to COVID-19.
Read more about the activities taking place in Medicine Hat on page 29.
By the Rev. Jeff Lackie, St. John’s Presby- terian Church in Medicine Hat, Alta.
March 15, 2020, was the day every- thing changed for us. The Session of St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Medicine Hat, Alta., met prior to wor- ship and agreed to “suspend worship” for at least two weeks pending the news about the spread of COVID-19.
Then the fun began.
What should we do? How would we continue to be the church if we couldn’t come to church? A plan de- veloped slowly—and it included one Sunday without any worship options, unless you count the prayers of the minister on an early morning walk as I tried to find enthusiasm for recorded worship offering.
St. John’s first ever “vir tual” wor- ship was recorded from my home
office by dropping shor t videos into a Keynote slideshow, then expor ting the finished product to our newly cre- ated YouTube channel. This was not exactly “Hollywood Nor th,” but it was a way to provide a Sunday morning experience, of a sor t.
Gradually we branched out. Using Zoom, we recorded conversations with members of the congregation about how they were experiencing the COVID-related changes in their lives. We added recorded singers and read- ers. I let myself believe we were riding the cutting edge of change. (Look at us, we’re a virtual church!) And Easter online made way for a summer of... no change.
Session met regularly and the first item of business was always, “How do we return to worship when it’s safe?” Session acknowledged, early
Connected by Traditions in Salmon Arm
The virtual Stations of the Cross during Holy Week.
By the Rev. Ena van Zoeren,
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Salmon Arm, B.C.
One of the things that seemed im- portant to focus on at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Salmon Arm,
B.C., as pandemic restrictions ex- tended for a longer and longer period, was providing ways for people to feel a connection with one another and with the traditions of our worship.
Over the past year, we have tried a variety of things. When we went into the second closure of the church building just before Christmas, there were some traditions that were im- portant for us to keep, even if we could not experience them in the usual ways we’re used to.
First was the pre-service social of warm drinks and cookies prior to the Christmas Eve services. We incorpo- rated an Agape Feast into the service, where those who worshipped from home were invited to gather online with coffee or some other beverage and cookies and share in a simple liturgy. For that service, we included a video of our pianist playing and singing a Christmas carol. Many commented about how they enjoyed hearing a familiar voice. Not too long after Christmas, when two members
of the congregation and the pianist participated in a special service of Lament and Hope to mark the an- niversary of the pandemic, I heard again how good it was to hear famil- iar voices.
Then, in the preparations for Holy Week, our pianist asked me about a Stations of the Cross experience, where one household group at a time could walk through the sanctuary to meditate and pray. I was already plan- ning a Stations of the Cross and was captivated by the idea, so I changed it to work as a walkthrough experi- ence. Only two households signed up to come to the sanctuary, but one couple made a video of their journey through the stations and we shared it during worship. Again, the com- ments people made were about how good it was to hear familiar voices.
This experience tells me that what people are really needing is that sense of community. And while we can’t have it in person, it is enough to hear the familiar voices and see
the familiar faces. What we are do- ing now at St. Andrew’s is having the pianist prepare a prelude in which she sings one verse of a few hymns like the pre-service sing-alongs we used to have. And we are inviting one person to join us on video day to read the scriptures.
We are deeply blessed with won- derfully talented, gifted and willing people. Their shared ideas help make the worship experience richer, and the ways in which a variety of peo- ple participate increases the sense of connectedness for all of us. I, for one, am deeply grateful that I am no longer alone in the sanctuary with one person behind a camera. Even that one extra reader adds a layer of spirit and energy to the worship for me.
We like to hear familiar voices and see familiar faces. I like that, as we figure out how to be a body while separate, the sense of connection and the sense of purpose keeps us all united.