The interior of St Joseph's Catholic Church in Te Puna. Photo / File
The interior of St Joseph's Catholic Church in Te Puna. Photo / File
As a lockdown forces people to stay home in their bubbles, religious communities are finding new ways to work and stay spiritually connected.
Many of the religious communities in Tauranga have turned to Zoom, phone calls and other forms of technology to communicate and continue to practise their religions.
ReverendJohn Hebenton, vicar of the Anglican Parish at Gate Pa and Anglican archdeacon for Tauranga, said they had decided to hold this Sunday's services online only.
"Last time we pre-recorded services. This time we're going to use Zoom. It will be an interesting Sunday."
Hebenton said he planned for Sunday's service to be simpler and the video would also be uploaded to the parish YouTube channel.
A Gate Pa Church commemorative service in February. Photo / File
Tauranga Moana Catholic parish priest Richard Laurenson said his community had an app, which was used to send out newsletters and communications.
"Also, people know we priests are still celebrating Mass at the usual time, by ourselves. They know they can join us spiritually."
Laurenson said the Catholic parishes in Tauranga, Morrinsville, Hamilton and Taupō were wired for livestream Masses.
Hamilton Bishop Steve Lowe had already begun livestreaming Masses from his residence from Thursday and Catholics in Tauranga also had access to that link.
Tauranga Mosque Imam Ahmed Ghoneim. Photo / File
Tauranga Mosque Imam Ahmed Ghoneim said a group chat had been started where members of his community could share messages and send excerpts of the Quran.
"Everyone is fine to pray and worship from home," Ghoneim said.
"For us as Muslims, we pray five times a day. When we are not at work we pray at the mosque. If I am working a normal day I can still make it for three times of prayer at the mosque.
"During the lockdown, most of the families will take a room in the house and will turn it into a small mosque. So families can all pray together in lockdown."
Jinesh Patel is the trustee and secretary of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which supports and runs five Hindu temples in New Zealand, including one in Rotorua and a remote centre in Tauranga.
"In terms of spiritual guidance and moral support, especially when we are not able to open the temple doors, what we have organised is online spiritual discourses and assemblies," Patel said.
"Every Sunday we would do it in the temple but due to the restrictions, we are sending a link to devotees to an online webinar where they can listen to and watch rituals.
"Apart from that our nominated volunteers will be calling devotees at home to ask about their wellbeing and if there is anything we can do, in a contactless way, to help them out."
