MINISTRY
THE COVID PIVOT | Phil Sillas
On March 20 , 2020 , the world as we knew it came to a screeching halt . A plague known as the coronavirus entered our lives with little warning and unfathomable consequences . For us in the music ministry world the virus has shut down churches , band rehearsals , choirs , concerts , travel and anything else that was not deemed an essential business . As an artist manager , all engagements for the coming months for my client were either cancelled or put on hold to be rescheduled for the summer . After the initial struggles to cancel airline tickets , hotels , cars etc . were under control , the prospect of staying at home for a few weeks actually seemed like a welcome surprise . The general consensus was we ’ d have the spread under control and be back to full speed no later than Easter .
As a worship leader for a small church in Morro Bay , California , I was given two days before Sunday March 22nd to figure out how I could lead worship alone from my home studio while simultaneously broadcasting to Facebook Live . It actually went off without any major issues . How did it sound ? That ’ s another article . But that Sunday , thousands of churches were in the same boat figuring out how to livestream services mostly from iPhones and iPads . The following Monday felt like damage assessment after a forest fire or tornado . Some structural damage but for the most part we all seemed to weather the storm .
After a few weeks of stay at home orders the grim reality started to sink in . There was and still is no end in sight . Easter was not the spring miracle we had all hoped and prayed for . Our nation ’ s economy was being hit by the likes we haven ’ t seen since the great depression and even that was up for debate .
So now we are all in it for the long haul . For such a time as this . For musicians , worship leaders , pastors , artists , songwriters , producers ,