Faith & Family - Cullman, Alabama Spring 2020 - Page 23

a familiar smiling face that can bring
joy and cheer to your life, even if that
person is on a video screen.
But there are numerous types
of families that are using modern
technology to bring people closer
together.
Church families are using
streaming technology to send
services across the internet and allow
home-bound members to watch as
well as others in the congregation.
We have seen the benefits of
that firsthand during the COVID-19
crisis, as church buildings across the
country were closed due to stay-at-
home orders.
However, instead of canceling
services, church pastors and worship
leaders adapted and held church
online, streaming the service through
Facebook and other platforms in
order to reach the congregation.
The singing and preaching
might have been done in an empty
sanctuary — or in some cases, the
living room of the pastor’s home
— but the message was the same.
Without technology, churches would
be silent during a time when they
were most needed — a time of crisis.
Many people bemoan the
prevalence of social media in our
lives and how it is taking the place of
face-to-face interaction. I agree with
much of that, and I do think there
is nothing that can take the place of
meeting and speaking with someone
face to face.
But many times, that is not
possible. It is in those times where
technology, whether it be through a
FaceTime call with a baby who lives
hundreds of miles away, a church
service streamed through Facebook
or friends having a group meeting
through Zoom, can bring us closer
than we ever thought we could be.
April 2020 | Faith & Family
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