FAITH & TECHNOLOGY: Churches meeting, spreading the Gospel with technology | Coronavirus

With restrictions on the size of groups that can meet due to COVID-19, church leaders are combining faith, technology and creativity to reach out to congregations and consequently the world.

Church leaders are also staying positive and are looking at the blessings that can come with people having to stay home and how technology can help them make an impact. Indiana’s governor has mandated a cap of 50 people in one place while President Donald Trump has suggested no more than 10 people meet.

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church’s Father Royce Gregerson said, “We have canceled in-person public Masses and other services that we normally have. We are livestreaming Mass in English and Spanish at 9 and 10 a.m. respectively.”

He explained that every priest will offer a Mass every day. St. John’s Father Jose Arroyo is livestreaming every day in Spanish.

Gregerson said COVID-19 has pushed the church staff to get better with technology. They are putting extra time and energy into learning it and making it work.

“We can better engage people that way,” he said. “That, I think, is a blessing in disguise.”

Along with livestreaming Mass, the clergy will be getting in touch with parishioners digitally or on the phone, especially those who are elderly or more vulnerable to the virus. If needed, a less vulnerable person will go to the grocery store for them, he said.

Meals for the Homeless has been modified. In working with the Coalition of the Homeless, Gregerson said boxes of food will be passed out instead of the regular sit-down meal.

Adult Faith Formation classes will be digital as well. This is a class for people who are becoming Catholic. “Normally, they would be received into the church at Easter,” Gregerson said. “But that is looking less likely.” He knows those who have gone through the classes will feel disappointed because this is something they have been looking forward to.

All other ceremonies at the church, including Holy Week leading up to Easter, will probably not happen, he said, adding he knows this will be super disappointing to church members.

All the liturgies will happen in a very reduced format and will be livestreamed, he said.

As for Palm Sunday, the palms have all been ordered and are on their way, Gregerson said.

He quipped, “It will be a socially distant palm distribution. They are going to be blessed and we are going to set up a way to distribute the palms.”

The host St. John’s uses for Holy Communion is made by cloistered nuns in Vermont. Gregerson felt bad about having to cancel that order, because the nuns depend on the sale for their income.

And speaking of income, Gregerson said people can give online through the church’s website.

“For our church,” he said, “it’s definitely time to refocus on prayer and asking God to see us through this challenge.”

The church is still open, and people are still stopping in and taking time for prayer and praying for the whole community, Gregerson said.

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

The Rev. Gregg Lanzen of First Baptist Church of Goshen was at his home working on his sermon Thursday. His Sunday morning topic: “Coronavirus: Comfort and Chaos.”

“We’ve been kind of following this close,” he said. “We have shut down all services and activities through April 5, Palm Sunday. And we’ve always simulcast Sunday service at 10:15 and will continue to do that.”

The worship team will join Lanzen at the church and they will play music, and he will preach to an empty sanctuary. Congregants will be able to view it all from their homes.

“All activities of the church are shutting down,” Lanzen said, even Bible studies that are under the limit of 10 people. He is asking that church members consider suspending their small group activities, if they meet in the church. However, if they want to meet outside the church, that is up to them, the pastor added.

The church itself is being disinfected at least twice a week, Lanzen said. Common touch spots, including doors, light switches and tables are getting disinfected.

“If it can be disinfected, it’s being done,” he said.

But through all the restrictions and cleaning, Lanzen said, “There’s no reason to panic.

“As the weather gets nicer, we let in the fresh air and open houses up, it will pass,” he said. “The key is to not panic and observe the procedures.”

Although First Baptist members gathered at the church last Sunday, they will not meet for the next three Sundays. The church board will meet the last week of March and decide how things should proceed. The board will abide by the recommendations of the government.

Although he looks forward to getting together with the congregation, Lanzen knows the interruptions are necessary.

“It’s going to be odd to preach to an empty auditorium,” he said. “I encourage people to hunker down, but to be in touch with each other. Send texts and calls, especially to older people, especially those in nursing homes who are locked down. Stay in touch. … Eventually this will pass, and we’ll all get back together.”

As for future adjustments, there are considerations such as limiting the amount of handshaking. Church leaders will have to think about that.

“We’ll take it as it comes. God knew this was going to happen. He didn’t make it happen. … He can use it to bring glory to himself, and also use it to make us become better people. … He will get us through this. He has in the past and he will again.”

