An International Presence: A Quarantine Blessing
by Paul Kim
When the pandemic first started in March 2020, Korean Anglican (Lutherville, MD) uploaded a PowerPoint version of the service so people could follow along with the virtual service on YouTube. Before this point, our congregation only met in person at Resurrection Anglican in Luthersville with very little online presence. Almost immediately, several fellow Anglicans in other states and in Korea began watching the sermons.
To maintain a level of comfort and familiarity, the live service links are only shared with parishioners, which has between 30-50 attendees. However, the sermons (spoken in Korean) are continually uploaded to YouTube for public view, which has up to 80 views regularly. The sermons are viewed in Maryland, three other states, and in South Korea. (Early in the pandemic, the videos had over 200 views for many weeks in a row.)
Along with the Sunday services, we have "To live with the Holy Spirit" morning prayer at 6 a.m., Monday through Saturday via Zoom, a Thursday Zoom Bible study at 8 p.m., and "Friday night Praising the Lord" at 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. The morning service has been a very big blessing for me and the church members because people who couldn't attend weekday services/prayers normally have been attending the Zoom prayers and are blessed by His presence.
With prayers and services through a virtual platform, even with COVID restrictions, we are able to hold these meetings with a click of a link. Will you please pray for God's glory, presence, and guidance?
The Rev. Paul Kim is the lead pastor at Korean Anglican in Lutherville, MD.