Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church Rev. Dave Pollard delivers his Sunday sermon over Facebook Live on March 15.-SCREENSHOT
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The pastor at Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church says he will continue offering spiritual guidance to his congregants throughout the pandemic, even if houses of worship are closed.
Rev. Dave Pollard will be streaming his Sunday sermons on Facebook Live, as well as meeting people for digital coffee and bible study on Zoom throughout the pandemic.
“We want to be able to be present for people,” he said.
After the chief medical officer announced Sunday that churches were no longer exempt from a ban on gatherings exceeding 250 people, Pollard decided to indefinitely shut Fifth Avenue, notifying his congregants over the phone of his plan to move services online.
An ongoing discussion about offering full Sunday service online has since accelerated.
“Long before this, the last year we’ve talked about putting our services online, but now we’re looking at some simple technology, where we’d be able to have liturgy and some music,” he said.
Pollard, who will still be frequenting the church to deliver his sermons, says he will be hosting digital coffee at 10 a.m. every morning to personally stay in touch with congregants.
“We’re teaching some of our seniors technology over the phone and telling them how to put Zoom on their devices, so that they can get online … and chat about how they’re doing,” he added.
Pollard is also doing an online prayer meeting at 8 p.m. daily, encouraging community members to light a candle in their window each night, “offering light in a darkening world.”
The church was built in 1912, so Pollard pointed out this isn’t the building’s first pandemic. That would be the 1918 Spanish Influenza.
“It’s 108 years later and here we are. We’ve come so far and the church itself, the bricks and mortar, remind us that generations of people have worshiped there and there’s a reason to hope,” he said.
“When you’re facing sold-out pasta and soup, and no toilet paper, God is present in that. And when we are scared and nervous and afraid, God is scared and nervous and afraid right along with us.
“In our joy and in our sorrow, there is God, and that is a constant.”
He says faith, whether religious or secular, is crucial in tumultuous times like these.
“It grounds us and roots us and allows us to press forward in a way that dampens fear,” said Pollard. “When we see things not breaking down and we see folks pressing forward, it reminds us that we’re going to be OK.”
