On the afternoon of Thursday, March 12, I arrived at Winnetka Congregational Church about 2:00pm to prepare for 6:00pm handbell rehearsal and 7:00pm Chancel Choir rehearsal. By 4:00pm the decision was made to close the church for the foreseeable future and handbell ringers and singers were notified. Thus began our journey to “virtual” church.
On Saturday, March 14 I received an email about 10:00am to come to church at 2:30pm to video tape the parts of our first “virtual” service. A soloist was procured and we were off, producing our first service on Youtube to premiere at 10:00am the next morning. Our publisher, Waldek, taped each part separately and edited the individual tapes into a cohesive whole. I can’t tell you how much we owe to the Waldek’s ability to learn super-quickly and his expertise in handling videos and computers. He is our mastermind!
Our worship staff has experienced a very sharp learning curve about everything tech and moved step by quick step to our current process. On Tuesday afternoon our worship planning staff meets via zoom and makes final worship plans. Tuesday evening I scan and send service music to soloists who stand ready. On Wednesday morning I get up and dress for church, going first to the church to video prelude, postlude and hymns. Only Waldek and I are there, far apart from each other. In the late afternoon my son Jason brings his recording equipment, which includes 2 computers among other equipment, to my living room and we video tape piano accompaniments. There will soon be a sign on my door reading “H&H Recording Studio! The organ and piano accompaniments are emailed to a soloist. After learning the music—quick style!—they record only the vocal line while listening to the accompaniment with an earpiece. Believe me, accompanying without a soloist and singing to someone else’s fixed accompaniment are equally difficult! The vocal line and the accompaniments arrive on Jason’s computer by Thursday night. He has a program that allows him to sync the accompaniment and soloist into one document. He has the computer skill and the musical ear necessary to accomplish this. Meanwhile the pastors and lay readers video all of the speaking parts at home, usually via IPhone, and all should arrive on Waldek’s computer by Friday morning. (In reality they may arrive Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.) Waldek works his magic in editing and splicing and fading from video to video. And, truthfully by the Grace of God, our service premieres on Youtube at 10:00am Sunday morning.
All of our churches have had to address very quickly the question of how to remain in contact with and minister to their congregations, each one according to their desires and electronic equipment and tech capabilities. It would have been very difficult to do this in the times before the iPad and iPhone!!
Jill S. Hunt
Guest Contributor