The Big Question

The Rev Laurence Twaddle, minister at Geneva

Rev Elspeth Harley, locum at Caddonfoot and Galashiels Trinity.

“We could have been stuffed – but we have been blessed! We held our last service at Calvin’s Auditoire in March 2020. Since then, we have been dependent on our new best friend – Zoom.

“This has brought extraordinary benefits. 

“We’ve had a greater reach thanks to our online presence – our congregation on Sunday mornings gathers from Russia, South Africa, New Zealand, Thailand, the UK, Ireland – as family, and friends old and new, join in the worship.

“It’s meant better and more frequent communications – as pastoral letters, news and worship details are circulated in anticipation of the services – Sunday, Wednesday lunch-time – and a Bible Study group on a Tuesday evening. Each event gives birth to a caring and supportive pastoral connection. This has been warmly appreciated. 

“More adventurous and varied church music – drawn from the internet - has been available to us, enriching worship and taking us to new and sometimes wonderful places.

“And I’d have to say, this is key – because our events are all live – people speak of an immediacy, intimacy and closeness that is as powerful as it is precious. We are together…we see each other on Gallery View – we talk before and after the service. It feels real, not at all distanced or mechanical.

“People have felt free to invite others to join – friends or family – presenting new and real outreach opportunities. This has been creative and important.

“Even the doubters have been drawn into the joy of Zoom and our church life hugely blessed. Strange but true!”

“A computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone – what do you call friendship between recording devices – camaraderie! – I’m no fan of these devices but sometimes they come in useful, like NOW.

“Recording Sunday services has been an ‘interesting’ challenge. With the help of a young Caddonfoot member and my son-in-law, my husband Ewen and I got started with a tablet balanced on piles of books. We go from room to room looking for the best lighting – curtains open, curtains shut, light on, light off. The colour seems OK to us then the camera decides it isn’t and makes us look jaundiced or white as a ghost. Recording outside is great until a tractor passes. I wanted lambs in the video for Good Shepherd Sunday so recorded up behind the manse. By the time I sorted out my microphone, the lambs had gambolled up the hill. The interruptions – the phone, the church door quietly opened but then the curtain pulled back – screech! It’s all fun!

“We ‘ve involved a good number from both congregations to read and to lead the singing with our organist, and we benefit from the musicians’ superior technical skills and equipment. I’ve learned a lot!

“Midweek I email a message that includes something to think about, church notices and the all-important Zoom links.

“For people not online we have had to use multiple ways to share the Good News and not leave them out – the internet has been a ‘God-send’, but – God’s love is for all.”

The Rev Jenny Earl, minister at Iona l/w Kilfinichen and Kilvickeon and the Ross of Mull

The Rev William Heenan, minister at Stornoway: St Columba

The Rev Dr Suzie Fletcher, minister at Dunglass

“As lockdown began last year, I was on my way to Amsterdam, and had to abort my trip and hurry home, with everything closing behind me like the waters of the Red Sea behind the fleeing Israelites.

“There were three days of panic: how on earth to ‘do’ church under the new, restrictions? And then, Facebook came to the rescue; I began to post reflections and prayers on Wednesdays and Sundays. These were augmented by YouTube videos on special days, for example harvest, Remembrance and Christmas Watchnight. Initially I needed a little help from my friends, but I was learning as I went along, and suddenly, the possibilities seemed endless.

“We soon added meetings and worship on Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. ‘You’re still muted!’ became one of the catch-cries of 2020 – but we learned quickly and soon became better at it. People were overjoyed to be able to see each other again, if only on a screen, and readily forgave mistakes. I conducted my first Communion Service on Zoom for Advent Sunday, and contrary to my anticipatory fears, found it moving and real, different from what we are used to but nonetheless meaningful for those ‘present’.

“Suddenly we developed a worldwide congregation, and could entertain guest speakers who didn’t even have to leave their kitchen or study to join us.

“I praise God constantly for these blessed means of worship and communication in an otherwise challenging time!”

“Enormously! Like most congregations, we majored in face to face meetings, be that for worship, coffee mornings, lunches, youth meetings, etc. With the onset of the pandemic, life changed dramatically for me and suddenly I was thrust into preaching at a camera!

“Not a pleasant experience when you’re someone who is a ‘people person’.

“It was stressful and exhausting. But looking back, I’m amazed and encouraged at our achievements: online worship services every Sunday, viewed by an international ‘congregation’; weekly Zoom prayer and Bible study and most of our other groups up and running online – Sunday School, Youth Group, BB and GB; filming School Assemblies, chairing meetings for my involvement with both the local Christian Bookshop and Stornoway Street Pastors, even a commissioning service for four new Street Pastors.

“One of the challenging aspects has been pastorally. Not being able to visit people, especially at a bereavement, has been hard. However, at the start of the pandemic, we set up teams within the congregation so as to spread the workload and ease the burden for our elders and free them up to support me doing more telephone pastoring to their respective districts.

“I’ve enjoyed participating in a few online ministry conferences and being able to talk with fellow ministers. We all seem to have one thing in common- exhaustion.

“What I’ve really missed is the freedom to sing praises, making me realise how integral praise is to our faith and worship.”

“When we were married 24 years ago, I began a longstanding relationship with Apple computers. The iphone was first released in 2007, the year my eldest was born, and I soon joined Facebook to keep in touch with loved ones. Then, for most of the decade that followed, I stuck with what I knew.

“Fast forward to March 2020, and Zoom took over. A conversation with a colleague about worship confirmed my gut instinct to prioritise personal contact over more polished recordings, which I knew were beyond my tech skills! In a scattered rural parish, I felt it was important to check in face to face. It’s lovely to have more, younger, members (under 55) online almost every week, sharing worship with several in their eighties and nineties. A year on, I have finally mastered uploading music videos and sharing my screen. I am the ‘host’ for Session and Board meetings and local community meetings, lead virtual school assemblies and Sea Cadet activities, and have felt supported by the Minister’s Discussion Forum, the various webinars and a weekly catch-up with local colleagues. I have three new email addresses for the Covid Support teams and foodbank, and led a Carol service on the local radio. I don’t Tweet and find Teams quite ‘glitchy’, but as a parent of four, the most challenging of all is surely Google Classrooms. My laptop is dying, and I’m Zoom fatigued but hopeful for what may come!”