Congregating online for Easter services

FACEBOOK THE GOOD BOOK: Pastor Norm McLeod will hold an Easter church service through Facebook. Picture supplied

Churches holding Easter services online this year are encouraging worshippers to bring their own wine or grape juice and bread for communion.

With churches temporarily closed and congregations in lockdown at home during Alert Level 4 restrictions, church leaders are working out ways to stay connected during one of the most important events on the Christian calendar.

Wainui Beach Church senior leaders Carl and Shar Pilkinton have been holding Sunday services for a few weeks.

Mr Pilkinton said their congregation was all across the spectrum when it came to being able to connect online.

Those who could not were being contacted by phone by other church members.

Keeping everyone connected was important, he said.

Wainui Beach Church uses Zoom (video conferencing) to host online group meetings. This means big groups can be divided into smaller groups, which Carl says they will do for Easter communion this Sunday.

“We encourage people to get their own bread, wine or juice for communion.”

The challenge was how to include all different ages and stages, said Mr Pilkinton.

“Last week the kids did a drawing activity while the adults were in front of the screen.”

Then the children could come back and show their creation, or post it up later to the church's Facebook page.

Those parishes that have a mainly elder congregation are reaching out over landlines.

Holy Trinity Reverend Bronwyn Marchant is recording messages for the Holy Trinity's Facebook page.

She was new to using this media and found it challenging, she said.

Rev Marchant spent a lot of time preparing for her first attempt in the first week of lockdown.

But when she sat down in front of the camera and started to speak, she became “emotionally overwhelmed”.

“It brought home to me how, at that stage, many of us had not realised how much shock and grief we were carrying under the surface.

“I ended up not making a movie that week — just posting some written reflections.”

Her video messages now have lighter, more entertaining content.

Rev Marchant will post something reflective for Good Friday and for Easter.

In the wider Anglican Diocese of Waiapu there are Zoom services Holy Trinity Parish have joined in, including a Palm Sunday service led by The Very Rev'd Ian Render, Dean of Waiapu, and regular evening prayer led by Bishop Andrew Hedge, Bishop of Waiapu.

House of Breakthrough Pastor Norm McLeod is holding church online through his Facebook page.

“Every morning I screen a live five-minute devotional,” he said. “On Sunday I live-feed from the church.

“This Easter I will do Easter devotionals on Friday and Monday. On Sunday I have encouraged everyone to prepare in their homes some bread and grape juice in order for us to take communion at the same time while online.

“In general, everybody is doing well during lockdown and we are thankful God's love is never locked down.

“Some churches in India are suffering, some were already under the poverty line and facing starvation. We are doing what we can to send some relief.”

St Mary's Star of the Sea Monsignor Frank Eggleton said many Gisborne members of the Catholic Church were using computers to log on to the Hamilton Diocesan website

There are livestreams of services, including on Good Friday at 3pm and Easter Sunday at 9am.

The website also had resources for use at home, said Monsignor Eggleton.