What do “open doors” look like when the doors have been forced closed?
This is the question local congregations had to answer immediately when they received two updates in March: one asking pastors to limit gatherings over 50 people, then another when Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered Illinoisians to “stay at home” on March 20.
Pastors and congregations immediately had to find a new way to “open” their doors and gather within days of their March 22 church service.
“Two weeks ago we had decided to meet for one last gathering in order to fill our congregation in on our plans moving forward,” St. Joseph Church of Christ’s (SJOCC) Senior Past Kyle Arnold said. “At the time, our plans involved gathering in small “house churches” throughout the community in groups of 10-12 people. We spent Sunday morning, March 15th, informing our congregation of that plan.
“Within a few days of announcing our plans to launch smaller house churches, we received more specific communication from the health board suggesting that churches might consider cancelling gatherings of all sizes.
“Our congregation is blessed to have several healthcare professionals in our church family, and after discussing their thoughts on the issue, we decided to immediately move to cancelling gatherings of any sizes for the sake of preferring our local Saint Joe community.
“We met this past Sunday, March 22nd in an online format only and anticipate doing so indefinitely until we receive notice that it is safe to gather corporately once again.”
Jason Schifo, Pastor of Community Evangelical Free Church of Mahomet, said that the call was made when it became apparent that it was no longer safe to gather.
“When I say that, I don’t mean for our safety, but the safety of others,” Schifo said. “It is not loving to put others at risk because we desire to do something. The epitome of love is laying down our rights for others.”
For some, like Grace Church of Mahomet and SJOCC, figuring out the online component was an extension of what the congregations already practiced.
Andrew Powell, Pastor of Grace, said that his church used a myriad of options, both in-person and online, to reach the congregation prior to mid-March, but maintaining and attaining their ministry goals and objectives became the focus while utilizing the internet.
“Some technology had to be deployed a bit differently, but all within our wheelhouse of knowledge and/or use,” Powell said.
Grace Mahomet is utilizing pre-recorded services to provide virtual worship, email to send information to people and Zoom accounts for small group leaders to stay connected.
“We have also used the mail to connect various ministries with parents and provide tools to empower parents to work with their kiddos to attain ministry program goals,” Powell said.
For others, the jump from in-person services to online services was a scramble that came together with the help of community and congregation members.
The Community Evangelical Free Church (CEFC), St. Joseph United Methodist Church and the Mahomet United Methodist Church had to work through some pangs to make an online option viable.
“We have had to buy some equipment, but were blessed by others who loaned us some to try before committing to buy things,” Schifo said. “Tech help from our denomination has been a huge help, but there has been a real hurdle learning new systems.”
The St. Joseph United Methodist Church adjusted to the learning curve with the help of church members who could help navigate the sound and graphics pieces.
“The availability of internet and platforms is helping us stay connected, but it is also allowing folks that are connected to members or pastor of the church to join worship,” Pastor Gene Turner said.
Both CEFC and the St. Joseph United Methodist Church experienced similar issues as the Mahomet United Methodist Church (MUMC) did last Sunday.
With congregations flooding Facebook Live, people watching the services experienced buffering or the stream was dropped.
MUMC will change its approach this Sunday with a pre-recorded sermon on YouTube so that it can be accessed at any time.
“(Pastor Craig Sweeney) is leading the church in a unique way and he’s showing our community and his congregation what he thinks is important by staying at home,” Director of Inclusion Kristina Robinson said.
CEFC is asking others within their congregation to do the same.
“Video has also been crucial as it is good to the faces of others,” Schifo said. “Not just my making videos, but asking others to do the same. We have created virtual worship where we are having people do different parts and then knit it together in editing to create one worship service. Now is a time to be creative.”
Arnold said the feat was no short measure.
“The single greatest obstacle to all of our adjustments has been a lack of time,” he said.
“Most churches that decide to offer online streaming options as a regular part of their offerings can take six months to a year to properly prepare. We had four days for our first livestream and are spending time now tweaking and fixing things that we think could be done better. We had enough technology in place to pull it off thankfully, but we had to learn all kinds of new things.”
Like others working from home, churches had to figure out platforms like ZOOM, and many have utilized a daily Facebook Live component to stay connected.
MUMC’s Sweeney started a “Continued Conversations” series, providing a devotional and a challenge each day at 10 a.m.
“Since things are constantly evolving and changing, we felt like seeing our pastor’s face and hearing his voice once a day was a calm and a consistency that our congregation was craving,” Robinson said.
Grace instituted a “Daily Dose of Grace” and a podcast.
“Both have been welcomed by our people and our team has had members asked if we would consider continuing these concepts,” Powell said.
What churches did not have to relearn, though, is their commitment to service and relationship.
Most churches are used by other groups, such as boy and girl scouts, AA, fitness groups, food pantries and their own weekly youth services.
With the stay-at-home order in place, some of the weekly gatherings were canceled, but for other needs, churches had to think about how community might look in the face of limited contact.
“(St. Joseph United Methodist is) calling and checking on members and those we know,” Pastor Gene Turner said. “Also cards or notes are being sent to folks to help stay connected and remind them that the church cares about and for them and are available if they need something.”
While many churches support food banks, St. Joseph Church of Christ hosts “Feed the Need” in St. Joseph each week.
“We decided that we needed to close down for a week to both come up with a safer way of distributing food, but also as a way to help ration our supplies in anticipation of increased need the longer current restrictions remain in place,” Arnold said.
