One of the top Google searches right now — across all people of faith and none — is “.” According to a University of Denmark study, the topic first spiked in March when the COVID-19 pandemic went global, and it continues to rise as reported cases mount.
“People really feel hungry to learn how to pray right now,” says Bishop Jenny Andison, Artsci’94. “There’s a serious spiritual curiosity out there.”
Bishop Andison oversees 50 Anglican churches in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area and has been helping them evolve throughout the pandemic. She’s noticed that people with no previous connections to their churches now find themselves drawn to the experience.
We spoke with the Bishop about the ways she’s helped her churches adapt to serve their suddenly expanding communities.
Getting Connected
A priority for the Anglican Church has been establishing a way to help people connect spiritually and with one another during lockdown. That’s a task Bishop Andison has been supporting by helping them connect online. “I would say 95 per cent of my churches now have some form of online worship,” she says. “Either they are live streaming services on YouTube or Facebook live or they are pre-recording services and then uploading them to YouTube. Or, they are doing Zoom worship. So creative.”
The Bishop has been hosting online webinars for church leaders to learn how to work in these virtual platforms. “Clergy went to seminary, they didn’t go to film school,” she says. “That’s been a steep learning curve, but fortunately many congregations have members with these kinds of skills.”
Bishop Andison shares how effective and far-reaching this strategy has been. “One of the churches gets about 120 people in the building on a Sunday morning,” she says. “They are getting almost 1,000 views every Sunday on their livestream.”
Helping Parents
Bishop Andison’s churches are also prioritizing children and teenagers who might find it difficult being away from their school routines and their friends.
One priest is helping parents by reading bedtime Bible stories over Zoom to children in her congregation. And church youth groups are hosting Netflix watch parties and gaming nights on Houseparty. “It’s the interpersonal connection that people are so desperate for, and which the Church is so good at facilitating,” she says.
Serving Vulnerable Populations
While the Church has been taking a high-tech approach to keep its flock feeling connected, Bishop Andison says they are adapting in other ways as they seek to look after their most vulnerable parishioners and people in their neighborhoods.
As Toronto food banks are seeing their customer base double, Bishop Andison has been busy helping churches network with other organizations to help keep the pantries stocked and meal delivery programs running.
The Anglican Church is also working with local officials to get homeless people off of the streets.
“We have been advocating with the city, to get people into hotels, and for there to be enough PPE for frontline workers” the Bishop says. “And churches that used to serve lunches are now doing takeout lunches. It’s those simple little switches that are allowing us to take thoughtful risks and serve others. It’s what we’re called to do as Christians.”
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