Apart, but together: online worship stays strong
Plus: N.C. shows strong job gains in June; Employers foresee challenges of all-virtual schooling; American cuts 1,500 local jobs; MLS delayed a year but Tepper vows 'the party's still on!'
Today’s Ledger is sponsored by Helios Cloud Solutions, a Charlotte-based information technology consulting firm that specializes in Microsoft Cloud Services such as Office 365 and Azure, enabling your staff to work safely and securely from anywhere. Visit them at their website for a free 15-minute consultation on what your business needs to stay productive through this Covid-19 pandemic.
Charlotte warms to online church services; ‘Put your pajamas on, get a nice cup of coffee’
Matthews United Methodist Church invited members to send in selfies for the church to display in the sanctuary while services are broadcast online. (Photo courtesy of Matthews United Methodist Church.)
By Ken Garfield
There hasn’t been much sunshine breaking through the cloud of Covid-19, but here’s a sliver of light: Many of those who turn to their church, mosque or synagogue for hope have been finding it online.
Scholars say the number of people joining in weekly worship on their phone or computer is surpassing expectations. Worshippers with whom The Ledger spoke say the experience has touched them in ways they didn’t anticipate. We’ll hear from believers in a moment.
It’s too early to say whether people will leave the comfort of their homes and return to houses of worship when the pandemic finally eases up. For many, the guilt factor is high in admitting “I think I’ll skip church and lie on my sofa and watch it on my phone.”
But the pandemic seems to be pointing us toward a sea change: We already live much of our lives online. Why not our faith life, too?
Spiritual satisfaction: Many houses of worship have been live-streaming services for years. But it took Covid-19 for the masses to discover it.
Brian Kluth, who’s been studying online church participation for the National Association of Evangelicals, says half of all churches have seen their livestream audience increase two- to fivefold. It’s not surprising that people have been turning to phones or computers when it has been the only option. What’s striking is the satisfaction level and the reasons people cite for that satisfaction — some practical, others spiritual.
It’s obviously a blessing for the home-bound. It’s also great if it takes a minor miracle just making it to church.
“Getting two or three kids ready to go, you’re getting ready to curse God,” says Mark Ramsey of Atlanta, whose ministry supports pastors nationwide.
Families stay connected: Amanda and Kyle McGrath and their young children, Bennett and Chandler, attend Matthews United Methodist Church. During the pandemic, they’ve enjoyed an hour’s respite from life’s craziness by gathering in their living room to watch the 9:30 a.m. service. Sometimes they’re dressed, sometimes they’re still in their PJs. The livestream allows them to send a prayer request and make a donation. They love how the church invited members to send in a selfie to place on the pews. The McGraths sent in two, one serious, one silly.
The livestream audience at Matthews United Methodist (for several services, including one streamed in Spanish) has grown from a few hundred to more than 2,000. That’s the number viewing the service during the worship hour. For all churches, many more view the service, or the pastor’s sermons, online throughout the week. The McGraths plan to return to church. But if they stay home on some Sundays, Amanda McGrath says, “We’re getting it (worship) somehow.”
Nicole Elliott-Foster and her husband, Matthew, attend Mayfield Memorial Missionary Baptist Church. She acknowledges the importance of a worship community — “the energy that bounces off one another, the togetherness.” But watching the 10 a.m. service on her phone, in bed, offers a welcome peace and quiet. “It’s been refreshing,” she says. “Corporate worship is good, but sometimes you like to have that intimate moment. I’m a very reflective person.”
Tripp and Lindsay Griffin and their daughters, Sadie and Leila, attend Myers Park Presbyterian Church. It’s the ubiquitous nature of the online church that speaks to them, they say — the chance to practice their faith whenever it suits. They might catch the 8:45 a.m. service online as they’re driving back from a weekend out of town. Later in the day, the kids enjoy sitting in front of the TV for the children’s sermon. “It’s like they’re perched at the clergy’s feet,” Lindsay says.
The girls “attended” Vacation Bible School online. The online morning prayer weekdays at 8 a.m. has spoken deeply to the Griffins. “It’s been huge in our family’s peace and calm,” Lindsay says. “It’s refreshing to see the pastor in a baseball cap at the kitchen table. It provides our family an opportunity to feel connected with others in the congregation. We see many of the same faces without masks each morning.”
