Just if you're interested: Remote Worship Services Offered Online; Related Ideas

[mamselle]

This thread is for those who see regular worship as a part of their life and want to share resources. It's intended as a respectful, open place for anyone, of any faith persuasion, to share what might be important links for others, and to uphold the examples of creativity and excellence in music, speaking, reading, children's presentations, etc.

Students and faculty and their families are missing their religious connections as well as many other types of community, so this is germane. These may be posts that can be useful in such discussions; they may rarely, or never, come up, unless you meet a student in the course of your own faith practice...but they might.

This can also be an arena for respectful theological and practical commentary, so long as it remains positive and compassionate towards other posters:

- If someone wants to offer a critique on their issues with the life of faith in some way, that's fine, but please don't bomb this thread with those comments.

- If someone has an issue with organized (or disorganized) religion in general, start your own thread, please. This is meant to be a place of sanctuary.

For example:
  I've been grateful for the efforts made by many to offer worship opportunities for all those unable to attend. Some programs have been ongoing for a very long time; others have just recently sprung up since March or so. (When Zoom went down this AM, I thought to myself...Hmm, it's all those churches--what an interesting problem!)


Some are offering occasional concerts and Choral (sung) Evensongs for people to listen to and consider:
    https://chapel.duke.edu/events/online-choral-evensong-worship-service-rebroadcast-1589745600-1589749200

One has had an ongoing online ministry for many years (transparency: I was raised in this church):
    http://fcchurch.tv/live-sunday-worship/       

This one started just recently (and is working out some kinks...):
    https://zoom.us/j/6341203607?pwd=REtIdVExdzVRZ1hQOXlVZk9zWm9qUT09; Mtg ID: 634 120 3607/Pswd: 155144

This group has offered a chanted evensong for several years and has now put most of their tapes online:
    http://nightsong.org/ (main page);
    http://nightsong.org/listen/ (taped services)
   

I'm curious to see what other congregations and faith communities have created, of whatever denomination, confession, or religious belief. I happen to be Christian, but work interfaith and ecumenically, so I've also been grateful to see these postings:

An Adhan/Azan (Friday, or any day at prescribed times) call to prayer:
       1) part of the British channel 4 broadcast of daily calls to prayer during Ramadan:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3paZoyU-1aE
       2) Emphasizes the large space through which many people come to join in prayer (Casablanca, Morocco):
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwnV2OK7E9Q
       3) In Jerusalem: several are resonating together
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OG9NXvDA_c

Sabbath Temple worship (New York congregation): (lively music, excellent address to the children at 18.00 or so)
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOyMBaPHpXc
         2) U.S. congregation Beth Israel (city not given): copy of a recent live-streamed service
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQJr7fZxL-g
         3) In a Jerusalem apartment, on Feb 8, preparations discussed, students' safety invoked; service begins at 7:30
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTYJGF5pSiU

The emphasis appears to be on love as taking care of each other by making worship possible despite necessary constraints.

What offerings do others want to share?

M.

[polly_mer]

It seems late to be sharing these resources since even my state has now allowed church services in person after weeks of YouTube/FaceBook/Zoom services for all the houses of worship around us.

[mamselle]

Thanks for the observation. Appreciated.

I realize some states are doing that, but not all are.

Also, in several places, congregations are either choosing not to meet in person, or have found such strong interest in online offerings that they will probably continue them.

I'm also guessing that after a few weeks, with renewed spiking of case numbers, we're likely to back in quarantine, possibly until December in some locales.

In any case, as long as it's OK to do so, I'll be interested to see what people have to contribute.

M.

[traductio]

States may be opening up houses of worship, but my Canadian province certainly isn't. Even if it does, it's unlikely that people will be attending in person any time soon. The Moderator of the United Church of Canada released a statement last week saying that we should avoid singing for the foreseeable future, so the church I attend has been thinking about how to make services available online, even when we are allowed to meet in person again.

For me, the value of online services has been (among other things) that it's the one thing each week that happens with regular predictability. We cast the service from YouTube to our TV. It's also allowed us to maintain some sense of community as we continue to practice physical distancing -- these are people I care a great deal about and am glad to see, or "see," I suppose.

[mamselle]

Yes, the connections with those we are used to seeing for other reasons than work or family become attenuated; online services help address that.

I also found myself able to re-connect with a congregation at a distance from where I am now, which I have missed for a very long time. That in itself has been valuable....I'd go there when at my parents' home, but was out of touch otherwise.

The various ways people have found to make it work are also interesting. One friend asked for links like the ones I put up here because their congregation was sorting out what they could do, and how to do it.

Does anyone have links to put up that they feel OK about posting without "outing" themselves?

It hadn't occurred to me that that might be an issue; the ones I posted are all over the place, i.e., none of them identify where I am now.

Or maybe people could feel free to post the link without saying whether it's their own congregation or another one.

Ideas welcome.

M. 

[quasihumanist]

This is a partial listing, and some of the information might be out of date, but unprogrammed Quaker meetings in the Western US:

https://westernfriend.org/quaker-worship-and-fellowship-online

[mamselle]

I used to attend a local meeting for worship on Sunday nights; I didn't realize there were daily meetings in some places as well.

Thank you!

M.

[mamselle]

While opening churches may be happening in some places, most of the ones I'm aware of are planning to continue to offer remote services until the fall at the very least.

What are you hearing or seeing?

How are various groups you're aware of handling this?

M.

[hmaria1609]

 This Pentecost weekend, some parishes in my archdiocese have reopened. My parish priest plans to reopen for weekend Masses in mid June; the church is open for private prayer during the week though.

[pgher]

While opening churches may be happening in some places, most of the ones I'm aware of are planning to continue to offer remote services until the fall at the very least.

What are you hearing or seeing?

How are various groups you're aware of handling this?

M.

My church started worshiping last Sunday. However, we cannot accommodate all of our regular attendees and still maintain distancing, and we have many members who are unable or unwilling to attend anyway (due to health concerns). So we're putting our worship on YouTube (after the fact, not live). Basically, I see this as an opportunity to do something that we should have been doing for a long time. Right now, I'm the person doing it all; someday, I need backup for when I travel in order to be sustainable. I don't know if we'll ever livestream, but who knows?

[mamselle]

Oouff, that's a lot of work.

Older teens with some technical savvy might make good assistants.

That was one of the ways our choir director used to "reward" good singing, you got to go into the area where the taping was done to help out...

M.

[quasihumanist]

The local Episcopal church has been doing Morning Prayer via Zoom for a few years, with old folks handling everything.  It really isn't that hard as long as you're not insisting on doing it perfectly.  Just hook up a laptop with a webcam in a reasonable spot.  If there's no WiFi, tether a phone.

[cathwen]

Unless there has been a very recent update, Episcopal churches in Connecticut will not open until "at least" June 20--which means that it could be pushed back even more.  In New York City (Episcopal Diocese), public worship is suspended until July 1.  As in other churches, the reopenings will require social distancing, thorough cleaning, etc. 

My husband and I are in an age bracket that is urged to keep on staying home.  I really miss going in person--I find the Zoom services off-putting.  But we probably will resist the desire to attend in person.  Our goal is to stay alive until November 3.

[mamselle]

I hear you.

I'm wondering if specific confessions treat decisions about remote worship differently.

Also, I'm interested in what is off-putting or attractive about the services people have participated in so far?

M.

[mamselle]

Double-posting quite a bit later...

This has just come out through the Hymn Society of the U.S. and Canada:

   https://congregationalsong.org/resuming-worship-a-guide/

Just if it's useful...

M.