Modern technology is helping clergy and members of local churches stay connected during the continuing COVID-19 health crisis.
With churches having to suspend in-person services and events, many are now relying on social media sites and teleconferencing apps to worship, communicate and comfort.
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church is among the Gilmer places of worship that have taken to Facebook for livestreaming of its services.
“We are broadcasting our services on Facebook Live Sunday mornings at 11 a.m., then we’re posting them to our website (PleasantGroveBC.com) immediately afterward. I am also doing daily devotions Monday-Friday that are posted on our Facebook page, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Ellijay, and then onto our website,” said Pleasant Grove pastor Dan Rosser.
Others, like Ellijay First Baptist Church, have begun using the teleconferencing app Zoom to keep in touch. The app allows users to dial into a meeting or event using their phone or computer.
“Many of our Sunday school classes and Bible study groups have been using Zoom to meet with each other from home. Our children’s minister has Zoom Bible studies with groups preschool-age through sixth grade and it’s working beautifully,” said Laura Sharp, Ellijay First Baptist ministry assistant. “Our student ministry is also using Zoom for weekly small group Bible studies and a lot of our adults groups are using it, too.”
First Baptist is also using its website, FBCEllijay.com, along with Facebook and other streaming sites to offer Sunday worship services and Wednesday night prayer meetings online.
“We’re doing weekly video and writing devotionals, and emails are going out to our members several times a week. Something that seems to have really ministered to our church family are daily encouragement phone calls we’re doing using our phone tree. These are short calls where a staff member shares a few Bible verses, then prays. This has turned out to be one of the best ways we are staying connected,” Sharp said.
“We have (also) worked very hard to get a large number of online resources available to our members on our website. Some of those are Right Now Media, which gives our members access to Bible study resources for people of all ages; the Dwell app, a Bible listening app; Spotify with some of our church’s favorite worship songs and DevoHub, an app with a wide variety of devotionals for all ages.”
Eric Colson, associate pastor at Covenant Community Church, described a similar approach being taken by his clergy and congregation.
“We’ve not slowed down at all. We adjusted quickly and none of our groups missed more than a single meeting. We are livestreaming our services to Facebook Live, YouTube and directly to our website, CovenantCommunityEllijay.com. All our small groups and Bible studies continue to meet by using Zoom,” he explained.
“Many of our members gather on Zoom every morning at 9 a.m. to pray for a vaccine, a cure and a spiritual awakening. We believe the church has the responsibility to demonstrate and declare God’s message of hope to a world in crisis. We’re almost finished editing a song our worship team is doing together that each of us recorded from home using our cell phone cameras. It features seven people playing and singing together without having ever been in the same room. We’re proud of it. ”
Pastor Adam Bradley said Cherry Log Christian Church has already been streaming its services for more than a year, which made the online-only transition easier to manage.
“Our worship format has changed given our leadership’s desire to eliminate as much personal contact as possible. Instead of trying to have a video conference at our normal worship time with a skeleton crew of staff in the sanctuary, we cultivate a worship experience throughout the week and post it on our site at 8 a.m. Sunday morning. It’s available for whenever our people are ready to worship. We have the same online location we’ve always had, CLCCLOVE.org,” Bradley said.
“We are blessed with a small team of talented folks (including) a web designer, graphic designers and tech support folks. With their service, we’ve crafted something we think helps maintain hope in these challenging times. We’ve also gathered self-filmed content of our members participating in worship from home. Our people find great comfort in being able to see the faces and hear the voices of their friends and siblings in faith,” he added.
Fast approaching is the time when a variety of Good Friday and Easter Sunday services are normally held. Many churches are now having to make a difficult, first-time decision to conduct those services either online or from a distance.
Victor Morgan, pastor at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, in Blue Ridge, said his church will host a drive-in service Easter Sunday, April 12. That service will be held at 9:30 a.m. in front of St. Luke’s, located at 7 Ewing Street across from the Blue Ridge Fairgrounds.
“Worshipers are asked to stay in their vehicles and to tune their car radios to 98.1 FM. Communion, bread only, will be delivered in sealed plastic bags to car windows,” Morgan said.
The St. Luke’s Easter Sunday service, as well as noontime services during Holy Week, can also be viewed on Facebook and YouTube.
The cooperative parish of Cartecay and Oak Hill United Methodist Churches plans to hold a drive-in Easter Sunday sunrise service at 7 a.m. in the front parking lot of Cartecay UMC.
“This will not be a lengthy service. Please stay in your car with the windows cracked. Restrooms will not be available,” advised the Rev. Mike Lowery of the Cartecay church. “The response to ‘Christ the Lord is risen’ will be the honking of all car horns.”
The Easter service can also be viewed online at CUMC.Live/Now, Lowery noted.
Judy Fabiniak, of Ellijay Good Samaritan Catholic Church, said Good Friday and Easter will both be quite different this year with in-person services not being held at the downtown Ellijay sanctuary.
“We usually lead a live Stations of the Cross (procession) through downtown Ellijay and I cannot express our sadness with not being able to have this event,” she said. “Our services on Easter will be our pastor, Father Carlos Vargas, livestreaming a mass from his home where he has designed a small chapel to share with us via Facebook.”
Father Vargas is also celebrating mass online weekdays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. in English and 8 p.m. in Spanish, while Sunday mass is given at 11 a.m. in English and 1 p.m. in Spanish, she added. Those masses are being livestreamed on both Father Vargas’ Facebook page and the Ellijay Good Samaritan parish’s Facebook page.
“We are blessed to have technology assist us in reaching out to others. Many of our activities and functions will just push their dates forward into the summer to allow time for this virus to pass,” Fabiniak said.
Colson shared something he’s asking all to remember as Easter approaches.
“We desperately need a cure for COVID-19. Its impact is heartbreaking and it’s become more apparent to many that we live in a broken and fallen world. This virus has revealed the frailty of our human bodies, and the futility of our selfish pursuits,” he said. “We are reminded that our God has conquered death and has provided a living hope for those who believe. The God who has steadied the hearts of millions before us through disease, war and famine will guide us through this difficult season. Our prayer is that many will open their hearts to God and find faith in Jesus through this uncertain time.”
The Times-Courier received the following updated church information not already mentioned in this article:
Mountain Light Unitarian Universalist Church is closed to groups over 10 people at least through the end of April. The church has begun offing online services. More information can be found at MLUUC.org.
East Ellijay Baptist Church has discontinued all gatherings and activities until further notice, but is livestreaming worship service Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. A link can be found on its Facebook page.
The World Harvest Church North building is closed to public attendance, but services are hosted online at WHCNorth.org and the church’s Facebook page at 10:30 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Wednesdays.
Ellijay First Baptist Church will host the following Holy Week services at FBCEllijay.com: Good Friday livestream at 7 p.m. April 10, Passion Play Family Movie Night shown on ETC3 at 2, 5 and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 11, and Easter Sunday livestream at 11 a.m. April 12.
Cartecay United Methodict Church will broadcast Wednesday gatherings, a Maundy Thursday (April 9) service and a Good Friday service all starting at 6 p.m. on its website, CUMC.Live/Now. Online Sunday worship services, with the exception of Easter, start at 10:30 a.m.