Lindsay says they’ll return to church when the doors open. They miss their friends. But, she adds, “There will always be that livestream option. I see it as a tremendous gift and benefit.”
Apart, but together: The livestream audience for the 8:45 a.m. service at Myers Park Presbyterian has grown from 300 to 400 before the pandemic to 1,500 or so on some Sunday mornings. The online bulletin offers a welcome for the times: “We encourage you to put (or keep) your pajamas on, get a nice cup of coffee, and join us for worship…”
Critics of online church say it lacks the intimacy of worshipping shoulder to shoulder. But intimacy is what Susan Weathers finds watching the 9 a.m. service at Davidson United Methodist Church on Facebook Live. Worshipping from her kitchen table, coffee in hand, she knows a good friend is joining her from his home in Maryland. They’re able to communicate online. “I know he’s there,” she says. “I miss going into the building, but I don’t feel like I lost church.”
The average audience for the livestream at Davidson United Methodist has jumped from 31 before the pandemic to 375. The church is getting an additional audience by emailing members a link to the video of the online service.
As with so much that involves Covid-19, who knows what’s going to happen? Only when live worship returns across the city can we begin gauging the long-term impact of online worship.
Ledger contributor Ken Garfield is a freelance writer focusing on charitable causes. Reach him at garfieldken3129@gmail.com.
Big N.C. job gains in June, Labor Department says
North Carolina added 173,000 jobs in June and cut its unemployment rate to 7.6%, down from 12.8% in May, the Labor Department said Friday. That’s one of the best economic rebounds in the South.
The new numbers suggest that as the economy continued to reopen last month, workers headed back to their jobs in large numbers. Between February and April, North Carolina’s economy lost about 616,000 jobs. In May and June, though, it regained about 239,000 jobs, or 39% of the number lost.
The new figures show that North Carolina had just over 4.2M people employed in June. That’s still 377,000 fewer jobs than in February, before the effects of the coronavirus were felt, and about the same number working as in the summer of 2015.
In June, the state added more jobs on a percentage basis than every state in the South except for West Virginia and Kentucky (which are much smaller than North Carolina).
June unemployment rates:
Florida: 10.4%
West Virginia: 10.4%
Tennessee: 9.7%
South Carolina: 8.7%
Virginia: 8.4%
Georgia: 7.6%
North Carolina: 7.6%
The highest unemployment rates in the country in June were in Massachusetts (17.4%), New Jersey (16.6%) and New York (15.7%), the Labor Department said.
With worries about rising Covid numbers, who knows where the employment numbers are headed next. Economists say a recovery could take months if not years. But adding back nearly 40% of the jobs lost in two months seems like a strong start. —TM
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With schools closed, employers face conundrum: ‘How is the work going to get done?’
This week’s decision by Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools to keep school buildings closed and to go all-in on virtual instruction this fall will ripple throughout Charlotte.
One area that will be especially tricky will be employment: People have to work, but that’s tough when there’s a youngster at home who needs help logging onto the Chromebook.
We asked Kenny Colbert of The Employers Association, which helps with human resources for local companies, about some of the issues expected to crop up related to employment. His response:
Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (which covers employers with less than 500 employees), employees may be eligible for 2 weeks of paid leave for childcare reasons under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave part of the Act. Then they may be eligible for 10 weeks of paid leave under the Expanded FMLA part of the Act.
Many employees have already used part, or all, of their available paid time under these laws — so now if they want to take off, some decisions will need to be made:
Do these employees have any available PTO, etc., so they can stay home for childcare? Even if they do, they probably have only a few weeks, and the schools (CMS) will be closed indefinitely.
What happens when the PTO runs out — Do employers put these employees on an unpaid leave of absence? Or terminate them?
Employers will have some tough decisions. In many cases, the employees can work from home. But what about a manufacturing plant where a product needs to be produced? Can the employer put several employees on an unpaid leave of absence at one time? How is the work going to get done? This has the potential to be an employee relations nightmare in some companies: Good employees can’t come to work — but the company has to get product out the door.
As we pointed out yesterday, CMS has indicated no timetable to re-evaluate its decision. It could be a while. —TM
This week’s original Ledger articles
It’s the weekend. Why not catch up on what you might have missed this week in The Ledger?
“Ballantyne townhome plan withdrawn.” Developer David Weekley Homes withdrew a plan to build townhouses on Blakeney Heath Road in Ballantyne after neighborhood opposition.