HUNGRY FOR SOCIALIZATION

Lead Pastor of Grace Community Church Jim Brown said, “We are looking for every way possible to keep our people connected through technology. People are hungry now to get together because they are not able to get together. Even last night, we had 2,700 views on (Wednesday night’s prayer encounter) and people praying all over and people commenting. It felt like the underground church meeting together.”

One bonus of the restrictions is “it is causing us to hit the pause button. I’m finding it’s a beautiful thing. It’s connecting us, forcing us to slow down.”

In the end, he sees it as being good for families.

Fortunately for Grace, the church is poised and ready to go digitally.

“We were set up in a way prior to this to naturally do it,” Brown said.

This past Sunday, Brown and the worship team livestreamed from the church for each of its three services and then again on Wednesday livestreamed a prayer encounter from the pastor’s home. Youth had their own special online activities Wednesday.

Pastors at Grace are also going through the church directory, calling people and checking in, especially with seniors as well.

“It’s really allowing us to have special times with our people.,” he said.

The church’s Fight Club is doing a remote livestream feed. The church is also using Zoom with meetings and Google Hangouts.

“All in all, we’re doing our best to honor what our governor, president and country asks he said. “Our hope is through this time, Grace and other churches become a mooring point of hope in Christ.”

The church should be able to look back and say this was the greatest revival on Earth, he said, adding that he trusts God is going to turn this into something beautiful and into something good.

“In addition to this, I personally love these kinds of times,” Brown said. When leading people through chaos, people are more apt to listen, and to have a plan that points them to Jesus. It’s such a win and that’s what this world needs.

“I have no fear. I am not afraid. Even if the virus takes my life, my greatest gift is I get to meet my Savior face to face.”

IDEAS FROM THE OUTBREAK

COVID-19 has also allowed for the sparking of some fresh ideas. “We have some exciting things that are coming as a result of this,” Brown said. “We’re seeing the church become fluid in action. … We’re excited to be able to take hope to our neighborhood and neighbors.”

The indoor park at Grace has been shut down because of the virus, but Brown said they hope to have a plan in place soon to help working parents with daycare.

Also this week, church members are dropping off food that will be given away next week to those in need.

“We have some great plans that I think are out of the box that will take the news of Jesus in a fresh way to our community,” Brown said.

Grace will be having a Facebook live worship time at 10 a.m. today with Pastor Jeremy Byng.

VIRUS FORCES CHANGE

Ken Hunn, lead pastor at Jefferson Community Church, said, “We’re doing what we should have done a long time ago. … We should have innovated a long time ago.” And although the restrictions are forcing them into technology such as livestreaming, it’s a challenge they are gladly embracing.

“We’re going with Facebook Live, using a smartphone,” Hunn said.

They will be livestreaming their service Sunday morning.

“Along with that, we’ve finally got our online giving up and going. In this environment, it’s going to be important. I think we’re all expecting a dip in giving.”

This innovation is taking time to learn, so although things seem to be slowing down their workload is not.

“The ways that we’re reaching out to people has gone up exponentially,” Hunn said. “A lot of phone calling, going to the website for links, that’s been a big change. The other piece is we are being mindful not only in the congregation but in the community about getting groceries, or picking up prescriptions. … We want to reach out to our people and see if they need help.”

Jefferson has a congregation of about 150 people. At first, when the recommendation was no more than 250 people and then 50, the idea was to split the live services. But now that the recommendation is down to 10 it was either no worship or go electronic.

“We’re reaching out to each other,” Hunn said. “We take it for granted when we’re in the same building. It kind of feels good. It’s new and different. It’s more intentional. It’s a huge silver lining in the cloud we’re under right now.”

Jefferson will not be doing Wednesday evening services and today is the last day for preschool and the latchkey program they run, Lynk. The shutdown will last until kids are back in school.

In the meantime, families can look on the website or get direct email about books and other resources for kids. The youth in the church are using Zoom for their meetings. The livestream on Sunday morning will also include a Zoom option for youth.

“The next hurdle will be what will Easter and Palm Sunday will look like,” Hunn said.

The church was also supposed to have a groundbreaking for its new addition on the campus. That will be postponed, he said, but the construction will go on.