Do you remember this picture? Over our lifetimes, we have seen the continued emergence of technological advances on many different levels. This picture reminds us of our struggles to cope with computer technology and I find that it doesn’t matter what decide we are in – innovation is a part of life. Sometimes these innovations can cause humanity fear and trembling! Our present situation requires us to boldly step up initiatives to meet needs in areas of life including our government, educational, and healthcare systems to name but a few. And the Church is stepping up to answer the call as well.
How do we meet these challenges? As Christians we look to Jesus for direction and peace of mind and to fellow Christians as we come together to solve today’s problems. This past month we started posting a service on Face Book, YouTube, and through our church website and our new E-Ministry website at ChurchOnTheCouch.org. E-Ministry stands for our new internet ministry. Do we know what we are doing? NO. But we’re doing our best and adapting to our environment.
Our first E-Ministry worship activity was an online service on March 22nd after we received a letter from the Bishop advising us not to meet in person as a church. We scrambled and assembled a team with LJ Pearce and Katie McWhorter. We down-loaded new software to our existing Apple laptop to be able to record services. Then we started looking at cameras, lighting and what the order of service would look like. We also applied for and received a $200 grant from the Southwest District of the UM Church to help with our E-worship endeavor.
Our hope remains the same; invite others to share in our worship service while living out our desire for passionate worship of our King! We’ve been happy to offer lesson segments from Mary Thomas for our children and Lindsay Hall for our youth, and featured soloists along the way. We continue to learn more every day.
A new ministry has been birthed from our existing physical ministry at 331 W. Osceola. We look forward to returning to in-person worship albeit in a freshly sanitized, safe-space-maintaining campus and our E-ministry is here to stay. We are reaching new people in different states and areas of Florida while offering a service present members can view if they miss physical worship.
Some of our new “attenders” have never found a home church but tune into worship at Church On the Couch. After all, our mission statement has and continues to be; To share the good news of the gospel with all of Clewiston and beyond for the transformation of the world. We are excited as Jesus leads us in this new expedition in our 75th year of ministry.
On the heels of Easter we remember the apostles gathering in the Book of Acts and beginning to engage in the charge given to them by the resurrected Jesus The Christ in Acts 1:8 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
We know what Jesus is calling us to do, regardless of the day, time, or the challenges that may rise up. Spread the news, Jesus Saves!
God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Jeff