South Holland churches act creatively to meet needs of members and friends at Eastertime
Churches in Spalding and South Holland will be empty this weekend as Easter coincides with a coronavirus pandemic.
Regarded as the most important festival of the year by Christians who observe the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, church leaders in the area would normally have seen higher than average attendances at their services.
But the current lockdown, along with self-isolation and social distancing, means that churches will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
So how are church leaders embracing modern technology and social media to keep people informed, encouraged and supported during the COVID-19 emergency?
St Mary & St Nicolas, Spalding
The Rev John Bennett, vicar of Spalding, said: "We have been recording a Sunday service and putting it on YouTube.
"It has been lovely to hear from those who have joined in with the services from their homes.
"We also use Facebook to post short video clips of messages and photographs, as well as pointing people to our website for other information.
"Having to close the church was one of the hardest things for us because many people would go in for some time every day to find comfort and calm.
"Therefore, we are phoning those we know who live alone and those who have particular health problems."
Broad Street Methodist Church, Spalding
The Rev Frances Ballantyne, church minister, said: "Through our pastoral network, contact is being made with all our friends and members in the communities of Spalding, Gosberton and Gosberton Clough by landline, text and other media.
"We also have volunteers who, if people are in real need and without family or neighbours, can be of some essential help.
"As the minister, I am sending out 'a prayer with a picture’ (based on the Lord’s Prayer) each week to keep our Christian faith focused and our hope in God refuelled at this time."
Spalding Baptist Church
Ben Clarke, one of the church's leadership team, said: "Every Sunday morning from 10.30 a.m, we stream online our usual service via Facebook.
"These are being well-received and because the services are being ‘shared’, others from outside our usual congregation are able to access them as well.
"The services have been viewed in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, amongst other places closer to home.
"We also have a pool of willing volunteers who deliver notice sheets, transcripts of the Sunday messages and newsletters to people within our congregation who do not have access to online capabilities.
"While pastoral visits to people's homes cannot be done at this time, there are lots of 'check-ins' by telephone call, email and social media.
"These are coordinated by our church secretary to ensure that no one is missed, something that is vital within a large church."
South Holland Community Church, Spalding
Pastor Kevin Taylor, church leader, said: "We aren't holding any virtual Sunday services or midweek meetings at the moment.
"Instead, I am seeking to send out regular pastoral emails to the congregation by way of our group email address list.
"In turn, the congregation are staying in touch with one another by telephone, email and/or social media.
"At this time we are reminded that church is not a meeting we go to, but a family we belong to."
Society of Friends (Quakers), Spalding
Roger Seal, of Spalding Quakers, said: "While it is good to be able to gather in one place, it is even better to belong to a community strong enough that it holds us united, irrespective of distances and obstacles.
"Some of us are keeping to the normal meeting times, 10.30am to 11.30am every Sunday, in our own quiet places knowing that several Spalding Friends are doing the same in theirs.
"But a new and exciting development worldwide is ‘worship online’ and we have networks already established of Friends who regularly worship together using the internet and various social media.
"Friends from the UK, Norway, Italy, the USA, Canada, Honduras, Tasmania, Brussels, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany, Latvia – and I am sure more places that I haven’t mentioned."
St John the Baptist Church, Spalding
Lawrence Calkin, church council member, said: "We have a video service on our website for Maundy Thursday, podcasts prepared by our honorary assistant priest, the Rev Pat Willson, called 'The Stations of the Cross' and 'The Last Hour' that are up today (Good Friday) and Bishop Rob Gillion's 'Dawn Eucharist Service' for Easter Day.
"All our congregation know what is coming, but it would be good to be able to share this with the wider community."
Spalding United Reformed Church (URC)
The Rev Robert Sheard, minister for the URC's South Lincolnshire Pastorate, said: "We are keeping in touch with people by telephone and email.
"We are also sending out, by email and post, a weekly prayer sheet for people to use doing the week and Sundays, with a reading, thought, prayers and news.
"Those who can are signed up to the daily devotionals online from the URC which is also sending out a Sunday service to listen to."
