Dear friends: August 19
I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but 2020 has changed a lot about our lives. Some of those changes have found their way back to normal, but there are some things that are forever different. We now can order our groceries from Walmart or have an appointment with our doctor over a video call. Here at First Pres, we find cameras in worship spaces and search YouTube to rewatch the beautiful anthem we loved so much from last Easter. Things are different and new and, dare I say, wonderful!
You may have seen a the phrase, “Digital Campus,” here or there the past few months. We are talking about how we are being the Church in a new way. Of course, it all started in 2020 in response to a pandemic where we found a way to meet one another in digital spaces like Zoom calls and worship on our televisions. Half a decade later we are exploring what it means to continue to be community in those spaces, and that is where the Digital Campus is finding life. What does it look like if being a part of the church is more than watching a livestream worship service on the church website or Facebook?
Being a part of the First Pres community offers us a myriad of opportunities, and the Digital Campus is looking for ways to offer us a chance to stay connected to every aspect of the life and mission of First Pres through technology and creativity. We have a few years of livestreaming worship services under our belt, and we are always looking for ways to make that experience better! We started offering Bible in Depth as a hybrid faith formation opportunity a few years ago, and our first online class since the COVID shut-down just wrapped up last week.
Worship and Bible studies in the online space is a great start, but that isn’t a full church-life experience. Being the church also means friendship, fellowship, prayer, and service to the greater community. These are the areas that Digital Campus is looking to explore.
I hope you will look for places you might be able to step onto the First Pres Digital Campus and find the full First Pres community and mission.
Blessings,
Eric Varnon
Engagement Coordinator