Old Habits and New Ways

Q. How many church folk does it take to change a light bulb

A: Change? Why would we change? My grandmother donated that light bulb.

All joking aside, churches (and other institutions) are generally slow to make changes but now that COVID-19 has forced the issue, I was curious about how we all adapted.

In singing, a common rule of thumb is, if you have learned a mistake, it takes seven times of singing a phrase correctly, to undo that mistake and make the correct notes a habit.

It has been more than seven weeks now since our Sunday morning worship habit was changed. I asked around to see how people were adapting. Here's a sampling.

Our clerk of session watches service first thing before the household is astir, giving her peace and quiet to enjoy worship.

Edna watches in Ontario.

Tore and I watch at 10:00 am -- with a cup of coffee in hand.

Blanche and Bill watch several times throughout the week, always properly dressed. As their daughter says, no pyjama lounging in this house.

Lois, who cannot get to in-person services any longer, is enjoying the on-line version, watching more than once.

Aarol watches after breakfast, but sometimes still in a bathrobe.

In the Cunningham family, Diane bakes something special and gathers the whole family, including Irwin at about 11:00 am. They eat breakfast (yes, it might be a bit of a bribe). Diane has coffee and one day a cat joined the crew. 💞 Peter is on the couch in the living room and the video is streamed onto the kitchen TV. 

Al and Irene watch at 8:00 am, then they watch a couple of other services too, before heading out for a walk.

Roy and Dorothy sent this, 

We have appreciated the e-services (e for excellent!), and applaud Irwin for the hard work he has put into this endeavour.
We appreciate, too, the part played by readers and soloists, along with Larry.
On Sunday mornings, we check our e-mails, sending off responses to any requests for copies of Irwin’s sermon.
Sometimes, I have forwarded the link to the services on YouTube to ensure that some folks have the service.
Generally, we are up and “on the go”, so we watch the services often around 10:00am, in casual duds, perhaps once in PJ’s!
We do miss chatting to friends at SPPC, and while the casual attire is easy, there is something to be appreciated about being up, dressed, and out the door by 9:30am.

blossom canopy in Butchart Gardens--now open for walks

Our telephone coffee hour has yielded some unexpected results too. A one-on-one with someone on the phone means we have more in-depth conversations. Sometimes at the church we want to greet as many people as possible, so don't have time for a long chat. Using the telephone, I've learned a lot about Barb M. and know that she and Gladys have deepened their friendship with Sunday morning calls.

I've also learned that telephone conversations can take place any day of the week!


One day we will go back to worshipping in our church building. We'll rejoice in the company of fellow-worshippers. We'll give thanks for seeing our friends again. We'll "be" in worship instead of just "watching" worship. But, maybe, we'll have changed -- more than just the light bulbs.