Gov. Tom Wolf and state Department of Health Secretary Rachel Levine last week encouraged churches to practice alternative forms of faith gatherings.
That’s not a totally new concept for some area churches, as they have been doing that ever since Wolf ordered the closure of nonessential businesses.
“We decided to take our services online, and that meant we had to learn how to livestream very quickly,” said Pastor Trent Kirkland, of the Zion Church in Clarion. “Some churches have gone with a recording that they can upload.
However, there has been an increasing problem with the internet.
“The problem we ran into on our first Sunday was that thousands and thousands of churches were doing the same thing, and it actually crashed the platform we were using,” Kirkland said. “We told everyone to jump over to YouTube, where the broadcast was live.”
Kirkland said the lack of a brick-and-mortar meeting place didn’t cause a drop in attendance.
“I believe we had about the same numbers we had on a usual Sunday morning,” he said.
The online services, Kirkland said, are designed “to continue a sense of community within the church. The church is way more than just a Sunday morning gathering.
“We have life groups that meet online. Our youth group met on Facebook and we had a meeting on Zoom. We have had a whole lot of people who had to learn the technology quickly. We are trying to use technology the best way we can.”
“Our volunteers will pack boxes and deliver them to people when they drive through. Our volunteers will be wearing masks that are actually bandannas,” he said.
“This is for the community. They do not have to be members of our church. We will do that as long as we can.”
Sligo Presbyterian Church is using the Zoom meeting platform to host interactive worship services. The church has a Bible study group that also is using Zoom for their weekly meeting.
On Palm Sunday, members of the church family and community were able to pick up palm branch crosses and share prayer.
New Hope Church in Strattanville took improvisation to another level last week during Palm Sunday. Services were moved to the MoonLite Drive-In Theater outside of Brookville. The church will hold Easter Sunday services there as well.