Church uses Zoom for services

While many struggle to keep in touch with family, friends and loved ones while maintaining social distancing in a time of covid19, one church is using technology to continue to fellowship.

In a conversation with Newsday, pastor of the Port of Spain Church of Christ, Pastor Nanieno La Fleur said his congregation is using the online meeting app, Zoom, to conduct services and continue fellowship.

He said the branch would usually meet at the Cipriani Labour College on Churchill Roosevelt Highway, and had been in existence for 30 years. La Fleur said the app was already familiar to the church but was used by its leaders to connect with other churches in the Caribbean and internationally. When it was announced that people were not allowed to gather in groups larger than ten, the church decided Zoom would be a good way to continue to conduct services.

“It was just to transit the technology to the wider congregation. As we grew in understanding of the technology, we learned what it could do.”

La Fleur said the church now has a capacity of up to 500 participants, attained by subscribing to the app.

The church would usually host up to 260 guests during services held on Sundays and Wednesdays.

La Fleur said, “This Sunday we went into Nehemiah and his desire to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild their walls. We have been looking at him reaching to Jerusalem and the challenges he faced.

“We were thrust into this situation because of covid19, and it is very hard to tell where people are at on a personal level because they are at different places and their circumstances are different. Some have lost their jobs, so times are uncertain.

“The technology has really helped us to connect by seeing people’s faces on the screen. Our church is very close by nature.”

He said elderly members of the church and those who were not tech savvy were taught to use the app on their phones. When church members themselves could not be taught, relatives were asked to assist.

“We still fellowship where people would say ‘hi’ and ‘hello’ and call each other’s names and send virtual hugs. It gives us a reminder of what life was like when we were allowed outside.”

The church also does daily devotionals, which they post to their YouTube channel.

La Fleur said people would usually invite others by sharing a link to their meetings on Whatsapp, or people could go to their website, poscoc.org, or their facebook page where the links are shared as well.

The churuch also did a sweep of all its parishioners through family group leaders, and took an audit of what everyone needed as the covid19 crisis continues. As a result, the church was able to donate more than $10,000 in relief to its members.