“The food bank is now open again by appointment only (those in need of food and essentials can call the church and leave a message or speak with our secretary), and we are pre-packaging boxes for pick-up. Every ministry we have has had to be re-evaluated under the microscope of precaution in a similar fashion.”
Robinson said that adults that participate in WOW programming and vacation bible school, stepped up to help with the youth on Wednesday night.
“I’ve seen people in our congregation willing to try something new and learn something new that they’ve never done before; it’s been really exciting,” Robinson said. “I know it’s scary for them; I’m 35 and I’m learning many new technologies right now and so I’m inspired constantly by people in our congregation that are willing to all try it.”
Most notably Joan Kling took the reins, bridging her science knowledge with Scripture and video to engage kids.
With Easter a little over a week away, church leaders know that they will continue to be treading on new ground.
Gov. Pritzker’s stay at home order currently goes through April 30.
Grace has been working on three different options for Easter Sunday.
“(We are) doing our best to be prepared to execute any of the options,” Powell said. “Our continued goal is to maintain our commitment to Christ, our support of government and our love for our neighbor. Thus, it is incumbent upon the church leaders to have weighed out options in a way that honors God and is not cavalier to the current circumstances.”
The pastors at Grace will continue with their two-year series on the Gospel of John throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
“It is important for me that we stay focused on the overarching vision and not let external circumstances guide what the leadership has felt God led them to teach,” Powell said. “What is interesting is the affirmation that God’s Word is timeless and timely; our current section of John has provided amazing parallels to foster encouragement in such a unique time.”
SJOCC had plans for a series entitled “Pictures of Us” leading into Easter.
“We would encourage everyone in our congregation to constantly be gathering together and taking pictures together that we could use as a backdrop for talking about different seasons in life,” Arnold said. “I can’t possibly think of a series that is more opposite of social distancing! Of course with everything going on, it necessitated a change away from that series.”
Instead, SJOCC has chosen to address the issues at hand with a series titled “ASK” that will cover Matthew 7:7.
“‘Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, knock and it shall be opened to you.’
“This is a practical series that is aimed to help people feel more comfortable approaching God during a time such as this.
“As we progress into the unkown as a culture, should we feel the need to more directly address Covid-19, hopelessness, and fear, we will absolutely do that. We believe that hope is an essential foundation for our future during times like this, and we happen to believe that Jesus offers the single greatest hope both now and in the future. It would be negligent of us to keep that message to ourselves when people are searching for answers.”
Turner said that worshipping in person would be wonderful, but keeping people safe and healthy is St. Joseph United Methodist’s primary concern.
“We feel that this is a place where the church can lead by example,” he said. “If we choose to gather, the message we put out is that the restrictions are not legitimate, and that a gathering is more important than health and safety not only of the church, but of the community as a whole.”
Some churches have even reported seeing an uptick in church “attendance” in the virtual world.
“We are averaging over 1,500 views per week on our last two messages with people checking in from 5 and 6 different states,” Arnold said. “That was simply something we didn’t expect, and it really challenges us as a church to think differently about the myriad of ways we can reach folks with the hope and love of Jesus Christ moving forward.
“I know that I’ve personally learned that some of the sick and shut-ins, those out of town on vacation or business, or even those that just can’t physically make it to a service anymore have been so blessed feeling like they are a part of the event. Streaming not only bridges that gap, but today’s technology allows for participation in chat forums that we have tried to take advantage of.”
Robinson added that it is hard knowing that there are people who attend church regularly, but may not be able to access it online, but that people who have been invited to MUMC for months are now viewing service from their home.
“We’re just kind of celebrating the fact that we’re getting in touch with different people that maybe we haven’t had the chance to be with before,” she said.
What Pastors want People to Know:
Jason Schifo, Community Evangelical Free Church of Mahomet:
“There is a story in the Bible where Peter steps out of the boat, trusting Jesus, but when he takes his eyes off Jesus, he only sees the winds and the waves, he begins to sink. I think that if we take our eyes off Jesus, and only look at what media and social media is saying we will begin to feel like we are sinking. I also think that we need to know that we are going to be okay, together.”
Gene Turner, St. Joseph United Methodist Church:
“Yes, this is serious. However, we will get through this together. Every person can pray or talk to God EVEN IF you aren’t a believer, God hears you. Everyone can call, text, or write a card or letter to those in their local church or community. Everyone can find a way to make a difference, even if they are “Sheltering in Place”. Fear is Liar, you will be consumed by what you fill yourself with, or allow to fill you. Yes be informed, watch the news for 15 minutes morning and night and spend more time reading scripture, praying, listening to music, talking a walk, or doing an activity you enjoy, those things bless your spirit and help keep you mentally sharp and positive.”
Kyle Arnold, St. Joseph Church of Christ:
“We just want the community to know that we are for them. We will be putting out some half-sheets in mailboxes in the next few days with the contact information for volunteers that would be happy to make grocery runs or whatever is needed from those that are high-risk or unable to go themselves. We of course have the food pantry that is currently operating on Monday’s and Wednesday’s for those that are a little tight on cash. Whatever is going on, if someone in this community has a serious need please get ahold of us during this time and we will do our best to meet that need. We may not have unlimited resources, but we have people that want you to know how much God loves you. If we can share that love with you by providing for your needs during this time, then we would love to do so.”
