When times dictate that people should refrain from gathering en masse, there is an ever greater need for voices of reason and calm. In other words, if you can't get to church, the church still has to get to you.
After Alberta Health Services included worship services in its long list of public health restrictions on mass gatherings, faith institutions had to adapt. The St. Albert Alliance Church started to offer its regular services exclusively online on Sunday, with a livestream that is still available for viewing on its website at staalliance.org.
All things considered, there was much comfort received.
“We were thrilled, to be honest, with the response,” expressed Lead Pastor Jeremy Peters, referring to the sermon on the subject of faith in times of uncertainty.
There were 170 individual streams including a few groups that were gathering in a home for a ‘satellite’ service. The live event also prompted more than 200 people to interact on different social media and chat platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
“We are super encouraged by that level of not just watching but engaging with content and various things. We were blown away, actually, by how much positive feedback,” he continued, adding that it has been a challenge for many people to figure out the concept of community engagement in the age of social distancing. “I think for a number of people – it felt like a lot of people, but certainly for a number of people – this felt like there's still a way to connect with relationships that are really important, even though it's done virtually at this point.”
During regular in-person service, the church would normally host an average congregation of 600-plus souls during the school year.
While most of the other programming has also been cancelled, especially those involving children, there are still some adult programs that involve smaller addiction recovery-type groups of 10 to 15 individuals that are continuing on site at least for the time-being.
“We’re just trying to navigate that tension of support and encouragement for people as they walk roads of addiction and knowing the value of community in those. This is a hard thing in times like this of isolation and separation. Navigating parts of life ... we’re meant to do it in community, and we get that support and that encouragement through some of the strength to navigate the challenges of life in community. Now, having that removed is going to be a significant struggle for some people,” explained Mike Sotski, teaching and discipleship pastor.
Peters added that they were well-prepared for this, as the church has been livestreaming its services for the last year.
