Do you remember “Must See TV?” It was the slogan produced by NBC for its primetime blocks in the 1990s, which included shows like Frazier, Friends, ER, Mad About You, Cheers, Law & Order, 3rd Rock From the Sun, and, my personal favorite, Seinfeld.
The slogan spoke for itself; you didn’t want to miss out on live television at primetime. I mean, we may have forgotten that there wasn’t an option to record or go back and watch later. How did we go without the luxuries of Smart TVs, DVRs, or streaming apps?
You know, for the last 14-months, we have been doing worship via TV or smart devices. Every Sunday, you have faithfully sat down on your couch to participate in the worship experienced. I have equally loved those who have confessed that they still get dressed up, while others have stated that their PJs have been the dress of choice.
I get it. I know that the experience of worship remotely is not the most exciting and ideal set of circumstances. But there are several things that I want to note with you.
First, thank you for your deep commitment to the Lord and University Baptist Church throughout this whole ordeal. Though you are not seen, your spiritual presence is felt as we worship together.
Maybe Paul knew what he was talking about when he wrote to the Philippians, “Though I am in chains, all of you share in the God’s grace with me. God can testify how. Long for you with the compassion of Jesus.”
If you will continue to stay home, reach out to us and let us know how we can improve your online experience. Know that you are equally a valuable member of this faith community.
We are diligently at work to create a better worship experience for those online and in-person. You probably have noticed the quality of the video has increased and an elevation of production value with the camera zooming and changing directions.
To help continue to make this happen, we need a few volunteers to be trained on running the camera and the additional camera we would like to add.
Recognizing that many of our folks are beginning to return on Sunday mornings, we also want to nurture an environment of excitement, hospitality, and community.
In-person participants will be invited to dawn a new name tag with their name and word response to a question of the week. Name tags and the question of the week are located in the Narthex center table.
To generate this Sunday culture, we need volunteers to be trained for greeting at 9:00 am or 10:00 am.
On June 20th, we will return to the Coffee & Community hour, 10:00-10:30 am, which will require Sunday School and Spiritual Formation groups to return to the normal 9:00 am start time. Participants can pick up coffee and a treat in the Heritage Room while utilizing the Heritage Room, Narthex, Sanctuary, and Courtyard for conversations during Coffee & Community.
Also, we have a few surprises up our sleeve that you will not want to miss.
We invite you, whether in-person or online, to engage these opportunities with excitement and participation.