At times of disaster or personal crisis, people usually reach out to family and friends or may seek a higher intervention and turn to God for answers.
In the lead up to Easter, churches around the country were impacted by the tightening of laws surrounding gatherings and social distancing due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the doors to our places of worship, closed.
Religious institutions were forced to quickly come up with ways to somehow keep their parishioners connected, in this sudden climate of social disconnection.
Live streaming of Easter church services by prominent religious organisations could be viewed around the country on TV, while smaller parishes were quickly trying to grasp digital technology to reach out to their church community.
With social distancing starting to impact on our community, some pastors and church leaders began reaching out to members of their congregation by phone, checking on their welfare and informing them of how they could stay connected to their weekly church service, online.
Here in the Clarence Valley, churches managed the best they could over Easter.
The Anglican Diocese of Grafton recorded Bishop Murray’s Easter Sermon at Grafton’s Christchurch Cathedral on Easter Sunday, which was posted to their Facebook page. Riverside Church at South Grafton presented their service via Zoom while others live streamed or presented their services via a digital edition.
According to some of our local clergy, the global COVID-19 pandemic has caused many within the community to reassess their lives during this unprecedented time and to re-evaluate what really matters most in life.