For a study guide see page 22.


social media


to worship with us on weekends but can’t because they’re traveling or even in the hospital, so they connect with us online.” In December, St. Stephen announced that one of its


Christmas Eve services would be live-streamed—60 households around the world watched.


We’ve fallen behind ... “How do we become more digitally present in the 21st century?” Swenson-Reinhold asked. “In the Lutheran church, we act as if this is a new idea. For a church that led the charge in sharing the word, we have been behind on this. We need to be intentionally engaged with our culture for the sake of the gospel.” In Kasson, Minn., St. John Lutheran “offered daily


reflections during Lent on Facebook, Twitter and by email,” said Katie Livingood, the church’s communica- tions and media specialist. “A middle-aged homebound woman let us know how much she appreciated what we were providing for those who are homebound. I was glad we were serving this special purpose.” Livingood said the congregation doesn’t currently


have a social media strategy that targets the homebound but acknowledges that a variety of people fall into this category. “Tink about how oſten people are home recovering from surgery, or pregnant women who are on bed rest, or anyone suddenly stuck in bed every day for six weeks or three months. All these congregants are technically homebound and social media keeps them connected,” she said. St. Michael Lutheran, Harrisburg, Pa., started using


Skype during worship services when the niece of its pastor, Larry Hawkins, got married at the church. “My


oldest boy was in the military and other family members couldn’t make it, so we ‘Skyped’ them in,” he said. Tis started the conversation about using Skype


to connect others with weekly worship services. One longtime member was homebound and really missed attending church. Her family helped her set up Skype so she could be more connected to the church’s worship life again. “We also sent communion to her home,” Hawkins


said. “She’d see the communion service and then a half hour later someone would arrive at her door with com- munion for her.” When this member transitioned from her house to a


nursing home, Hawkins asked if the facility had Internet access for residents. It did. Her family helped her set up Skype there, too, so she could continue to be connected to St. Michael’s worship life. St. Michael has approximately 50 people in worship


each Sunday, but Hawkins said seven to 10 people have taken advantage of this way to participate in services. Tey’ve had people who were sick on a Sunday call in and ask if they could join by Skype. Although this worship option intentionally targets homebound members, St. Michael’s leaders have also used the platform for some- one unable to physically attend a church meeting. It took trial and error to set up the technology. At first


they tried to use Hawkins’ son’s laptop but quickly discov- ered the camera didn’t work well in the larger space, so they invested in a $50 webcam. Sound on the laptop was also garbled, so they patched in a device typically used to assist the hearing impaired. “It’s a little FM broadcasting thing,” Hawkins


explained. “It’s like a radio pack. It’s kind of like the idea of old drive-in movies where you turn into a frequency and you hear the sound on your radio.” Instructions on how to connect via Skype are posted


on the congregation’s website in the FAQs section to assist members who want to participate. Worship bulletins are also posted online. Meanwhile, on-site worshipers are encouraged to take


photos and post them to social media and to tweet during worship using the hashtag #stmikehbg. As a result, those who are traveling can be part of the worship experience too. “We’re not trying to be innovative,” Hawkins said. “We’re just trying to proclaim the word of God.”


Emerging technologies address isolation Congregations are only now beginning to get a handle on


June 2014 17 18 


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