28/09/2020
By Olufadeke, Florence Abisoye, Banjo,
Young adults church members from the Seventh-day Adventist Christian denomination in England experience of church services during the lockdown. Is church, Christianity, the Sabbath more than just attending a building once a week?, Can I have church online from the comfort of my bed? this and more will be discussed in today's blog post.
“I adpated well to online church, I've enjoyed the break from the norm....” - Mckenzie, aged 22 -
During the lockdown in March, several places including religious places of worship were forced to close in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep the public safe. The government’s decision for places of worship to be closed during the lockdown impacted on the way church services were conducted with people having to stay home during the lockdown instead of having church service in a church building. This also meant that churches had to find ways to adapt to the lockdown procedures through the use of online services on YouTube and zoom meetings. The lockdown also impacted on the way tithing and offerings were collected, the way religious ceremonies are observed such as Ramadan among the Muslim population in England as well as, the way wedding ceremonies have had to adapt as a result of the lockdown and the closing of places of worship. This all has had an impact on different religious groups living in England.
For this particular blog post, I decided to focus on the impact that lockdown restrictions and the pandemic have had on Seventh-day Adventist churches in England with particular focus on the young adult church members experiences of church services during the lockdown. Being a Seventh-day Adventist young adult myself, I wanted to get an insight on other young people like myself, viewpoints and experiences of church services prior to the lockdown as well as the way they have had to adapt to church life during the lockdown and the pros and cons of this. I asked some young adults church members within their 20’s, who before the lockdown had regularly or sometimes attended the Seventh-day Adventist churches in England to respond to some questions, I had sent them.
These questions included; 1) What was your experience of church before the lockdown and how has this changed during the lockdown?; 2) How did you adapt to having church services online and through apps such as zoom instead of attending regular church services at a church building?; 3) Has the current pandemic and lockdown positively or negatively affected your spiritual life?; 4) Do you miss having church services on sabbath at a church building or do you prefer virtual church services on the sabbath?; 5) What are the pros and cons have you experienced with having virtual church services during a lockdown? ; 6) Do you believe in the statement that church is not the building but the people? ; and 7) What are your opinions on how the church will be once places of worship including churches are allowed to fully open?
Below are a few of the responses for questions from 1-4, questions 5, 6 and 7 will be discussed in another blog post (stay tuned for the part 2):
1. What was your experience of church before the lockdown and how has this changed during the lockdown?
“I attend a small church plant, so the church felt very cosy. As it’s a rented building with other activities going on at the same time, it didn’t always feel like the typical church. However, it was nice seeing people in real life... especially the little kids and babies. “ - Grace, aged 25
“During lockdown, I haven’t attended any Zoom meetings hosted by my local church or district as I’ve been participating in other programme. Therefore, I feel a bit disconnected from my local church, but it’s also been nice to take part in other things. “ - Grace, aged 25
“I’m not sure whether I prefer meeting in real life or Zoom, they both have their pros and cons”.- Grace, aged 25
“I had a mixed experience at church before lockdown; I enjoyed having a place and space to be with other like-minded believers as we worshipped. I didn't always connect to others how I would have liked because of my own social anxieties and insecurities, however; I was improving slowly before lockdown. During Lockdown I felt all the progress I made was halted, or perhaps undone. “- Gavin, aged 21
“Before lockdown, I was abroad as part of a mission and so was mostly taking part in home churches. The main thing that has changed is not being able to interact with other believers face to face. “- Anonymous, aged 26
“My experience of church was mundane before the lockdown and this has changed as I’ve recognized that the members are a bit more concerned(genuinely) about the well-being of others.” - Tevin
