Ask even longtime pastors if they have ever encountered a disruption to their ministries like that of COVID-19 and you’ll get a singular response: No.
Jim Genesse, pastor at First United Methodist Church in Starkville, might be the exception, albeit in an upside-down sort of way.
“I was pastor in Long Beach during Hurricane Katrina,” Genesse recalled. “We were out of our building for four or five months. That’s the closest comparison I can make.”
Fifteen years ago, Genesse had the people, but not the place. For the past month, he’s had the place but not the people.
Today is Easter, the most important day on the Christian calendar, a day when churches are typically filled to the brim to celebrate the occasion with special events and flourishes, big and small.
But today’s Easter will be unlike the others. Church sanctuaries will be empty. There will be no coming together of the faithful in celebration and fellowship.
Some churches will hold “drive-in” Easter celebrations. Most will rely on livestreaming services. In either situation, the more elaborate aspects of their traditional Easter celebrations have been quietly put away or dramatically altered.
That will certainly be the case at Fairview Baptist Church in East Columbus, where each Easter more than 1,100 worshipers gather at the sanctuary to witness a dramatic and musical production on the scale not unlike a Cecil B. DeMille production.
“It’s called ‘Living Pictures,'” said Fairview pastor Breck Ladd. “Each year it tells the story of Easter from a different perspective. One year, it was told from the point of view of the man who was brought in to carry Jesus’ cross. Another year, it was told from the perspective of the woman at the well.”
Ladd said “Living Pictures” requires months to prepare, with as many a 400 people involved in the production in one way or another.
This year’s production was a casualty of COVID-19. Instead, the church live-streamed last year’s Living Pictures on Good Friday.
Even without its epic production, Fairview’s livestream service today will include some Easter touches, including a “virtual communion” at the end of the service.
“We’ve been passing out pre-packaged communion containers on a drive-through basis,” Ladd said. “We’ve also put on our website a recipe for unleavened bread. Of course, you don’t need any of that. A saltine cracker is fine if that’s what you have. We’re just giving people options.”
At FUMC in Starkville, Genesse’s livestream Easter service will included special pre-recorded segments — including one for children — along with special music.
What his church cannot replicate is the fellowship that normal Easters usually produce.
“What we see with Easter Sunday here is that it’s almost like a homecoming,” Genesse said. “People come home to be with their families and attend Easter service together. That’s a large part of what church is all about for us. This year, it may still be a homecoming, but it won’t happen at our church.”
Pastor R.J. Matthews of Kingdom Vision International Church in Columbus has shifted his energies to digital as well.
“We’ve used our Facebook Live and YouTube channel to broadcast our worship experiences and Zoom to put together smaller groups,” Matthews said.
Friday, the church aired a special communion broadcast. Saturday, congregants could drive by the church to pick up Easter packages for the children, including eggs for a home Easter egg hunt to take the place of the church egg hunt normally held on its grounds.
Navigating the challenges presented by COVID-19 has been difficult for all pastors. Matthews, like the others, said the most difficult has been the “shepherd without his flock” experience.
“We miss being together,” Matthews said. “Whether it’s the church mothers who always want to give you a hug or the kids that come down the hall and pop their head into my office to see if I have candy. I could never have imagined a situation like what we have now. It certainly makes you appreciate what we’ve had.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
READER FAVORITES
Related Photos
Breck Ladd
R.J. Matthews
