What happens when a congregation’s most senior members meet the world of online ministry? At St. George on Yonge, it’s turning isolation into connection.
For many years the congregation has been glued together in part because of Connect Groups. Members gather in informal affinity groups, now mostly online, to build community, pray, study the bible, share life and support one another.
Before COVID-19 lockdowns, elder seniors – those in their 80s to over 100 – used to gather in person. Suddenly isolated from each other, volunteer Elizabeth Beecham began to gather this tightly knit group on Zoom.
“Tech was not the barrier. If they had devices, seniors went online,” she says.
Suddenly the church doors were flung open to them once again. Without the obstacles of complicated transportation to in-person services, the group has flourished. Zoom allows these parishioners – lifelong Anglicans who built up and carried the church over the years – to see each other, chat and catch up. In this safe space, even the most vulnerable elders can comment on the sermon, talk about whatever challenges they face and see old friends who are no longer able to gather at St. George’s.
Ms. Beecham has led this group since 2020, at first to succeed her own mother, who had run in-person gatherings in the past. She carries on because this volunteer ministry is so rewarding, and she knows it represents authentic community. Her own roots in this community run deep. She recalls that her parents’ first act upon immigrating to Canada was to worship at St. George’s. Her ministry of listening and caring has connected her not just to her mother’s church friends but to people she now knows more fully.
The door is open for newcomers – usually seniors who have moved in with their grown children from outside Toronto. These uprooted people find new friends in the Connect group. Membership is fluid: while some come, some stay and others move on. Ms. Beecham does her best to communicate with group members and keep everyone up to date.
Many participants bring a deeply held faith into the group, and some do not. Professional caregivers or grown children get their elders online but then often stay for the session. Ms. Beecham says they’re welcome to be full participants. They join in prayer and discussions and are encouraged with special prayers of thanks and support for caregivers. Evangelism happens organically, as the parish compassionately shows that it cares for these vulnerable and cherished members. Helpers and elders alike have the option of worshipping on Sunday through Facebook or viewing the recorded service later on YouTube.
At Christmas, parish volunteers bake goods for housebound people. Dedicated volunteers drop off cookies, brownies and hot chocolate at elders’ homes so that everyone online has the same joy in sharing these treats during the Connect Group meeting. And caregivers aren’t forgotten, receiving their own Christmas fare.
The ministry of listening to each other is often the most important act of community. Caregivers attend with patience as seniors share their life stories, sorrows and achievements. This group of friends validates each other in a modern recreation of old-fashioned community where people meet, sing, pray, gossip and laugh with each other.
Some challenges still exist. Members have multiple medical appointments, and their schedules are subject to changes beyond their own control. Caregivers also have scheduling conflicts, but the group meets even when only two or three are gathered together.
“There’s lots of juggling,” says Ms. Beecham. After much experimentation, she has pulled back from the Covid-era weekly gatherings and now holds meetings once a month. Those seniors who connect only by phone also miss the joy of seeing their friends and being seen.
“If I could dream about our future, we would have video-enabled tech for everyone facing in-person barriers,” she says. She hopes to explore the option of purchasing refurbished devices.
She also envisions fostering communication between generations. She knows seniors have much to offer youth and youth to seniors, and that youth can be just as isolated as seniors. She hopes to see some sort of mentoring that would build up intergenerational connections using this shared technology.
Ultimately, people do long to see each other in person despite many logistical barriers. Some can gather for special events, and all of them look forward to the Rev. Ali MacIntosh, the parish’s priest-in-charge, visiting online and providing in-person pastoral care. At St. George’s, online and incarnational care go hand in hand.
This ministry has broken down the walls that isolate elder seniors and opened wide the doors at St. George on Yonge. “Our elders know that they are part of our congregation,” says Ms. Beecham.
For more information on hybrid ministry, visit www.toronto.anglican.ca/parish-resources/hybrid-ministry or email [email protected].
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