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Friday, 17 April 2020

HeartEdge: Growing Community Online


This week HeartEdge has been sharing some of what St Martin-in-the-Fields and other churches have been doing online since lockdown by means of a HeartEdge workshop on ways to grow community online for church congregations. Sally Hitchiner and Adrian Harris from St Martin's took part together with Rev Lorenzo Lebrija from TryTank, one of HeartEdge's US partners.

This online workshop generated lots of discussion and debate among those watching on the HeartEdge facebook page as Sally, Adrian and Lorenzo shared examples and ideas about livestreaming services, congregation facebook pages, companion groups and more. There was lots of discussion about the numbers watching services, whether large or small, and what viewing figures on facebook and other platforms were actually recording.

People watching said that their online worship is connecting them with people who just aren't able to get to church - housebound and others - and has proved a boon to such people enabling them to feel more part of the community. One person commented, 'I'm ashamed to say that until now we've not provided for them on a Sunday morning.'

There were lots of practical ideas such as using the comments for people to make their prayer requests and to share the peace. Others mentioned use of WhatsApp groups and other things outside worship - thought for the day, baking, film club, parish quiz night etc. There was a recognition that some members of the congregation are really relying on what is being offered in order to get through lockdown.

The workshop can be viewed online here.

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The Beatles - Come Together.

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