WHY ONLINE CAMPUS? The way we do Church is evolving, but our mission to participate in God’s gracious, restorative, and healing church remains the same. In the last two years, Princeton UMC has been forced to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. It hasn’t been easy, and at times I have wondered where God is in all of this. Doesn’t God want us to be together? Little did I know God’s presence and the community of our church can be felt from my living room. What is the Online Campus? The Online Campus is a virtual space that allows worshippers to participate in the life of our church, from home. Though many of us have returned to in-person church when it is made available, others of us remain hybrid or full virtual. God’s mission did not stop just because the Church changed. PUMC recognizes that the Christian church is changing rapidly, and we embrace this change by adapting to people’s needs by ministering to and with God’s children online. During the pandemic and beyond, the internet is a useful tool to minister, learn, and connect with others. We believe Mighty Networks is an easy to learn platform and a helpful tool in our spiritual growth. In the winter of 2020 we soft-launched the Online Campus, and within the next year we were able to grow this space into over 25 ‘communities’ and 115 active members. In this space, we seek to
Tayler Necoechea facilitates a virtual coffee hour in the online campus last month.
provide tools, community, and guidance for one’s own discipleship journey, just as we would normally have access to through in-person church. Who are we doing this for? We are committed to those who do not yet (or ever will) feel comfortable worshipping in person due to the COVID -19 virus, or other health issues, or those who are returning to in-person worship but want to remain connected to the entire congregation. We also want to be accessible for worshippers who do not have transportation access to our physical building, or those who do not live in the area but wish to worship with us. We feel strongly about providing an opportunity for all people with disabilities or mental illnesses that inhibit them from attending church consistently in person. Additionally, we are devoted to those who have not yet found a safe church home and those who just find worshipping from their own living rooms more comfortable for their spiritual life. We hope that current PUMC worshippers, no matter if they are returning to in person worship or remaining virtual, will feel equipped to partner with us in this vision by participating in the online campus. If we already have Livestream on Facebook, why Mighty Networks? We would be remiss to be satisfied with virtual Sunday morning worship as the only form of online church. As members of PUMC know well, church happens Monday through Saturday, too. We participate in small groups, we sit in on committee meetings, we do justice in our communities, and we strive to follow Jesus together. All of this and more can be possible through virtual church. What does this mean for PUMC? In PUMC’s welcome statement, we affirm that “ALL people” are welcome into full participation in our church as we strive to love God and love others. By investing into our online campus, we are ... Continues on page nine
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