“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” – Ephesians 2:19-22
Since I first came to St. Luke’s almost 30 years ago, I have witnessed many new trends and types of ministries that make it possible for us to share God’s love in new and innovative ways. One of those is our online and TV ministries that reach thousands of viewers every Sunday. During the Pandemic, those of us charged with leading worship discovered how important it was to look at the TV camera. When there were no worshippers in the Sanctuary, we quickly realized the camera lens was where our congregation connected with us! Since the Pandemic has ended, we have welcomed many people back to worship in person, but our online and TV ministries have also grown.
Since 2019, almost twice as many people have watched online on any given Sunday. We hear from these folks every weekend through our text to register ministry. They write notes telling us how much it means to be a part of worship and our church. Lots of these folks live across the country, and for so many, we have become their family and, by extension, the face of Christ’s love. They tell us of their hurts, their struggles, and the joy and encouragement they find by worshipping with us.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit with one of these persons who worships with us on television. She was a retired nurse and had just been placed on hospice because of an aggressive cancer that left her with a large tumor visible on her neck. I called to visit about her cancer and to pray with her. During our conversation, she told me how much it would mean if she could join our church even though she didn’t have much time to live. She couldn’t come to the church in person because she was so weak, but I offered to come and visit her and took along Susan Meharg, a part of our welcoming ministries. When we got to her apartment, we found she had invited several of her family to be there to share the joy of her new commitment.
She was so excited to join the church that she said it was just like Christmas morning! We visited about her faith life, gave her the church membership vows, and prayed with her. Less than a month later, Pamela Woodrum died from her cancer. What a truly sacred moment it had been to share that time of fellowship with Pamela. She had never been to a St. Luke’s worship service except through the miracle of our TV ministry. She had grown in her love of God by watching us on TV and had come to love her new church family before being called home at the end of her journey.
-Rev. Dave Poteet, Pastor of Congregational Care
