Sabbatical -- Day 18; I Can Worship Anywhere (there's internet)

As a part of the sabbatical renewal and research I am trying to avail myself of lots of worship styles and ways. This morning I decided to worship online.

First, I joined Asbury United Methodist Church in Tulsa, OK in worship at 9:15 this morning. Asbury, while a UM congregation, is a mega-church. I have been in the building once to a Celebrate Recovery meeting and it is massive. Massive. My guess is they worship between 3,000 - 4,000 people in person each Sunday. When the feed went live there were 140 of  us watching the service online.

Asbury United Methodist Church, Tulsa, OK

Asbury live streams their worship in HD. They use multiple camera angles, video messaging, chat while the sermon is going on and more. It's a dramatic production. They had a full orchestra in the pit this morning.They repeated their mission and purpose often. They blended contemporary and traditional elements. There was a sermon series called, "Extreme Ownership." The whole service seemed to embrace an "all in" vibe. The sermon emphasized passion, purpose and practice. I alike alliteration so that worked okay for me.

After worshiping with Asbury I worshiped with The Riverside Church in New York City. The Riverside Church is an historic congregation with a long history of great preaching and social action. The building is magnificent. The pastoral staff was diverse as was the congregation. There were male and female, hispanic, African American and Anglo folk leading and worshiping. The sermon was a bit better suited for me than the one from Asbury because it dug deep into a lectionary text, was filled with quotes and analogies. Some of the phrases used were a bit formulaic, but overall it was a solid sermon.

The Riverside Church, New York City

Both congregations used a service called LiveStream, and they broadcast their worship as it is happening. Both congregations offered online giving. Asbury has video screens that are used for lyrics, announcements, reminder of the mission, and as sermon illustration and testimonials. The Riverside Church had no screens.

OK, I will admit that I chose to worship this way today so I could be home for the World Cup Final, vive le France. But, it was a good day of worship research and I took a bunch of notes to share with FCC Winchester. So far this sabbatical I have worshiped with a UM Church in Lawton, OK (in person), a UM congregation in Tulsa, and the historic Riverside Church in NYC. That's quite a list.  This coming Sunday, July 22 I will likely visit First Presbyterian Church in Lexington (in person). The Union Church in Berea is on the list for August, and so is Central Baptist Church in Lexington. I may try one congregation that puts me out of my comfort zone, but I am not sure about that. I am looking for places that will inform the work I do.

I finished mowing the yard just as a huge downpour thunderstorm hit. I washed the sailboat and scrubbed it after the storm. I will finish scrubbing the boat tomorrow and begin waxing and polishing. I think I will get the boat to Cave Run on Wednesday. Maybe.

The two churches that were streaming live today have made a huge investment in technology. Probably a couple hundred thousand dollars each. Cameras. Producer boards. Lighting. Sound. Streaming service subscription. I am not sure why. Church is about community; about being together in fellowship and service. Worshiping from the internet leaves a lot to be desired; especially for the investment required. Something to ponder.

Peace and Love,
Jerry