6 minute read
Serving in the Midst of a Pandemic
Think of church, and one usually thinks of services, outreach events, and prominent ministries (e.g. Worship, Hospitality, Missions). But there’s a sizeable group of Operations staff and servers who are quietly working in the background to ensure that things run as they should — or are able to run at all.
In 2019, the nationwide Celebration of Hope event — which saw crowds thronging the National Stadium — commanded our attention through the middle of the year, and the rush and excitement of Dover Celebrates Christmas took us through to 2020. Lee Chee Sheong, SJSM’s Group Head for Operations, recalls how the work by New Wineskins Transformation Taskforce was also introducing changes to the staff structure, which necessitated adjustments to work with new teams and under new leaders. “We were also moving and settling into the newly renovated Level 4 office,” he says. “Changes had been made to the set-up and layout to promote openness and bonding. In short, there really was quite a lot going on to begin with.”
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Nigel Sim, Head of Communications, recalls how in mid-February 2020 “there was reason for caution as we kept an eye on news updates while determining next steps”. As SJSM continued to pray against the spread of COVID-19, various precautions were also being implemented that kept in step with government measures. MOH’s advice was that worship services could continue so long as appropriate measures were put in place. But it was impossible to know what to expect.
IN THE TEETH OF THE STORM
“Our small Communications team was tasked to get worship services live-streamed within less than a week, because we wanted to give members who were unable or unwell the choice of attending services online,” Nigel says. “Up until that point, we had never live-streamed a service. But thank God; certain capabilities were already in place. It was not a perfect set-up, but we went live that weekend (15/16 February).”
“The impacts of COVID-19 really hit us in midMarch 2020; that was when all the regulations and health screening requirements kicked in,” says Ashley Tan, Team Lead for Admin & Events Management (AEM). “Everything was totally new to us and had to be picked up and built from scratch in a very short time — setting up electronic declaration forms, purchasing thermometers, reconfiguring the basement carpark, cordoning off areas, and setting up screening stations…
“Milton (Wee, Team Lead for Facilities & Security), Jonathan, and Poh Chye really had their hands full with space allocation for safe distancing, setting up of barriers, and disinfection of public spaces and high-touch surfaces, while also supporting construction-related concerns with regards to Project Spring-Winter, so AEM closed ranks with them and shouldered whatever we could.
“Then the Diocese called for all parishes to cease onsite services for two weeks… and then the Circuit Breaker happened.”
“In the weeks leading up to the Circuit Breaker, SJSM went from fully onsite to fully online,” Nigel says. “Then, when onsite services were allowed to resume, we moved from Circuit Breaker to Phase 1 to Phase 2 in a matter of three weeks, finally settling on a hybrid of onsite and online services. Everything changed in 2020 — Holy Week, AGM, Christmas. I’m grateful for my colleague Han Hwee, who soldiered along with me to facilitate video recording and streaming during those challenging months.”
LEARNING THE WAVES, FINDING STEERING ROOM
Since June 2020, volunteer management has become a new (and growing) job scope for both AEM and Comms. “The constantly evolving list of restrictions and safety measures from the authorities has meant that the team has to stay on their toes and react very quickly, and take on additional responsibilities and roles,” Chee Sheong says. “Communications, in particular, had to be stepped up — to staff as well as parishioners — on matters related to COVID-19, and changes to our services.”
Ashley and team urgently needed to start soliciting help to man sufficient screening stations to allow service attendees to enter the worship halls in a timely manner. The constantly evolving situation meant that service capacity, and the number of services run, could never been relied on as a longterm fact. AEM also had to work closely with the Host teams to ensure as seamless a progression as possible from screening stations to worship venues.
For Nigel and team, the additional load of weekly streaming of E2 services from March 2021 could not have been managed without the support of volunteers who came alongside to facilitate online hosting, and run streaming and camera operations. Such skills and know-how are not common knowledge, so merely recruiting servers wasn’t enough. Time had to be invested in training and easing new helpers into the roster, and also in cultivating a sense of community and ownership among them. In May, having to begin live-streaming both SES and E2 weekly meant that these efforts proved invaluable.
“Across churches in Singapore, I think few would raise their hands and say they are experts in this relatively new area of online church. Many of us in communications and media ministries just had to get it done and learn along the way,” Nigel says. “Technical solutions typically span more than one field of expertise and regularly get updated, so set-ups have to be fit for the requirements of a particular church and the capacity of its ministry teams. While COVID-19 has nudged many of us into new territory, it’s great to see teams in different churches sharing learning points and helping others get livestream-ready. May God continue to guide us as we serve Him together.”
DEVELOPING A STORM STRATEGY
The foreseeable future involves keeping up to date with “governmental policies around pandemic/endemic management, and vaccination-related protocols, which of course affect the way we plan and execute worship gatherings and non-congregational activities”, Chee Sheong says.
And while it is easy to get caught up in all the administrative and technical details that comes with being part of Operations, Chee Sheong is clear in his conviction that what his team does “indirectly supports the vision of the church, by freeing the pastoral and ministry staff from administrative matters”. “Ministries come and go, but the function of operations remains — the support of an organisation,” he says. “And staff in Ops are also called to be salt and light to the world — we can show Christ to the contractors, vendors, and suppliers we work with. This helps to open doors for ministry to them.”
Ashley sees AEM’s role as “providing back-end support”. “While this often requires restructuring of our portfolios in order to make ourselves available to come alongside the more front-facing ministries in their work, we choose to look at things in a broader manner and embrace the new realities of SJSM Village,” she says. “We will go further, take the initiative, and go the extra mile — because we know who we’re doing it for.”
“The metaphor of the church as one body with many parts (1 Corinthians 12:15- 26) guides the teams working to serve the church,” Nigel says. “As we transition into operating as a church within SJSM Village, it is clear that various ministries and corporate entities have interconnected relationships and common objectives. The complexities of this new season require more integrated approaches which build on the strengths of our various components. As we serve and aim to do good, we take heart from the words with which Bp Rennis chose to end his pastoral note to the Diocese on 4 April 2020:
