Churches find alternate ways for no-contact services

“I will be preaching the Resurrection Sunday message from the parking lot,” said Jared Gritton, pastor of the church at 8000 Dorothy Ave. “Everybody will remain in their cars and listen to me on the FM dial.”

It’s one of a number of ways churches are dealing with worship during this historical time of the coronavirus. People are being told to stay safe at home, or practice social distancing to help keep themselves and their fellow humans from getting sick. And as Easter approaches, a majority of churches are finding ways to guide them to do just that.

First Baptist of North Port recently purchase a radio transmitter so members could tune in on the radio from their cars at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. services on Sunday. They can roll down their windows, or idle in air-conditioned comfort.

The word will reach them over the radio waves.

“It has a limited range, but we should be able to reach everyone in the parking lot,” Gritton said. “It’s hard to say how many people will come to the drive-in service because it’s never been done before. Some parents might not want to bring their kids and have them sit in the car, they may just want to live stream it from their home. Many other churches are doing the same. That’s why a lot of these transmitters are sold out now.”

What’s the topic of this week’s message?

“I have been doing a lot of sermons on people in the Bible who were quarantined. I spoke about Noah and the ark,” he said. “This Sunday I will focus on the resurrection of Jesus.”

PUTTING TECHNOLOGY TO WORK

Around the area and across the country, churches are using Facebook live, YouTube and their own websites to stream weekly bible studies and the pastor’s Sunday sermons. Same with Good Friday services and Maundy Thursday observances.

Members of Eastside Baptist Church of Punta Gorda received calls from Debby Powell who explained the temporary changes due to the “safer in place” order signed April 1 by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. With the kid’s club meetings canceled during the week, members are now encouraged to connect online.

With an older population, the Englewood United Methodist Church asked its members to convert to online services. Today the pastor is doing the Maundy Thursday service online at 7:30 p.m. There’s a online Good Friday worship service from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. called “The Blues of the Almighty God.” It will focus on the crucifixion of Jesus. The message will be interspersed with Christian blues music that includes organ, flute, trumpet and vocal solos.

“We will also show our live version of the Last Supper that we taped last year,” said church pastor Victor Willis. “We taped our Easter service. We are helping our members learn to log onto the computer or their phone and tune in. There are four different platforms for them to access the church online including YouTube, Twitter, the church website and Facebook.”

A Facebook message for The Center of Hope Church in Venice reads, “Make sure you test positive for faith, keep a safe distance from doubt and isolate unbelief.” Under that message are the words: “For prayers, text 941-468-9035.” Because the church still has bills to pay, its leadership encourages members to continue giving if possible through the online link.

At First Baptist Church in Venice, there’s an online message called “Freed from the Pandemic Prison!”

Tom Hodge, the pastor writes, “Our entire nation is being held captive in what some call the COVID-19 prison. The daily news cycle provides us a disconcerting hour by hour death toll. We are afraid to venture outside our homes. Our favorite fragrance is now disinfectant spray. We are captives.

“We are seeking a miraculous deliverance from the pandemic prison. Let God’s people pray without ceasing that God will rescue His people and our nation from the COVID-19 captivity. We need God’s Angel of Deliverance.”

Hodge’s Easter Sunday message is already loaded onto the church website and ready for online viewers anytime they want.

Edgewater Church in Port Charlotte is launching an online Easter message its congregation can view Saturday night. The kids’ ministry also created a few 10-minute lessons for students who miss seeing their friends and Sunday School teachers at children’s church. On the Edgewater Church Facebook page is a kid’s lesson on the Last Supper.

New Hope Church in North Port has things in hand, with its recently added smartphone app. It helps members stay in touch and watch sermons, do online giving, receive notifications, check out a prayer wall and do a little social networking.

Deep Creek Community Church has a whole new online campus. It gives members a tutorial for online giving and how to access church services in the archives. The church website says, “Watch us live on Sunday or anytime in the week with our service archive.” The church has an invite reminder for the Sunday service called “Never Alone, Easter at DC3” so you won’t miss anything.

In the Gulf Cove community, United Methodist Church’s sign encourages anyone to log onto to the church’s website. The church’s Facebook message added a little humor to the at-home Sunday communion.

“This Sunday we will have communion from our homes … together. I would like for you to find some juice and bread in your house. Grape juice ideally, but in these times any juice will do. (Bloody Mary mix doesn’t count).”