“My experience of church before the lockdown was great! I was studying overseas so it meant that I was visiting a new church and becoming part of that community. This changed dramatically for me as I had to abruptly leave without having the chance to say goodbye. During lockdown, at the beginning, it was a bit strange, but I felt as though church was now more accessible to anyone and everyone. You didn’t have to physically go anywhere, and you could be sat in a service from the comfort of your bed. However, that novelty wore off quickly. I think churches never expected us to be online for so long, so a regular youth service I attended every week one day just stopped and hasn’t returned since”. - Koshesia, aged 22
“Before quarantine, I attended my local university church. Honestly, I had been slowly disconnecting from the services as I no longer enjoyed the overly traditional services (which included an organ :/). But during lockdown, I never once joined the online services for my university church. But occasionally joined in with my home church’s services”. L, aged 23
“I loved going to church, of course, there were times that I didn’t go, but I enjoyed the fellowship and socialising that church offered. I felt comfortable and welcomed and I had a great support system within church. It was also good to network with other youth from all over the UK, and NEC/SEC events ensured this!” – Chey, aged 22
* ( the NEC stands for North England conference which oversees/represents the Seventh-day Adventist churches in the Northern parts of England and SEC stands for South England conference, which oversees/represents the Seventh-day Adventist churches in South England, they both also plan church events for the churches within their region)
“There were times naturally, where it would seem boring or not what I needed that specific week but overall, I had good experiences at church”. –Chey, aged 22
“Before lockdown, I was actually on a break from going to church for a little while. And throughout my whole break I would watch divine service programs via livestream. So when lockdown began, I wasn't majorly affected by churches closing their doors. Prior to being on a break, I was visiting different churches as I had no church to call home.” – Kezia, aged 24
"Before lockdown church was a fun experience, I was enjoying having a church family and seeing the same faces every single week. During lockdown some of those relationships that were forming have suffered since there isn’t much opportunity to fellowship". - Tino, aged 22
As you can see from the responses for the first question on people’s experience of church services before lockdown, there seems to be a mixed experience on how the young adult church members who participated in my little questionnaire, had experienced church services prior to lockdown, some seemed to have had a more positive experience of the church prior to the government lockdown, in terms of being able to fellowship with fellow church members amongst other things, whilst others seemed to have had a mixed experience when it came to attending church prior to the lockdown or had started to disconnect from church for a number of reasons, whether it be personal reasons or as a result of the way the church they attended conducted their church services and the relevance it had to the young adult church members.
2. How did you adapt to having church services online and through apps, like Zoom instead of attending regular church services in a church building?
“ It was really easy! Although I loved getting up and going to church to worship in the house of the Lord physically, online meant that I had more of a choice which services I attended. By not having that physical restriction of space or distance meant that I had to experience church in a different way being online at all, but also seeing different types of services in the forms of panels, discussions and bible studies. “ – Koshesai , aged 22
“The transition to virtual worship was good for me as I enjoyed the fact that I could lay in bed and participate without the hassles of wondering what time to be at the bus stop to catch the transport to church or what I’m gonna wear this/next week. It gave a sense of relaxation and comfort.” -Tevin
“Since I was watching church via livestream each Sabbath, I was already familiar with online service. All the different programs that became available on Zoom allowed me to visit different churches virtually as oppose to physically like I was doing before. So I actually enjoyed that aspect of it. I also enjoyed all of the different topics and discussions that were being presented and shared” – Kezia , aged 24
“I haven’t actually adapted to church services being online. I hate it. Sitting and watching people preach on a computer feels awfully dystopian. Before lockdown, I would rarely engage in online services, my attention would wane so live streams were never an option for me. The topics have been pretty decent though from the few I’ve tuned into - but it's not preferred. " - L , aged 23
