Despite the lockdown, church can continue

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

COVID 19 has seemingly brought the world to its knees. As government mandates force organizations of all stripes to close, churches have scrambled for ways to continue spreading the Gospel and serving those in need.

Amid the quarantine, which could last another month or more, Spur Ottawa hopes to inspire you with ideas that are bearing fruit, from other believers in your city.

Loving neighbours

Many believers have taken initiative to offer help getting groceries or prescriptions for neighbours who are at increased risk of infection.

“One couple from our church put together some care packages,” says Eric Versluis, a pastor at The Meeting House. “They got 70 or 80 paper bags, put a single roll of toilet paper in every bag, and put a note saying they are here to help if people need anything. They dropped those off to all their neighbours.”

Going online

Most churches had on a crash course in online services, the past couple weeks. Greenbelt Baptist Church is lending a hand wherever they can, as they were just about to roll out a digital platform before the crisis hit. Since the quarantine began, they have had seven people come to faith through their online services.

“We started making changes in how we see the role of the Church to care for people, before the pandemic broke out,” says Kevin Presseault, Greenbelt’s pastor. “We made financial decisions in January and brought [camera and lighting] equipment in early February, thinking we were going to use it for one thing, but this has completely changed how we are using it. The first week we ran it, we had over 1,100 visitors to the website.”

Pastor Kevin Presseault posted some analytics on his Facebook account, showing the interactions from their first Church Online service.

Presseault came to faith through an online ministry and has been volunteering with an online church platform for years.

“One thing that was crucial is that it is not just about replacing Sunday mornings. It’s not just about watching; it’s about engaging.”

Greenbelt is using the free “Church Online” platform. The platform helps church volunteers connect with users throughout the service. That interaction is key, Presseault says, because users have such short attention spans online. If they are just watching a service, they’re likely also on Facebook and checking emails.

“We have a team of volunteers who connect with people and welcome them, by name (or username), as they join the service. You are able to chat, open a private conversation, and even pray with people who you probably wouldn’t be able to connect with face to face, for a first-time visit. There is a safety online that people are comfortable with.”

Maintaining programs and increasing focus on devotions

The quarantine has forced churches to get creative. From interactive digital youth meetings to prayer teleconference lines, Ottawa churches are exploring ways to continue their weekly programs.

Pastor Kevin Presseault pre-recording a sermon for their “simulated live” services. Photo courtesy of Kevin Presseault.

Some Catholic churches have innovated ways to maintain some of their ministries, including at least one church that offered drive-through confession. The priest sat in a parked car with the window only slightly open, taking confessions of parishioners who stop alongside. Other Catholic churches displayed the Eucharist in a prominent window so parishioners could participate in Holy Adoration from the safety of their cars.

Other churches have used the opportunity to start new initiatives. The Lifecentre, for example, streams a 9 a.m. devotional and noon prayer time every weekday. The streams are led by different leaders, with members able to participate though a chat forum.

Greenbelt Baptist managed to continue all their small groups, the foundation of their model for congregational care, through moving to Zoom meetings.

“The beauty of it is that it is not just falling to the staff to keep doing ministry,” Presseault says. “The Church is really being the Church.”

With concern for mental health during the isolation, they also rallied volunteers to regularly call seniors and other shut-ins to see how they are doing and encourage them.

Charities and outreach

Churches and their members are also doubling down on commitments to maintain local ministries. The Versluis household, a three-generation family of 10, organized a contactless food drive. They dropped off 150 paper bags to houses on their street, with a note inviting people to leave the bags outside on Saturday morning with any donations for the Ottawa Food Bank.

Members of the Versluis family distribute paper bags asking for donations to the Ottawa Food Bank. Photo courtesy of Eric Versluis.

Their church has also increased efforts to support the local ministries they are connected with: Jericho Road, Matthew House, and Restoring Hope.

“We are trying to help meet their needs because they are already connected with some of the most vulnerable people in our community,” Versluis explains. “Instead of trying to create something on our own, how can we support what they are already doing?”

Looking ahead

Churches are also starting to look at what ministry will look like when the quarantine ends.

“The two things coming out of this: there is the health side, which is the focus right now, but the economic side and the mental health side are going to be the things that, in six months from now, we are actually living with,” Versluis says. “A couple weeks ago, the conversation was, ‘How soon can we get back to normal?’ At this point, I don’t think we are going back to normal. I think this experience will fundamentally reshape a whole bunch of things, whether it is church, non-profits, how people retire, what the workforce looks like, how we care for one another.

“As Christians, we don’t need to be scared, we can actually be excited that the Spirit is always at work. We just need to be praying and open to what new possibilities God is opening up.”