Wearing my Zoomday Best
By Annmarie Miles
(From the July - September 2020 issue of VOX)
As we navigate this season of Zoom meetings, YouTube sermons, Facebook Live gatherings, and dial-a-Pastor (I bet there is such a thing), I wonder if you have noticed some of the strange phenomena of online church. The hypnotic power of the reflection of a white square on a speaker’s glasses. Or the unfortunate position of their notes which, every time they glance at them, makes us think they are keeping one eye out for a delivery.
There were high jinks and hilarity Chez Feint Saint as we got to grips with virtual church. I won’t embarrass my beloved by giving specifics, suffice to say that when recording, he might look dressed for church, but anything out of camera shot is better suited for digging the garden. When he started recording in our living room we had to clear our shoe corner (and find a new place for the shoes!), make sure the door to the downstairs loo was closed, clear shelves, and move a vase that was causing a glare.
We tested recordings with lights on, lights off, curtains open and closed. I was moving lamps around the room, trying to get rid of shadows and reflections. The laptop was too far away - he couldn’t be heard, then it was too near – you could count his eyelashes, it was too high, then it was too low. At one stage I started singing, Jesus’ love is very wonderful, Oh wonderful love. It was that, or cry.
Oh, for those times he could just walk out of the vestry and stand in the pulpit. Happy days.
“Things will look a lot different after this is all over.”
Here in South Wales, lockdown restrictions are changing very slowly, so we’re expecting to be using the internet for quite some time, but do you know something…? It’s going well.
Those of our church family who are comfortable with the internet are really engaged and with us most weeks. Those who don’t have internet are making and receiving lots of phone calls from others in the church. We are so encouraged by the family atmosphere that has only increased by our inability to gather face to face.
As a leadership team, we are already talking about our online presence beyond lockdown, and how bad weather and dark nights need never stop folk from being at church. Things will look a lot different after this is all over.
As long and I can still go to church with big fluffy slippers on, I’ll be happy.
Annmarie Miles is originally from Tallaght and now lives in her husband Richard’s homeland, Wales. As well as VOX articles, she writes short stories, and is working on a book about her journey with food, weight gain, weight loss and God. Visit her blog at www.auntyamo.com. On Twitter she is @amowriting.
