By Catie Hourigan
While we have all been stuck at home for the last few weeks, Grace Church has had to completely take the church online. Yes, we did have an online presence before the Coronavirus, but I don’t think any of us had anticipated ever being a completely functional online church. In a matter of three weeks, we have managed to create a blog full of articles, start making podcasts again, start accepting giving online, have Bible studies and regular meetings thanks to Zoom, and, most importantly, live stream Grace Services!
You would think that I should have a vast knowledge of how the internet, social media platforms, and even video conferencing works because I have grown up with it all. But, if I ever thought I knew much about any of it, I was wrong! Video Conferencing isn’t easy, Facebooking isn’t as simple as it seems, and live streaming… let me tell you. But thanks to the Coronavirus, like many of you, I have had to learn all about these programs and it has given me new skills.
Here are a few fun facts that I have learned in the last few weeks:
Did you know that there is a chat function on our updated website? You can ask me questions or leave comments at any time!
Did you also know on the Grace at Home page you can sign up so you can like and leave comments on any of the blog posts?
Did you know that only 25 people actually see our Facebook Posts? When you like, comment, or share any of our Facebook posts it allows more people who follow our page to see us in their normal feed!
Zoom is a great tool to use to video conference our families during these times of social distancing! You can sign up for a free account and Zoom will allow up to three others to have a video call with you!
Anytime we live stream a service you can chat on YouTube or Facebook with me during the service, and I can pass along any comments or questions to the clergy if you have any.
I know that all of us are missing being together, but I am so proud of Grace members and all of the staff for keeping everyone connected during this difficult time. While we cannot be together, each and every one of us can still interact because of technology. I have had to learn a lot and I am happy to share what I have learned, if it will help you stay connected. If anyone has any questions about any of the services we have been using, please do not hesitate to email me at catie@graceocala.org.
