Community

The Evening Snapshot: Churches closed on Good Friday

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Above: The Brooklyn Presbyterian Church faces All Saint’s Episcopal Church on M-50 in Brooklyn. Both buildings will be empty tonight, but church is still on. 

Evening Snapshot links community gathering

We never thought we would see area churches closed on Good Friday, but that is what happened today. However, as one local pastor noted in a recent interview, the church isn’t a building, it is a group of people, and the people are still gathering, at least in spirit.

Good Friday is no exception.

An ecumenical service will be held Good Friday evening at 7 p.m. To attend virtually, click here @FORIrishHills at. If that link doesn’t work, try here.

We have heard mixed reviews of “virtual church.” Naturally, most people would rather gather at their church building, in friendly confines and the loving embraces of their brothers and sisters of their faith.

 

Above: Morning light washes over the quiet sanctuary at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church at Cambridge Junction on Good Friday morning.

Since people cannot gather in person, church officials have adjusted, but it hasn’t always been a smooth transition. Poor video quality, quirky technology and users who are often less than tech savvy can make attending virtual church an adventure.

Some church officials have said that to make the online experience better, it is good for parishioners to actually get up in the morning and get dressed as if they were actually going to church before logging on.

Above: A statue in the likeness of St. Paul in All Saint’s Episcopal Church courtyard in Brooklyn.

While church members are not gathering together in person, their message remains constant. Good Friday is the day they recognize the sacrifice made on the cross. For them, today remains a day to appreciate that sacrifice made to reconcile God and man.

Above: the cross behind St. Mark’s Lutheran Church at Cambridge Township greets the sun on the morning of Good Friday, April 10, 2020.

The good news, of course, comes on Sunday.

So what will Easter Sunday look like this year?

It will be different for all of us, as not only church families, but all families are being discouraged from gathering together.

If you know someone out there who is “going it alone,” this weekend might be a good time to give them a call.

That sounds like a Christian thing to do, whether you happen to attend a church or not.

The Evening Snapshot is provided by The Exponent. It is being posted daily as we go through the coronavirus issue at IrishHillsLive.com. Please, bookmark the site, check it out every evening after 5 p.m., and share. If you have a news tip or topic you would like to see highlighted in the paper or on IrishHillsLive.com, contact us at news@theexponent.com. If you have a photo you would like to share, send to pictures@theexponent.com along with a brief explanation and contact information.

The joy of the Lord is your strength Neh. 8:10

 

 

 

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