“But I have noticed that as time goes on, the topics of the services are becoming less relevant” – L , aged 23
“I adapted however after a while I got quite fatigued with being on multiple zoom meetings and not really feeling fulfilled at the end of the day. During lockdown I have found that I’ve passively been interacting with programmes and not engaging in interactive bible studies etc. I’ve also missed singing with other believers and being a part of praise and worship together". – Anonymous, aged 26
“I haven't been attending them; the services feel awkward and when there are "discussion-sermon" zoom meetings, it feels overwhelming and wired to talk to strangers over the phone that I've never met before. I didn't adapt well, I've mostly been isolated from my church community”. – Gavin, aged 21
“I actually enjoyed the online/Zoom services. I was exposed to a lot more spiritual content that way rather than having on sermon that our church pastor would do. I could tune into programmes (that I knew I needed at that time) all over the UK, or across the world! I also began to understand more about what ‘Sabbath rest’ meant”. – Chey, aged 22
“It was an easy transition for me. I’m a homebody anyway so Zoom just made things more convenient". – Grace, aged 25
“I would say I have adapted well. Going to church in person meant I had to get up early to get ready, but now - because I’m only getting ready to go to the living room - I do not have to get up as early and can enjoy having a few more hours sleep! It did not take long to get used to Zoom, but I do miss the church atmosphere. Hearing the miscellaneous “amen”’s, the gleeful “happy Sabbath”’s, hearing the church’s harmony? It is an experience that cannot be recreated". – Melody, aged 22
"Making the change to Zoom was quite simple since I was already familiar with the platform. However, there was an even easier option of YouTube live-streaming which made tuning in to a service even easier. I go on YouTube in the morning and then join an interactive Zoom call in the afternoon to talk to other people who aren’t just my family". - Tino, aged 22
In response to question 2 overall, a majority of the young adults seemed to adapt positively to having church services online through apps such as zoom, the online church gave the young adult church members more choice/options in terms of what church services to join as well as being able to join online church services from around the world. Other benefits of adapting to online church for the young adult church members also included; not having the hassle of having to worry about travelling that would normally be a concern when attending a church service in a church building, not worrying about what to wear as may have been a concern when attending regular church services in a place of worship, having the opportunity for different topics/dicussions to be talked about and studied. A couple of the young adults also commented that they could watch/ listen to the church service in the comfort of their bed.
Despite the majority of people having a positive transition from having church services in a physical building to the online church, some young adults had expressed in their response that they had quite a negative experience or just simply hated this transition, one of the young adults described their experience of church services online as quite 'awkward', another individual expressed how 'sitting and watching people preach on a computer feels awfully dystopian'. In addition, another individual mentioned how even though they had adapted to transitioning to having church services in a building to online they sometimes felt tired with being on multiple zoom meetings and at times not feeling fulfilled once church/sabbath was over. This individual also mentioned how they missed singing with other believers and being part of a praise and worship together. This was also felt by some of the other young adults who also missed the church atmosphere, in which they mentioned missing “hearing the miscellaneous amen’s, the gleeful “happy sabbath’s and hearing the church’s harmony” such church experience as alluded by this young adult “cannot be recreated”.
Overall there were mixed responses and experiences in regards to this question on adapting to church services online, although most of the young adults that participated in my questionnaire seemed to have been able to adapt to having church services online via platforms such as Zoom and youtube live streams and had quite good experiences this wasn't the case for some young adults and there was also a sense of young adults in one way or the other missing the presence and comfort of fellowship with other believers in a church building that was not always replicated via online church services.
