Weekly Article

Many of you know our daughter Lynn works as the director of communications at Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Chester. When she comes home for a visit, she and I can’t help but talk shop: how’s the livestream going? How’s the new pastor? What new technology is Westminster using that we should try at Derry? Sometimes we get so excited talking and sharing ideas that Jim has to go into another room and shut the door for some peace and quiet. 

There’s one area we talk a lot about but haven’t yet come to any good conclusions: how do we help our live streaming friends stay connected and involved in the life of the church? It’s exciting that our in-person community is growing, yet there continues to be a respectable number of Derry members and friends who participate by live streaming, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. It’s what works for them, and I’m really glad we can offer a robust and welcoming online worship experience for families like the Plassios, new members who live in Texas and worship online with us each week. We may not see these folks in the pews, but they are as much a part of our congregation as those who attend in person. 

So how can we extend the warm and welcoming Derry community to these good folks beyond Sunday worship?

We already offer Tech Time on Zoom and Issues Classes to watch live or recorded later. The Communications & Technology Committee has its monthly meeting on Zoom, and the Monday night study group gathered on Zoom regularly this year. While some people could care less about ever meeting on Zoom again, there are others who prefer this format, or because of their circumstances, are grateful for the option. And those are the folks we can’t forget or leave behind even as many return to in-person church.  

As Lynn and I scratch our heads over what kinds of virtual gatherings make sense in a post pandemic world, it occurred to me that I could ask you good eNews readers what would be of interest. A prayer group? A class? The ability to attend an existing class or program that is not yet offered in hybrid format? Let me know by sharing your suggestions:

You can be sure I’ll be sharing your ideas with Derry’s staff and with Lynn. She has given me so many good ideas that I’d like to share a few of our good ones with her and the Westminster congregation. Yet I am very much aware that what works in one place may not make sense somewhere else. I’m looking to extend Derry’s offerings in a way that makes sense for our congregation, so that we can continue being the church that proclaims God’s word, shares God’s love, and practices God’s justice.