Churches have made huge adjustments in response to COVID-19. | Shutterstock
Churches have made huge adjustments in response to COVID-19. | Shutterstock
COVID-19 has prompted local churches to adjust to a new normal, one that involves the streaming of services and classes.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker last month issued an executive order banning gatherings of 10 people or more. Still determined to be there for their congregants, pastors statewide turn to video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Skype, Facebook Live and Google Hangout. Social media and email usage has increased in the current climate of social distancing, the Journal Star reported.
Connect Church in Washington pre-recorded its 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday services for viewing at those times. The services are now 40 minutes long instead of the usual 75 minutes.
“We’ve had to rethink everything we do,” Rev. Dave Jane of Connect Church told the Journal Star.
Community United Church of Christ in Morton is also relying on virtual technology to connect with its members.
The Rev. Leah Kabira told the Journal Star that she feels like she’s taken “a crash course in technology."
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