Creative church solutions during lockdown
Churches in the Aylmer area are numerous and diverse in their beliefs and rites, though weekly communal worship at a church building was a common practice prior to the pandemic. Since March, most have adapted by in order to continue their ministry while abiding by government COVID-19 health and safety regulations.
Current provincial rules state that virtual services are permitted; drive-in services, rites or ceremonies are permitted under certain conditions; and indoor and outdoor events with a maximum of 10 people are permitted, as long as physical distancing can be maintained. (These rules will ease Feb. 16 when the region is to come out of lockdown and change to a “red zone”, where indoor church service will be permitted at 30% capacity.)
The Aylmer Express interviewed three local pastors to find out how they have been ministering to their congregations under current lockdown restrictions.
While from different churches, these leaders demonstrate that all three groups are maintaining their faith communities by finding alternative and creative ways of gathering and communicating, through technology and meeting in smaller numbers.
Springfield Baptist Church
Congregation Members: 250
At Springfield Baptist Church, a pastor is in the church building at 11 a.m. each Sunday for anyone who would like to speak to them or spend time in prayer.
“If someone really needs to talk, they’re welcome to come in and connect,” said Pastor John Twinem, adding about five people typically come in each week.
The church has also been hosting a series of “MicroChurch” services, which allow for in-person service, while abiding by current lockdown restrictions by limiting the gathering to 10 people who register for a time slot in advance on the church website. These services include all the elements of a regular Springfield church service, including praise, prayer, and declaring the Word of God, but the small size also allows for discussion and engaging with helpful questions. All COVID-19 rules and restrictions are followed, including physical distancing, and mandatory masking.
Pastor Twinem said he has also conducted outdoor activities with congregation members while following lockdown restrictions, such as porch visits or walks in the woods.
There are also scheduled phone calls to check in and converse with people and see how congregation members are doing. A visitation team is available to provide emotional support to anyone who is struggling.
The church also has an online presence, regularly posting videos to the organization’s YouTube page. Videos include weekly sermons, children’s storytimes, short updates, and other various talking points, such as pastors discussing commandments.
There is one particular problem with the online videos, which is that “the Internet in Springfield is very poor. We’ve had to try to make technological adjustments to improve the quality of what we’re able to present,” said Pastor Twinem.
There have also been some congregation members who may not be as tech savvy or have access to the Internet, he said. For those who don’t have Internet access, several sermons have been transcribed, and the printed documents dropped off in mailboxes.
The church also provides Sunday School lessons virtually, which may include a pastor reading a children’s storytime or educational curriculum. Several staff members that rotate jobs throughout the children’s ministry.
Gifts for children have also been dropped off in mailboxes throughout the course of the pandemic.
Pastor Twinem finds that adapting to new panemic regulations and restrictions is now a regular and ongoing process for the church. “Pretty well every announcement that comes out, there’s some way that we’ve had to make an adjustment.”
Aylmer EMMC
Congregation Members: 350
Staff at the Aylmer Evangelical Mennonite Missionary Church (AEMMC) currently pre-record church services and upload each video to Facebook and YouTube weekly – Sundays at 9:30 a.m. (German service) and 11:00 a.m. (English worship).
Pastor Michael Krahn and Pastor Ryan Law also host a weekly show called “Chat with the Pastors”, which is posted in audio and video on Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, and iTunes. The two discuss a wide range of topics, such as complying versus defying lockdown restrictions, and religion-related questions.
“Deprived of our main means of communicating with our congregation, we set up an iPad, pressed the ‘Live’ [broadcast] button on Facebook, and started talking,” said Pastor Krahn. Episodes are posted Thursdays at noon.
They began the show in the early stages of the pandemic. Since then, AEMMC staff have helped to improve the program with more structure and higher quality equipment.
Pastor Krahn said the main goal of the broadcast is communication. They encourage the public to submit questions or any topics they would like to see discussed.
Outside of regular services, he also contacts congregation members through phone calls and online video chats. “Generally they’re doing okay. Our people are fairly well connected with family and friends. They miss being with people and being together.”
The church plans to host small in-person church services limited to 10 people on Wednesdays and Thursdays, beginning Wednesday, Feb. 9. Those interested are able to register online in advance to reserve a spot.
Sunday School videos are posted every Sunday at 9:45 a.m. Videos feature animation, music, green screen backgrounds, and an educational question and answer portion. Pastor Krahn said viewers have been entertained by the various effects using the green screen.
Like many people, AEMMC staff were jolted out of regular patterns by the pandemic and have been looking for creative ways to adjust.
“Those of us who work at the church have experienced the greatest change in routines, because of the complete absence of contact with people,” said Pastor Krahn.
When the province allowed facilities to open at reduced capacity (30%), the churched host in-person services. This equated to 106 people in the sanctuary building, 45 people in the basement of the church, and 45 people in another large room.
A turning point for the church was when face coverings were mandated by the town of Aylmer on the recommendation of Southwestern Public Health in early August.
“That seemed like a big deterrent. Our attendance was down probably 20-25% after the mask mandate,” said Pastor Krahn. Church participation has been fairly consistent since.
St. Paul’s United Church
Congregation Members: 300
St. Paul’s United Church in Aylmer shares weekly Sunday service videos to their Facebook and YouTube pages at 10 a.m. These videos are also available on their website, and church staff aim to make them as accessible as possible.
Church staff also provide direct counsel and emotional support to congregation members through phone or video calls. “We’re hearing all the time because of COVID-19 there are emotional and psychological difficulties,” said Reverend Doctor Arthur Hiley.
In-person church services are on pause for the foreseeable future. As of the lockdown on Dec. 26, staff and volunteers have not been in the building. The church has a reopening team that will make that decision.
The weekly sermons are intended to engage with the audience, she added, and pastors will often ask questions of listeners. The organization welcomes prayer requests, which can be submitted by email to prayers@stpaulsunited.ca.
“For our congregation members that don’t have Internet access, they can call a local number that we have set up and they can hear the sermon by telephone,” said the church spokesperson Saira Lopez.
In the fall, the church was offering a livestream service every Sunday at 10 a.m. available for viewing on their website. As of the lockdown, services are pre-recorded.
“We have put livestreaming on hold until we can safely be back in our building. We might also wait until we are allowed to open with a limited number of congregational members present,” said Rev. Dr. Hiley.
There have been several challenges faced by the church since COVID-19 started. For example, the sermon by phone was originally done through a long distance number for listeners, so the church got access to a local, free number instead.
“Technical issues are always arising. We had camera issues, audio issues, and we’ve moved to hiring a media position,” said Ms. Lopez, adding many people volunteered their time to help out with these issues.
The church offered virtual children’s stories and an advent series in their videos. As of January, church staff are exploring options for an alternative Sunday School option.
The church also has a free mobile device app called “Sharefaith App”, where users can listen to sermons, see current and upcoming events, and fellowship opportunities.
Rev. Dr. Hiley added he is grateful to live in a time where technological alternatives are an option for churches in a pandemic.
By Veronica Reiner, Local Journalism Initiative reporter