in-person worship Archives

Here’s the church, here’s the steeple

Posted May 3rd, 2021

John Knox Presbyterian Church in Louisville held a dry run Sunday as it seeks to reopen for in-person worship on Mother’s Day, May 9. A dozen of us — all fully vaccinated — masked up and sat only in the pews marked with green streamers to take in the dry run, worship our risen Savior and make suggestions for next week’s opener.

A shot of hope

Posted March 15th, 2021

As we begin the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are reasons for hope, including vaccines approved for emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Yet even 95% efficacy for a vaccinated individual means that, statistically, 19 out of 20 people are effectively covered against becoming seriously ill from coronavirus, but 1 in 20 is not.

Tapping into the ‘genealogies of the tangible’

Posted March 6th, 2021

Picking up on the NEXT Church national gathering theme, “Breaking, Blessing, Building,” Dr. Christine Hong wondered how people will come out of “survival mode” inflicted by the pandemics of coronavirus and racial injustice and rally for a future of blessing and building.

‘A call-and-response opportunity for everybody’

Posted March 5th, 2021

The Rev. Aisha Brooks-Lytle enjoys nothing more than cheering on the Herculean online worship efforts being made each week during the pandemic by churches of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, where she’s the executive presbyter.

Caring for both body and soul as COVID vaccines are administered

Posted March 4th, 2021

During a “Church Leaders Vaccine and Regathering” webinar held Wednesday, Massachusetts pastor Meagan Manas laid out ideas for the care of clergy souls while Sean McHugh, a registered nurse in psychiatric medicine, took care of commonly-asked questions about the coronavirus vaccine.

From enduring to embracing

Posted February 5th, 2021

As the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) kicked off its 2021 annual event, which is online for the first time ever, Thom Cunningham, a member of APCE’s annual ministry team, broke the news.

An educational green space that teaches about butterflies and resurrection

Posted December 2nd, 2020

The metamorphosis of the caterpillar transforming itself into a butterfly reminds many Christians — Emma Reed of First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach in Virginia, among them — of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Pew survey: Most worshipers support COVID-19 precautions churches are taking

Posted August 10th, 2020

Nearly eight in 10 Americans say houses of worship should be required to follow the same rules about social distancing and large gatherings as other organizations and businesses in their local area, a Pew Research Center released Friday states.

An educational green space that teaches about butterflies and resurrection

Posted July 20th, 2020

The metamorphosis of the caterpillar transforming itself into a butterfly reminds many Christians — Emma Reed of First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach in Virginia, among them — of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Are you ready for hybrid online/in-person worship?

Posted May 4th, 2020

Sunday morning has become a stressful time for so many pastors who never imagined that their job would involve being an AV tech. “Hallelujah!” is the cry when the internet connection stays up and Zoom properly connects to Facebook Live. After seven plus weeks of working on this, many churches are finally thinking, “We’ve got this down.” And now that it’s working, it’s time to go the next step. Here’s what you need consider.