3. Has the current pandemic and lockdown positively or negatively affected your spiritual life (walk with God)?
“It’s had a positive effect as it’s allowed me to spend more time with Him - especially through journaling” – Grace, aged 25
"Negatively without a doubt. I engaged in part of the 100 (?) days of prayer with a partner, but that didn’t go so well". L, aged 23
“It has negatively affected my spiritual life. As I said before, I was making slow and steady progress in becoming a more active member of my church, but the lockdown disturbed my progress” – Gavin, aged 21
“My spiritual life has been positively impacted because I now have no excuse not to make a little time to spend in His word. I also was so heavily involved in church, that Sabbath would sometimes include a LOT of work and not much rest. Now that the pandemic has reduced my involvement, I have a deeper understanding of the Sabbath, and why God gave us the Sabbath to rest! “ – Melody, aged 22
“The pandemic and lockdown as affected my spiritual life positively and negatively. Positively in the sense that I can be cognizant of the fact that all things that transpire is through the will of God and that He is in control despite what others may think-total trust in Him and Negatively in the sense that although I’m home all the time, it’s a bit challenging to keep up to date with the lesson each week, there’s no active desire to want to study” – Tevin
“Looking back, I think the pandemic positively effected my spiritual life but there were definitely times where I didn’t speak to God nor felt like I had heard from Him for a few weeks. I had spiritual (As well as physical and mental) dips but I understand now for them to be lessons and times where my faith was spurred on the most! “ – Chey, aged 22
“Hmm I think it positively impacted my spiritual life because I felt there was more time to spend time with God without having to rush out for work/ study etc. I feel that as I’ve gotten busier taking up more and more personal projects I’ve not been as dedicated to spending time 1-1 with God as I did at the beginning when I had less to do” – Anonymous , aged 26
“I definitely think in a positive way. I, of course, knew before that church was simply a building, but for that access point to be taken away from me meant that I had to really work on my relationship with God. I realised that I was relying on “attending church” too much, and my biblical knowledge has many gaps, so I began reading my bible and praying intentionally just to gain the knowledge and the love from God, through walking with him that I know He wants me to have” – Koshesia, aged 22
“I can't say. Seeing as I was already on a personal lockdown (so to speak), I don't know for sure if the progress that I've made spiritually is really all to do with the global lockdown” – Kezia aged 24
"There has been a positive effect on my spiritual. The lockdown has forced me to focus and rely on my own personal connection with God rather than that of my pastor. I also have more free time to get into the word and learn more about God" - Tino, aged 22
Looking at the responses for this particular question on how the lockdown has either positively or negatively impacted on the young adult's spiritual walk/personal walk with God, a recurring theme or phrase seemed to pop up in most of the responses, this included being able to: "spend more time with God", "spend more time in His word" (referring to the bible), some individuals also expressed how before they had at times relied on the church or the pastor but now had to really focus on their own personal walk or connection with God. Furthermore, one young adult had expressed how they had a deeper understanding of the sabbath and why God gave us the sabbath as result of not having to be so involved in church as a result of the lockdown/pandemic as they had expressed prior to the lockdown they were quite involved in church activities that the sabbath would often involve a lot of work and not that much rest (as the sabbath is meant to be a day of rest to fellowship with God and fellow believers), hence the lockdown allowed this individual to have a better understanding and appreciation of the sabbath.
Moreover, some of the young adults also expressed the struggles/ ups and downs of their own personal walk with God during the lockdown, with sometimes finding it hard to have one to one time with God, not having the desire or want to study the bible, having times when they haven't spoken to God. Despite most young adults expressing that the lockdown had a positive impact on their spiritual life/ walk with God, one individual expressed otherwise, the lockdown had a negative impact on their spiritual walk and had mentioned that before the lockdown they were trying to be more involved in their church but the lockdown had disturbed the progress they were trying to make in being more active in their church.
4) Do you miss having church services on sabbath at a church building or do you prefer virtual church services on sabbath?
