Each Sunday, the Covenant United Church in Timmins is bringing a virtual service to its parishioners.
Ever since the church, located on the corner of Pine Street North and 8th Avenue, suspended all its activities in late March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been offering online Sunday service on its Facebook page.
It’s been a learning curve as they've never done something like this before but it’s also been pretty easy to do, said Rob Galloway, chair of the Covenant United Council.
“It’s a good and rather an important thing to be doing for our members and the others who have taken the opportunity to look at (the videos),” he said. “We’re glad we’re doing it.”
The church posted a pilot video on March 29 which gained about 1,000 views. Since then, the church acquired a tripod and a new camera with a microphone to make the process of shooting a video easier, Galloway said.
Each Friday, Rev. Bill Jones, Tim Tonkin and David Mailloux gather at the church to record a video. Tonkin plays the piano, while Mailloux is responsible for shooting and editing.
The video is then posted on the church’s Facebook page early Sunday morning, around 7 a.m.
The videos are about 40 minutes, compared to a usual one-hour in-person service. There are also words put on top of the screen to help people read and sing along.
The community’s response has been supportive and appreciative, with people leaving notes and thanking the church, Galloway said. Some Facebook comments also mention how people look forward to the service each Sunday.
“It’s hard on folks. Some need religion to keep their mental health going along, so it is tricky."
Galloway said the council was also worried about parishioners who usually come to the church on Sundays to make donations. Since the church is closed, they had to think of alternative ways people can donate. Offerings are now accepted via e-transfer or through the CanadaHelps website.
Usually, the church gets full of parishioners on Easter but the virtual service felt different, albeit “OK” this year, Galloway said.
The online service will keep being posted every Sunday until the pandemic is over although there’s a possibility they'll continue doing it for people who aren't able to attend, Galloway noted.
There will be precautions taken once the people are allowed to gather again.
Greeters will stand at a distance from each other and churchgoers will be asked to sit two metres away from others unless they’re with members of their family. The church could also either cancel their coffee breaks after the service or have people spread out across the auditorium, Galloway said.
“We still need to be careful."
“To all of the folks out there, stay healthy and safe. That’s what we need, for sure.”
