Coronavirus: Churches turn to electronic, social media evangelism

FAITH       CORONAVIRUS

Today is the first Sunday since President Museveni announced a month-long ban on religious gatherings as one of the strategies to fend off the deadly coronavirus.

While leaders have generally accepted the preventive measures taken by government, there is public anxiety about how the Churches will do their evangelistic ministry in the absence of their Sunday congregants. So, what arrangements have the preachers of God's Word put in place to reach out to their flock outside the Church?

The parish priest of Christ the King Church Kampala, the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Gerald Kalumba said the parish is going to bank on the goodwill of media houses.

"Good enough the government did not stop us from celebrating mass. They just prohibited us from congregating. So, I will say the Sunday mass in the church. There are some media houses that have offered to come and broadcast the mass live.

Bukedde Newspaper has also given us a full-page, where it will publish the Sunday readings and reflections.

Our department on social communications is also working hard to ensure that we reach out to our congregations via social media platforms such as You Tube, Facebook, etc. In any case, we are in a very painful situation.

It is, even more, displeasing that this is happening during the Lenten Season, which is leading us to Easter, the most joyful and most significant feast of our faith."

At All Saints Cathedral, Kampala services will be streamlined live on the church's social media (YouTube, Twitter and Facebook page) said Canon Rebecca Nyegenye.

"We shall streamline live sermons in cathedral via YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, every day. We shall also use every opportunity availed to us by the secular media.  We are also working hard to strengthen family worship and prayer.

The archbishop had also proposed cell-meetings of about 10 people but we have canceled that because that number could be too big to be safe.  We have also planned to send our Christians the Church's Sunday bulletin in soft copy.

We shall also encourage our Christians to reach us by phone or e-mail if they have any inquiries. During Holy Week, the same arrangement will be used to deliver the messages."

The Presiding Apostle of the Born Again Faith, Dr. Joseph Sserwadda said he will be using the media department of his Church to reach out to his Christians.

"Our Sunday service schedule will not change. I just encourage our Christians to tune to Impact Radio and Dream TV, which will broadcast live the English Service at 8:30 am and the Luganda Service at 11:00 am."

Prof. Simeon Kayiwa of Namirembe Christian Fellowship also said  Sunday's Church Services in Luganda and English will be recorded and broadcasted by Salt Media.

The parish-priest of Mulajje Catholic parish in Kasana-Luweero Diocese, Fr. Dr. Gerald Wamala said his parish had also come up with strategies to ensure that the work of God is not disrupted.

"The parish council has resolved to encourage the parishioners to pray the Rosary in their small Christian Communities. We shall also expose the Blessed Sacrament in the parish Church on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, to enable Christians to be with Jesus. We shall be allowing only one Christian to enter the Church at a go.

"We have also made arrangements for priests to visit the Christians in their homes. We shall also go to trading centers and preach to the people from a distance using a loudspeaker.

The parish council has, on the other hand, decided to encourage Christians to donate food to the presbytery, although the parish also has some gardens.

"The council has also decided to print and distribute more tithe-envelopes. On Holy Thursday, the day of priests, Christians in their respective parishes, will find a way of supporting the ministry of the priests. In all these endeavors, we have engaged the Police and the local authorities, to ensure that we act in harmony with the directive of government."

Pastor Wilson Bugembe of the Worship House said he will be live on Radio, TV, and Facebook. The Orthodox Metropolitan of the Holy Metropolis of Kampala and All Uganda, Jonah Lwanga said the Divine Liturgy on Sunday will be celebrated in all the churches, with all its authentic rites, although there will be no big congregation.

"Only three people will be in the Church: the priest, the acolyte, and the cantor. The priest represents the Christian congregation and whatever he does, he does it on behalf of the congregation."

The Bishop of Gulu Orthodox Diocese of Gulu and Eastern Uganda, His Grace Silvestros Kisitu asked Christians not to lose hope but to pray hard in their hearts as they beseech God to end the spread of the dreadful virus.

The Executive Secretary for Social Communications at the Uganda Episcopal Conference, Fr. Phillip Odii said the Catholic Church will use the newly established Catholic Television and Catholic Radios such as Radio Sapientia and Radio Maria to deliver the gospel messages to the people.

He also encouraged the Christians to tune to Catholic Televisions such as Bukalango TV, to keep in touch with the Word of God.

Odii also said the Church was making attempts to partner with some secular media houses to disseminate the Church's Sunday messages to the people.