- By G. Jeffrey MacDonald Correspondent, Christian Science Monitor
It’s a pandemic shift no one saw coming at the start of 2020.
Faith communities began the year expecting members to attend worship in person at least somewhat regularly. Perhaps they’d come to a potluck lunch now and then toting a covered dish.
Now, as churches have moved online, people can belong, officially or informally, without ever darkening a church door.
Some congregants enjoy the flexibility to watch services in their bathrobes. Others welcome the opportunity to find a church that feels like a good fit, regardless of geography.
For Hanne Peterson, virtual worship meant the opportunity to return to a beloved church after moving halfway around the world. She had been missing All Saints Episcopal Church in Bellevue, Washington, ever since she returned to her native country in 2016. Having felt disoriented and not warmly welcomed at churches in Denmark, she seized the chance to be active again at All Saints.
“When I log in on Zoom, it’s like coming home,” Ms. Peterson says. “You can listen to or look at any church services [online], but it’s different when it’s a church that’s your church and you know the people in it.”