“I definitely miss having church services on sabbath in a building. Having the guarantee of seeing your beloved on a weekly basis... Oh, such blessed times. It's easier for me to keep the sabbath when at church too” – L , aged 23
“I prefer virtual church although a little bit of physical interactions with people is healthy for us” – Tevin
“Both are difficult and draining, it's the least enjoyable aspect of my being a Christian. But physical services allow me to be more emersed and less distracted than my home environment” – Gavin, aged 21
“I can't say that I miss going to church because I don't. But I'm also getting tired of Zoom” – Kezia, aged 24
“I think a mixture of both. I miss the fellowship and the singing/music that came with being in the same church building. But I loved the variety that online services offered, and I love the relaxed environment that being at home offers” – Chey, aged 22
“In some ways, I miss being at the physical building ie having a change of environment and face to face interactions. However, I like the flexibility of virtual worship as I can tune into my service of choice on a weekly basis without too much inconvenience. I’ve been resting more on sabbaths too and taken things at my own pace” – Anonymous aged 26
“I’m undecided. However, I think having Zoom meetings the majority of the time with a handful of church services might work well for me” – Grace, aged 25
“I think for me, I miss having church services. Just because Sabbath is so much more than just the “service” it’s the Sabbath school first thing in the morning, it’s the social aspect after the service, it’s the songs and hymns within the services, it’s the testimonies, it’s the potluck afterwards, it’s the AYS programme in the afternoon. Just this idea of spending the whole day in the house of the Lord or at least with those you fellowship with. Virtually however has allowed me to really take advantage of the Sabbath as a day of rest, from attending services from the comfort of my bed, but I feel as though “the sabbath” and my understanding and experience of it fully, hasn’t been reflected with online virtual services. “ – Koshesia, aged 22
" I miss being in a church service but I do enjoy the ability to “visit” churches from all over the world". - Tino, aged 22
A majority of the young adult church members who participated in response to question 4, which looked at whether they missed having church services in a church building or if they prefered virtual church service on sabbath. A majority had mentioned that they missed attending church services in a church building, however, it was not just about attending a church building every sabbath (Saturday) but it included missing and enjoying the sabbath school in the morning, the potlucks, the social interaction, the change of environment as well as missing the fellowship and singing within a physical church building on sabbaths. On the other hand, there were some young adult church members who had voiced that they had either quite enjoyed or even favoured more the virtual church services compared to attending a church building, reasons for this included being able to visit churches from all over the world through online platforms like zoom or youtube live stream, there is a sense of flexibility that virtual church services can bring that allows young adults to have the option on what church service they want to join as well as being able to be in a relaxed environment in terms of being at home in the comfort of their bed or living room whilst joining a church service online and enjoying the sabbath and church within their own pace.
What have I personally learnt from experiencing church services during the lockdown?
One lesson I have personally learnt from the lockdown is that church, sabbath and experiencing God is more than just attending a church building every sabbath but the church is people, fellow believers coming together to praise and worship God and this can be inside or outside of a place of worship, this also includes the way I observe and understand the sabbath in its entirety according to how God intended for it be understood and observed. Therefore, with this being said, I believe the Seventh-day Adventist churches across England and across the world were able to adapt their regular church services on sabbath usually attended in a church building to online church services through various media platforms including zoom, Instagram Live, YouTube and Facebook Live. This, in turn, gave a great opportunity for not only for believers like myself to attend virtually in the comfort of our homes, but also the opportunity for non-church members to watch the live streams of the church services on sabbath. Having an online church also gave me the opportunity to be connected with fellow believers from around the world all in the comfort of my home.
To conclude, upon reviewing all the responses and viewpoints of fellow young adult Seventh-Day Adventist church members on their experience of church services during the lockdown and the impact this has had on their spiritual life, it could be suggested that for the group of young adults that took part in my questionnaire they had overall a good experience of church services during the lockdown as well as the lockdown enabling some of the young adults be more intentional with their personal walk with God and understanding of the bible without relying on a place of worship or a pastor.
Moreover, the transition to church services being online through apps such as zoom gave some of the young adults the opportunity to watch and listen to church services in the comfort of their bed, being able to choose what church services to join, being able to join online church services from around the world and the opportunity to discuss and study topics that might not always be spoken about with their own church community. Despite this, some individuals had a negative or mixed experience when it came to having to adapt to church services online instead of in a physical church building with fellow believers due to the current global pandemic and lockdown restrictions, which in turn had a negative impact on their spiritual life/personal walk with God.
If you made it to the end of this blog give yourself a pat on the back, you are a real one! , but on a serious note thank you for taking your precious time to read part 1 of this blog post on young adult church members of the Seventh-Day Adventist faith in England experience of church services during the lockdown, through online platforms like zoom. I really hope that you enjoyed this blog post and stay tuned for part 2 of this blog post to find out the responses to the rest of the questions.
(virtual kisses lol)
God bless and goodbye for now, love Flo (TheFlojournal).
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