John Smith (not his real name) has been a member of our congregation for nearly 40 years. In recent years, the debilitating nerve and muscle disease he has been suffering with has progressed to the point that John can no longer make it to Sunday service. John’s wife, Sally comes out when she can, but as his primary caregiver, there are many weeks when she too cannot make it to church. Both the Smiths want to know what’s going on in their congregational family and equally want to participate in weekly worship, but there had been no work done to solve this for them.
This situation is an increasingly common description of many congregations across the country. As people age, they often become unable to physically attend the worship services they have so loved and been very much involved with over the years. These same people still have much to offer to their congregational family, but physical limitations prevent them from participating actively. The challenge has left this growing group feeling left out—until now. Computer technology has advanced enough that this marginalized group can now be a “virtual” part of any congregation that has basic Internet services, a computer, a digital projector and a smartphone.
We recently piloted a test in our congregation here at Burlington East to reconnect the Smiths, integrating them once again into our weekly worship services. It’s part of a phased introduction of very simple technology found in many of our churches today. The first phase of this test was to take an existing tradition in our congregation and modernize it. Every Remembrance Day service for years, John Smith has given a dramatic reading of In Flanders Fields at the opening of our worship service. His wife, Sally, would then read a reply to the poem. The Smiths look forward to this each year and the congregation equally look forward to their moving presentation. This year, since John cannot make it to the service, I took my iPad to his home and he and Sally read their poems while I recorded it on the tablet. This was then projected on the screen during the service. Simple. John and Sally now have a voice, a face, and are active in our worship service once again. They no longer feel left out of the congregational family.
The second phase is to once again go to the Smiths’ house with my iPad, but this time using the program, Facetime. It is a way to video call anyone on the Internet. (Skype accomplishes the same thing.) With another iPad at the church connected to our digital projector, John can both be seen by the congregation and can see the congregation from his home. Since congregants read scripture on a weekly basis, John can now be “live” during our service, reading the biblical texts right along with us.
The last phase of this will be pre-recording all of our “shut-ins” reading scripture, as not all of them are ready to “go live” just yet. Now all those in our congregation who have had to wait until the minister comes around for a visit can be a part of the weekly services. They are connected or more specifically, reconnected with the church and the church with them. This is part of a bigger plan to record our services, place them on a private YouTube channel, and enable everyone to see their loved ones on a weekly basis.
The important thing to remember is that this allows our aging or ill congregants, those who feel left out and marginalized, to reconnect through the use of technology. Digital projectors have found their way into many of our churches, but so often we use them only to project lyrics and sermon notes. There is so much more that can be done with these existing resources that go well beyond songs and notes. With a little creative thought we can make much better use of this equipment to bring our congregations together, worshiping as the body of Christ.
About Bruce G.W. McAnsh
Rev. Bruce G.W. McAnsh is the minister at Burlington East in Burlington, Ont. He previously worked in the computer field for more than 25 years.
