Las Vegas clergy to greet their faithful via technology

When the Rev. Karen Anderson begins her weekly Sunday worship service, she’ll see two things she doesn’t usually see.

Empty pews in a church that normally holds 200 to 250 people. And a camera staring back at her.

That’s because Anderson will be streaming her service to housebound worshippers who otherwise would be attending services on the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Las Vegas’ campus. In the midst of a coronavirus outbreak that makes large gatherings of people potentially dangerous, Anderson and other area clergy members are going virtual to meet congregants’ spiritual needs.

It’s new ground for Anderson, the church’s senior pastor. But, she said, “we will be videotaping our service and put it on our church website (famechurchlasvegas.com) and our Facebook page (and) on YouTube.”

The service will be attended only by Anderson and a handful of church staff members —“the person doing video, maybe one musician and a couple of singers and that’s about it. “It won’t necessary look like a (regular) service,” she says. “But I want to (deliver) a message of hope and encouragement for people.”

At Good Samaritan Lutheran Church (goodsamlv.com), “we’ve been livestreaming via Facebook and our website for some time, but now we’re ramping it up even more,” says the Rev. Scott Hove, executive pastor.

Two years ago, the church’s video efforts began using Hove’s cellphone. Sunday, virtual worshippers can see videos created this week featuring various elements of the service — music, prayers, sermons — created by staff members at their homes that are then melded together.

“If all goes as planned, it will be prerecorded to make it as professional as possible,” Hove says.

Good Samaritan also is offering Bible studies, devotions and question-and-answer sessions — all virtually. “We’re trying to keep things going, just in a different way,” Hove says.

At New Song Church (newsonganthem.com), “we’re trying to ramp up our online community,” says the Rev. Paul Block, lead pastor.

Block is working on a worship video for Sunday that “is designed for the camera” and re-envisions “our whole building as a TV studio” that features elements of a regular worship gathering. Block considers technology a useful tool in creating a sense of community at a time when personal interaction is limited.

“I feel we have to respond to the crisis with creativity and with a really deep desire to connect people with God and with each other,” he says.

Cantor Jessica Hutchings of Congregation Ner Tamid says the synagogue also is increasing efforts to present services and programs on its website and via Facebook.

In addition to streaming services, the congregation is offering virtual Torah lessons and prayers, as well as programming accessible at lvnertamid.org.

“It’s a whole new world,” she says, in which maintaining interaction is vital.

“For a lot of our congregation, this is their social interaction for the week.”

The Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas (dioceseoflasvegas.org) offers a weekly televised Sunday Mass available via YouTube and on KFBT-TV Sunday mornings at 7:30 a.m. This week, Bishop George Leo Thomas suspended Masses through Palm Sunday weekend, although churches remain open for individual devotions.

“That was one of the most painful decisions I’ve made in 20 years as a bishop,” he says. “It was extremely painful.”

But, Thomas says, “there are a lot of options for attending Mass virtually during this time.”

For clergy, the challenge lies in replicating the sense of community felt at worship services without person-to-person interaction.

“It’s hard to replicate,” Anderson says. “It’s hard when we don’t have people in the church and we’re preaching to empty pews. But in this season, it’s what we have.”

Contact John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280. Follow @JJPrzybys on Twitter.