FIVE years ago, on Mothering Sunday, the first national online service was broadcast on the Church of England’s media channels in response to lockdowns mandated by the Government to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Marking the anniversary in Sunday’s broadcast, the Archbishop of York expressed his gratitude to this online worshipping community, and “to those who have made it happen”. Last year, 59 weekly services were produced which accrued 21 million views. An average of 4000 people a week watch the service from start to finish.
“These services have connected us together as a Christian community, as an online community, and my prayer now is that, in our worship this morning, we will be more deeply connected to Jesus,” Archbishop Cottrell said.
This week’s broadcast, for the 3rd Sunday of Lent, featured highlights from previous services, including the Revd Richard Allen leading the confession from a lifeboat in the Trelawny Benefice, in Cornwall, and hymns from St Martin’s Voices, on locations in Holy Island and in a stable, where Clover the donkey interrupted filming with her own chorus of braying.
Church of England/YouTubeClover the donkey hears a rendition of the hymn “My song is love unknown”, by St Martin’s Voices
The sermon, first broadcast in March 2022, was given by Fr Angus Ritchie, in which he speaks of what it means to believe, to speak of believing, and to act on beliefs.
The service also featured a reflection from Canon Gill Behenna, the National Deaf Ministry Adviser and one of the regular BSL interpreters, in which she discusses the importance of deaf people accessing the Bible in their language.
Carol Holdsworth, a licensed lay minister and regular viewer, describes how the online service has allowed her to stay connected when ill-health prevented her from attending in-person worship — “a joy” but also a “bittersweet” reminder of what she is unable to engage with in person.
Church House reports that, in 2023, 31 per cent of the C of E’s 16,000 churches were offering some form of online worship, down from 71 per cent during the peak of the pandemic. This percentage has stabilised: about 30 per cent of churches continue to offer a regular online service. More than 33,000 online services have been added to the church-finding website AChurchNearYou.com.
The services are broadcast weekly on YouTube and Facebook.
