Wow—it’s been a while since I’ve written here! My only excuse is that the church year started up and things have been kind of busy. Mostly in a good way—we brought our online worship back into the sanctuary and I’ve been pleased with that. It was another thing to figure out, but thanks to a great team of folks, we did it! I know its’s not the same as being there in person, but I’m so grateful for the connections that are happening through our services on YouTube, and I’m aware that these days our Sunday services are accessible to more people than they used to be. Early in the fall, one of you emailed me to say, “I’d gotten out of the habit of coming to church, but online church is my new Sunday morning ritual!”

I’m grateful to everyone who has helped to make this possible. My friend Dave White, a commercial photographer, recorded our first two services this fall (that’s Dave above, with Abbe Wertz), and consulted with me about what equipment we should buy. He also lent us those lights you see in the photo below! Bo Crowell, seen in the same photo, has been our videographer every Sunday since the middle of September, and our administrator Lorryn Kinkaid has, in recent weeks, taken on the editing of the worship video, for which I’m very grateful!

I’m also really grateful to our staff musicians Nate De Young and Lisa Zaleski and to church member and tenor extraordinaire Neal Ferreira, for the beauty and spirit they’ve brought to our worship. I’m equally grateful to our worship associates and worship committee members who have helped us to think through these changes in how we offer worship, and to Sophia and Clare, of course, who have brought so much to our services. It is truly a team effort, every week, and I am honored to lead this awesome team!

One thing that’s changed for me over the months of this pandemic is my attitude about online worship. At the start, I saw it as a necessary inconvenience, something we needed to figure out, so our community could continue to gather. Early on, the technical challenges risked overshadowing the reason we gather for worship.

But with time, we figured things out, and I started to see how Zoom and YouTube can actually facilitate deep and real connection. I’m now grateful for these tools and technology, which are allowing us to be “in church” while keeping safely distanced. It’s clear to me that when we do get back to gathering again in our building, we will need to continue to offer worship online as well, for those who can’t be there in person.

I’ve also had fun bringing my former work as a photographer into this online ministry. It’s been surprisingly gratifying—both working on the editing in the early months (thanks to our daughter Emma, who taught me the software) and keeping my eyes open for scenes to photograph that will add something to the Sunday service. Who know that I’d get this chance to combine photography and ministry?

Maybe there’s a lesson here: that even a challenging time, even a difficult situation, can offer surprising gifts. There’s often a silver lining, if you wait and watch, and are open to that possibility.