Coronavirus: Vicar takes services online as worshippers stay away

ST MARK’S Church in Pennington is live streaming Sunday services to reach people during the coronavirus scare.

The Rev. Rachel Noel said they had come up with the idea following the latest advice from the government to avoid social gatherings. Later the Church of England decided to stop services completely.

She said: “I am delighted that we have been able to find a way to reduce isolation and to help people to still feel a part of their local community.

“Over the coming weeks as more people will have to stay at home, social distancing and social isolation, and as gatherings are being closed down, we will find a way to still share something of our community online, even if the only way that people can be a part of our worship is from their homes.”

The first live service was broadcast on YouTube to 225 people last Sunday and will continue at 9.30am each week during the pandemic.

There were 26 people who had actually attended the service last Sunday, but the Rev. Rachel said she feared that future services in the church would have to be stopped.

Paul Young, worship leader at the church, said: “Sadly, I was self-isolating for the first live stream, although happy to see that what we'd practised earlier in the week not only worked but was straightforward for less technical members of St Mark's to run with.

“We've been doing more and more online over recent months and the ability to live stream is another useful tool for connecting people more widely in our community"

To watch this Sunday go to www.youtube.com/channel/UCKRF1l-cpB5-rn1o5tUNWUw.