One Year On[line] - Reflecting on 2020
I’m sure by now you are tired of hearing phrases like “what a strange year this has been” but there really aren’t many other ways to describe the last 12 months. If you have seen our service from Sunday 14th March 2021, you will know that we are currently marking one year since Holy Trinity’s services went online. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be speaking with some members of the congregation and leadership to share their thoughts on how the last 12 months have been for them, but I wanted to take a little time to share my own recollection of this ‘unprecedented’ time and how our online services came about.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Rachael Farrimond and I have been part of Holy Trinity’s family for nearly 35 years (minus a couple of years when I was at University). My background is in creative writing and I have been blogging since July 2016. I have recently taken on the task of leading HT’s new blog.
From March 2020
This time last year, it took me a little while to realise just how much of an impact Covid-19 would have on everyone’s daily life. In the end there were two things that really hammered the reality home for me:
My workplace announced that half of our staff would be furloughed, and the other half would be working from home as the first lockdown came into effect.
It was announced that Holy Trinity services would be suspended in line with the Diocesan’s lockdown guidelines.
They were two things that I never imagined would happen (and I have a pretty active imagination).
After that, things progressed fairly quickly. I was set up with remote access to my workplace’s computer system. I received lovely messages from friends, setting up channels for us to stay in touch while we couldn’t meet in person.
And then on Thursday 19th March, Adam took to YouTube to announce that services would be taking place online instead, even if they were a little ‘rough and ready’ to begin with (his words).
To March 2021
And the rest, as they say, is history. Our online services took off in ways that I’m sure most of us wouldn’t have expected, giving us a virtual space to meet in each week, to share fellowship and worship God in an entirely new way.
While I am sure we would all agree that nothing compares to meeting together in person (a fact that has been keenly felt over the last 12 months), having these services each week has been nothing short of a Godsend, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank every single person who has worked so hard to make them happen each week.
As we mark one year of our online services, I would like to invite you all to think about three things:
What have you found difficult about the services, either practically or spiritually (or both)?
What has been the best thing about them, or what has surprised you the most?
How/when have you felt God’s presence during the online services?
If you feel comfortable doing so, please share your thoughts in the comments below (I will get things rolling for those).
In the meantime, keep safe, keep in touch, and keep connected.
by Rachael Farrimond
And why not take a short trip down memory lane and revisit the announcement that started it all: