How the church has been able to adapt
A report from Trans World Radio (www.twr.org.uk) about the Oasis radio transmitter told us they have recently installed in Central Africa which now reaches the extent of Nigeria and beyond. International news is full of reports of abductions and deadly attacks against Christians and others, principally from Boko Haram and Fulani herdsman. The locals desperately need to hear a clear accurate presentation of the Gospel message and radio, an invention of the last century, is able to do this without obstruction.
Fast forward more than 100 years and another technical development is playing its part, albeit for us, not in so extreme a circumstance. Most of us hadn’t heard of ZOOM before March 2020, but many now use it for work, Church or play. And we now have ZOOM catch ups with family across the world and wonder why we did not do this before.
Here at Northall, first service in lockdown apart, we have been able to hold ZOOM Worship each Sunday. It’s been a huge learning curve, starting with a better understanding of computers and the equipment to access the online world. It has also needed a slightly different skill set to the usual Sunday service. Initially we experienced some wobbly pictures and our singing of hymns was a little uncoordinated. Without an organ or keyboard, we use mainly iSing Worship (available online), to give us the opportunity to share worship in singing.
Some initially experienced difficulty with this unfamiliar technology, but it’s surprising that if there is the desire, there’s a way! Some, with help from the younger family, have managed to find skills that they didn’t know they had! For those without the technology, ZOOM has dial-in access from your landline, and our eldest member, 90 plus, uses it, occasionally reading the scripture or praying. ZOOM has opened up our services to those who by age or infirmity would not normally be able to attend.
ZOOM has allowed to us to support another Baptist Church and we continue to have ‘visitors’ from elsewhere - Wellingborough, Oxford, Romsey and Yeovil, and a variety of speakers. Most recently, for Mission Sunday, a talk was given by the Mission Aviation Fellowship about their work. Regularly we see twenty five to thirty each Sunday and you could be among them.
There is a desire to return to our Church building and the trustees have this under review. However we have to acknowledge we have a good number of our members in the shielded category and it is unlikely to be possible in the short term.
The pandemic has put us into isolation but our continuing shared worship ensures we are not isolated as we all share the, by now familiar, ZOOM wave!
(an edited version of the Focus article August/September 2020 edition)
Lessons from the past...a lesson for the future?
Reviewing our statistics for this websitse has shown that during Covid (March - July) pages viewed has risen by more than 100%. Both an encouragement and food for further reflection.
The government has closed our church buildings, silenced our praise...lockdown! Paul and Silas were in lockdown in prison, but even there, they praised the Lord, and through their witness the jailer and his family were gloriously saved from the tragedy of suicide and had a future full of hope, steadfast and sure (Acts 16: 16-40). So , do we need church buildings to talk about Jesus?
"The building may be closed but the Church is very much open"
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Reflections on Church gathering made at the time of COVID lockdown. Given by Neil Charlton during NBC virtual service on 4 OCTOBER 2020 |