Technology for all
“ So, we could log onto our Church’s YouTube for this morning’s service or take a peek at the Church’s up the road ? Or Amy said her Church’s interactive family service on Zoom was good ? Ok, I’ll check out the CofE your sister mentioned, where they have spliced together a load of videos into a service and “live” stream it at half past ten. But given it’s sunny we could go for a walk now and catch up later ? And if we’re back in time we can join our Church’s Zoom coffee morning .”
A few months ago, no one would have dreamed about such a conversation. The pandemic may have closed our Churches, but it has opened up a world of possibilities where everyone can access a Church service when & where they want. The speed at which this has happened is amazing. Some Churches are having more “hits” on their YouTube service than they ever had people coming to an actual service. Maybe not surprising since more watch our national game, football, through a screen than attend actual games.
For our Church, will it mean our use of all this technology will deepen and continue once we reach the “new normal” ? This could be great for outreach and inclusivity, but it may not be easy.
I made 2 short videos for use locally during Christian Aid Week. It was hard. Writing & trying to memorise a script, getting the lighting and sound correct never mind the camera angles. My daughter, who is in digital marketing, found my offering laughable and could not understand why someone who’d worked for IT companies for over 30 years couldn’t do much better and include things such as background music & subtitles. She was correct.
So I take my hat off to all those who are putting together YouTube clips and Zoom services. Thanks to their efforts we continue to worship. In future, who knows where it will all lead but I am sure our Church will need to be ready.
Wilf Hardy