On March 21st I wrote to some members of various faith groups and other nonprofit organizations... here is the original text and some of the more considered responses so far:
topics for a discussion (in person or in a zoom):
as religious congregations and other voluntary associations begin to gather in person, in ways that they may not have for awhile, questions come up about how best to continue virtual presence online - youtube, zoom, facebook live, as well as electronic media including email, website, facebook page or group, etc.
wondering what experiences people might share in a regional discussion - in person or online - a luncheon chat or more formal meeting
(one particular issue will be equipment acquisitions as we begin to move out of primarily online to mostly in person worship... so we don't finding ourselves wagging the horse by the tail and letting the chips fall where they may)
some churches (and other organizations) have made do with a smartphone propped on a pulpit or podium - or pre recorded lessons, sermons and talks, and music, supplemented by pdf emails, of bulletins for example; others have live-streamed with camera and microphone, still others add power point slides ...
what do you think? what are your experiences? what is wise to continue, take on, Kondo at this point?
*** Various comments have come in ***
A. I think this requires a lot of thinking through. Not only for religious services but for other groups that have transitioned to online meetings and are now looking at returning in person. For some of my groups, we have expanded the number of folks attending, including folks participating from far flung places like Japan and Australia. We don't want to go back to our insular local group but we want to meet in person again and somehow include those with whom we have developed relationships and who have become important members of our groups. I am not that technologically inclined but more capable than some. I hope there will be guidance on this. It is good to be thinking and talking about this for sure. For one of my groups that used to meet in person, I think we will just remain a Zoom group and then schedule in person meetings that are more social in nature to supplement the weekly meetings. Maybe once a month we have an in person event to connect. We will see!! Take very, very good care!!
B. I belong to two groups that have been meeting via Zoom: my local church and a writers group. Fortunately, both groups were able to transition to full-on meetings via Zoom, and in the case of the church also Facebook. I was not involved in the technical aspects of the transition, so I don’t know how complicated it was or how it was actually done. At the church, a camera was installed inside the church, showing the altar and pulpit. But there also have been live readings transmitted from home computers — all seamlessly integrated.
Certainly, for people who are not able to attend an in-person event, the virtual events will remain worthwhile and inclusive.
But most of us really miss being with our friends face-to-face. As we have learned this past year, there’s really no substitute for personal contact — all those heartfelt conversations and hugs! One of my favorite parts of the Sunday service is when we give each other the “greeting of peace.” You can feel God’s love flowing through the congregation!
So, all in all, I’m not a big fan of virtual gatherings. They have provided some sense of community and continuity — certainly better than not meeting at all! But most of us are eager to get back to actually being together.
Don’t know if this is the kind of feedback you are asking for? I’m not involved in either the vestry or the board-of-directors of either group, so I don’t know what decisions are being made about future events. Oh, I just remembered, the sermons at the church have been recorded for some time, before the pandemic, and were available online.
Hope that all of you are healthy, sheltering well, and doing well.
C. Interesting questions you pose. Let me summarize and add:
What kind of audio/video gear do you currently have?
What kind of investment have you made or do you plan to make?
What platform to do you use, e.g. YouTube, Facebook, Zoom?
Do you offer "live" worship for people to watch in real time
Do you make a recording of your live worship to post later?
Do you pre-record then post a recording for public watch?
Do you edit before posting?
Do you edit in people doing different parts of worship, e.g., readings, prayers, music?
What kind of help have you recruited or do you need?
Have you noticed people joining your online worship from afar as well as local?
Anyone join your online worship you did not previously know?
What have you learned in the last year about the way you do worship?
Will what you have learned impact the form of worship in the future?
What are your plans moving forward: continue online as well as in-person worship?
What are the expectations of your people?
What else have you done online, e.g. education, meetings, small groups?
Will you continue to offer these online, go back to in-person, or a combination?
What impact do you think this year has had on your worship ministry?
What impact has the year had on your other ministries and mission?
What has changed in the church and your congregation that is permanent?
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