(RNS) ‘We're just trying to thread the needle and try to keep kids safe, trying to keep them mostly in outdoor environments and trying to keep them connected,' said one pastor.
Janel Kragt Bakker theconversation.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theconversation.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Safe to sing at church yet? Depends who you ask
May 26, 2021
Adelle M. Banks / Religion News Service
Share this article
WASHINGTON (RNS) On Pentecost Sunday, some members of Southwood Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, sang hymns without masks for the first time in more than a year.
They vocalized “Multilingual Grace” in four languages after music director Denise Makinson taught them how to express thanks in Spanish, Arabic, Swahili and Korean.
“I do have to say it was quite emotional yesterday to hear the congregation singing all the hymns,” Makinson said in an interview on May 24. “It was definitely something I missed.”
(RNS) A mix of musical expression is likely to continue as congregations navigate the ‘new normal’ of the continuing pandemic with some people fully vaccinated and some not.
Olu Brown is founder and lead pastor of Impact Church in Atlanta, Georgia. | Impact Church
More than 14 years after launching Impact Church in Atlanta, Georgia, with just 25 volunteers, Olu Brown announced Sunday that he plans to retire as lead pastor of one of the United Methodist Churchâs fastest-growing congregations in June 2022.
The progressive, church which boasts a weekly attendance of 2,400 in-person and 1,600 online, was ranked among the top-five quickest-growing large United Methodist churches in 2019.Â
âWith any call that God gives us for our lives, there will always be a vision. And as we move toward realizing that vision, it becomes clear that the call is much greater than we can ever think or imagine,â Brown, 43, said in his announcement. âImpact is part of my call, and when God gave me the opportunity to partner with 25 launch team volunteers to start this ministry, I knew there would come a time where God would call me beyond Impact Church.