Calvary Baptist Church, Spalding
Associate pastor Joshua Booth said: "Internally, we have met to discuss the developing needs of our church folk which includes food and medicine delivery, telephone calls and encouragement to one another over electronic media.
"We lead virtual church services via the Zoom app as it allows us to have every aspect of our physical services over the internet so we can see each other, listen to our pastors giving out church notices and Bible messages and we sing God’s praises, with words appearing on our screens and music in the background.
"We also stream some services on social media and by connecting over Zoom, we plan to use the same app to connect with two other churches for our Good Friday service."
Harvest Church, Spalding
Senior minister Phil Lawrence said: "Harvest Church is doing a Sunday service as normal at Easter, using the program 'Zoom' so that everyone can take part, see each other and 'chat'.
"We use other software as well, such as Powerpoint, to follow key points of the sermon and verses of the Bible just as we would do normally.
"Families who are together at home usually gather round one computer which helps the sense of togetherness and we even have one member in her 80s who is linking in to us on her computer at home.
"So church is being done differently, but not that much as we are using technology to our advantage."
St Peter and St Paul's, Gosberton
The Rev Ian Walters, vicar of Gosberton, said: "I am praying daily for the parishes and sending out a weekly email and information sheet to about 70 people in the community.
"I also have communion alone on behalf of the three parishes I serve, Gosberton, Gosberton Clough and Quadring.
"I am also helping vulnerable local people to be wary of scams, whether it is by personal visitors, emails or texts."
Gosberton Baptist Church
The Rev Steve Weatherly Barton, church minister, said: "We have a small, elderly congregation with almost no understanding of digital technology, but having a good relationship with the local community.
"Unlike many churches, we cannot respond to the coronavirus situation by live streaming from our church building.
"So far, we have taken two steps in response.
"Our members are receiving a weekly newsletter which includes a brief reflection and prayer, together with news and prayer requests, both from members and the wider neighbourhood.
"I deliver this by hand which usually enables me to have a safe chat through the window with our folk.
"To maintain our ‘presence’ in the community, we are offering on Sundays (and possibly at other significant times too) a feature on our church Facebook page called ‘Five Minute Church’.
"This features a hymn or song from Youtube and a ’Thought for the Day’ with a short prayer.
"These are early days but the response from the community, and from others who have found this on Facebook, has been encouraging."
All Saints, Moulton; St Mary's, Whaplode; St John's, Holbeach Fen; St James, Moulton Chapel
The Rev Gareth Atha, vicar of the Elloe Stone Parishes, said: "We are contacting as many of our parishioners as we can to check in on them, live streaming services via Facebook.
"We have also set up the email address allsaintsmoultonhelpgroup@gmail.com so that people can ask for help with shopping and collecting prescriptions, etc."
All Saints, Holbeach
The Rev Canon Rosamund Seal, vicar of Holbeach, said: "We aren't 'live streaming' services, but we are directing them to good-quality streaming services from the national church.
"Also, we are trying to keep in contact with all our parishioners by telephone on a regular basis."
Holbeach Methodist Church
The Rev Alan Barker, superintendent minister for the South Holland Methodist Circuit, said: "Members are using telephone networking to keep in touch
as this counters loneliness and it has been much-valued.
"Many are enjoying broadcast services, including the Daily Service at 9.45am weekdays on BBC Radio 4, while some are pausing at 11am each day to pray and think of others."
Long Sutton Baptist Church
The Rev Nic Hasnip, church minister, said: "We are doing pre-recorded worship services that are uploaded onto YouTube in time for our normal Sunday services at 10.30am and 6.30pm.
"This week, we are offering a Maundy Thursday reflective service at 7.30pm, a Good Friday service with hymns, Scripture readings and prayers at 10.30am, then morning and evening Easter Sunday celebration services at 10.30am and 6.30pm, all of which will be pre-recorded for broadcast on YouTube.
"We have been very pleased with folks' commitment to ring round, particularly those who might be single, lonely or vulnerable, with increasing numbers valuing a video call as it's good to see each others' faces and talk.
"It is a tough and challenging time, but also an opportunity to do things in different ways and make contact with different people, other than those who physically attend traditional worship services in church buildings."
