Revs. Mark and Joy Tracy serve four congregations, Clark, Garden City, Henry, and Kellerton, in South Dakota. The parish is connecting with new people in worship and unique outreach activities.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed us to places we need to go. It has been good for the church,” says Rev. Mark Tracy. “This field is ripe for the harvest, and the community needs hope. Now is our time to show that the church matters and listen to the Holy Spirit. The church goes way beyond the building. Our congregations have been great in stepping up.”

Virtual worship

Worship has moved to a virtual format, like many other congregations across the Dakotas Conference connection.

“Online services have been amazing,” says Rev. Mark Tracy, “We have been reaching people we have never reached before. People are responding. We have conversations online and connect with people from other states and communities. People are saying; we want to become part of your congregation.”

Tracy pre-records the service and has adjusted worship to include some new elements and eliminate others. Online services are shorter, and there is a focus on flow and smooth transitions. Here are some of the adjustments the parish has made:

• They involve different members by having them record the children’s message, a prayer, or reading and sending the video to Pastor Mark.
• The parish is using online giving.
• They are making announcements in other ways—email, text, or on Facebook, not during the worship service.
• Pastor Mark is delivering a shorter message.
• Online worship includes pre-recorded, contemporary music.

Besides being online on Facebook and YouTube, the worship service broadcasts on the local cable channel. Many people in the community enjoy watching the service on TV.

“It is viewed at the nursing home and in people’s homes. People grab a cup of coffee and watch worship,” says Pastor Mark. “It is a new ministry for us.”

The online presence is here to stay. Plans are underway to continue to broadcast on the local cable channel and Facebook Live. A committee or task force is making a plan to keep going with the online and TV presence, and stepping up efforts in online giving.

Pastor Mark says, “People are commenting about how awesome the new ideas are. We are going to step up our online giving efforts. I have people viewing that are from other states, and they want to donate. We are going to use a giving app so that people can text in a donation. We want to give super easy options.”
 

Easter lilies and a note were distributed to all the members of the four congregations by Rev. Mark and Joy Tracy and other volunteers. Photos courtesy of Clark, Henry, Garden City, Kellerton, Facebook pages.

The parish worked to create a virtual community Easter service. A service where the police chief prayed for the first responders. A local physician prayed for the medical community. The mayor prayed for the government and leaders. The school superintendent prayed for the teachers and students. Every pastor in town participated shared a three-minute message. The president of the Chamber of Commerce prayed for the businesses.

“The community Easter Service was one of the proudest moments for me,” Tracy says. “It was amazing to see the entire community in prayer. The community was very thankful for our church spearheading all of it.”

The mayor of Clark commented to Pastor Mark Tracy at a meeting, “People are attending your church, that have never attended before, because of all of the options.”

Average worship attendance online has been 60 viewers live concurrently and 900 views within a week.

Connecting in unique ways

Members of each of the congregations have been reaching out to each other and throughout the communities.

The sewing group has been making masks for the Clark County Emergency Management System, nursing home, and other groups or individuals that make a request. “That has been a blessing,” says Pastor Mark.

Rev. Mark and Joy, along with others, reached out to members of the congregation by delivering a note and palm branch on everyone’s window, on Palm Sunday. On Easter, there was a note and Easter Lily at everyone’s home. 

“With four congregations, that is a lot of miles,” says Pastor Mark. “People were so appreciative. It was a blessing.”

May 1 was the last day of the Community Trivia Challenge for Clark County communities.

Perhaps the most unique way that the congregations have reached out to the community is the Clark Community Trivia Challenge. Every day four trivia challenges were held on Facebook Live. Pastor Mark would go live four times a day— at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. For each of the Trivia Challenge sessions there were clues, and when someone guessed the correct answer, they received a prize. The congregations, partnering with the Chamber of Commerce, gave away about $4,000 in gift certificates to local businesses.

Members of Clark UMC came up with the Trivia challenges. It might be about a person in town, a landmark, or an event. The clues started out general and became more detailed until there was correct answer to the trivia challenge. The winner was the recipient of two gift certificates of $20 each for a total value of $40 in gift certificates to a local business. The winner was instructed to keep one $20 certificate and to give one $20 gift certificate away to someone who might not be on the internet or had a need.

Restaurants, flower shop, the hardware store, gas stations, grocery stores are examples of businesses featured during the Trivia Challenge. Each of the trivia challenges incorporated scripture.

“It was a scripture that people could cling to. It was going to a wide audience that might not normally read scripture daily,” says Rev. Mark Tracy. “People want to be involved. I have increased the number of people that like me on Facebook. It has opened up a lot of conversations and opportunities for prayer. It has been an amazing tool to connect with people and turned out so much better than we thought.”

The last Community Trivia Challenge was held on May 1 with a special bonanza of prizes. “I am thankful for congregational members who funded more than one-half of the gift cards. I think our church is going to grow because of this effort,” says Pastor Mark. “I heard from several members of the community, many times, ‘Thank you for what you are doing for our town.’” View the last Community Trivia Challenge here. 

Next steps 

Churches are doing innovative things across the connection. Tracy says that the congregations that he serves will never go back to the way things were before the pandemic hit. “It is going to be a completely different going forward. We have a new mission field and ministry opportunity. We have to figure out how to lessen the load for the pastors. We have a new ministry online and through broadcasting on the local cable channel,” he says.

In the next few months and perhaps a year, Pastor Mark predicts that things might get tough financially. He is concerned that the marginalized populations throughout our communities and the world will become more marginalized.  

“I am praying our world will step up in compassion,” says Tracy, “I think people are starting to question what is most important. Sometimes it takes a Kairos moment to realize that the newest, best of everything is not the driver to happiness. I believe this is a time when people can have faith strengthened. This is the hardest I have worked in my whole life. I feel this is our moment, a Holy Spirit opportunity.”

Resources:
Guidelines for returning to in-person worship
REACH! coming to a screen near you in the form of seven free webinars
Relaunch resources
COVID Compassion Campaign examples
COVID-19 resource page