I’m a self-professed luddite. A happy one!
The learning curve has been steep for lots of clergy and congregations during this time and that is really true for me. I never wanted a You-tube channel, but after being dragged through the process about as happily as a house cat washed over a waterfall, I must admit there ARE surprising blessings too.
We’ve been recording services and uploading them to “Grenville Anglicans” on You-tube, for the past 3 weeks. This IS possible, even for dinosaurs like me. Possible with the help of wonderful colleagues in other churches who help us, that is. The blessing is that on Good Friday and Easter there were over 200 views of the 15 minute services by our family. More parishioners and extended family members than ever before were joining in worship. AND the response to our very rustic efforts were deep gratitude and some tears of joy. Even people who normally can’t make it to church because of illness were thrilled to be watching and our services were even viewed in Peru and Zambia by friends.
It’s a strange new world. Now the next challenge…. our church members are asking us to keep up making mini films of services, to put on you-tube and email them to the parish even after the pandemic. They believe this is our tool for evangelism and a pastoral care outreach to our most vulnerable.
from Tracey Smith. Photos, St. James Carillon Tower, with Devan Knapp, altar server