“Plunge in heart patients alarms Charlotte doctors.” Heart disease is the country’s leading killer, and local doctors worry patients aren’t getting the care they need because of fear of catching Covid in hospitals.
“Beloved Business: McNinch House hoping to reach half capacity; staff on call, less dessert prep.” (subscriber-only) The McNinch House, known for multi-course dinners uptown, is making moves to stay afloat amid capacity restrictions and fewer people going out to dinner.
“Pepsi homage in South End.” A new piece of public art pays tribute to the site of one of Pepsi’s first bottling plants.
“Why CMS voted for all-online learning” Some of the most complete coverage you will find of Wednesday’s hugely consequential school board meeting, in which board members voted to keep classrooms closed and go with virtual instruction for the district’s 147,000 students. Includes quotes from each board member on his or her stance.
“It was more than just a gas station” (subscriber-only) Queen’s Crown in Eastover is closing, after nearly 50 years of fixing flat tires and getting cars back up and running for neighbors. It’s believed to be the city’s last full-service gas station.
“A few more reflections on that CMS board meeting.” (subscriber-only) An analysis of some of the notable quotes and scenes from Wednesday’s big school board meeting.
“Truist and Truliant settle suit; Truceratops’ future is safe” Truist and Truliant Federal Credit Union settled a yearlong trademark dispute.
“Something cooking in LoSo?” (subscriber-only) A developer has assembled 13 parcels near Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and is seeking a rezoning.
We also told you about all the other big business and local news of the week, as usual. Plus “Loves me some internet.”
We’re producing thoughtful, responsible articles about the city you live in — minus the clickbait and relentless pop-up video ads. We can do that because of the support of paid subscribers. If you’re not one, please consider joining to receive access to everything we produce:
In brief:
Soccer delay but ‘the party’s still on’: Charlotte’s new Major League Soccer team will start playing in 2022 instead of next year, the team said Friday. Tom Glick, president of Tepper Sports & Entertainment, said the Covid pandemic has “impacted several of our essential initiatives,” which he did not name, and said the delay would give the team “additional time to build.” The team is scheduled to announce its name and logo on Wednesday. Owner David Tepper said in the news release: “The party’s still on! We are just delaying it a bit to ensure we have the best experience for our fans.” (Tepper Sports)
Groundbreaking on nearby casino: The Catawba Indians plan to break ground Wednesday on a $300M casino in Kings Mountain, 35 miles west of Charlotte. It should be open by late spring or early summer next year, the tribe says. The Eastern Band of Cherokees, which operate casinos in Western North Carolina, are suing to block the project, the Observer reported. An April article in Charlotte Agenda said the casino would have “1,796 slots, 54 table games, and a player’s club, along with restaurants and bars with a total of 940 seats. It’ll be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s not yet clear whether or not there will be a sports book.” (Observer/Agenda)
American slashes jobs: Nearly 1,500 American Airlines employees in Charlotte will lose their jobs in October as the carrier tries to slash costs. The job losses are part of nationwide cutbacks, which the company said this week could cost more than 20,000 jobs, or nearly one-third of its workforce. American is the Charlotte region’s 6th-largest employer, with about 12,000 local workers, according to the Biz Journal’s Book of Lists. (WBTV/Observer)
Restaurants to go dry after 10 p.m.: A ban on selling alcohol after 10 p.m. in restaurants in Charlotte, Mint Hill, Matthews and Davidson could come as soon as next week. The county, the city and those three towns are working on the language. It’s intended to prevent large gatherings of people and slow the spread of Covid. The owner of Dilworth Neighborhood Grille says he’s frustrated with the constantly changing regulations, and he estimates his business will lose $5,000 a week. Still, he said he’d abide by the rule and said he wishes young people would take the virus seriously: “It’s time for our younger adults to behave like mature adults.” (WCNC)
More Wells Fargo HQ speculation: Writing about Wells Fargo cutbacks, the San Francisco Business Times wrote this week that “some observers have even predicted a headquarters relocation out of San Francisco as a possible cost-cutting move, perhaps to Charlotte, the bank’s largest employment center.” CEO Charles Scharf said this week that the bank needs to cut $10B in annual expenses. (San Francisco Business Times, subscriber-only; h/t Urban Planet)
Correction
An article about Queen’s Crown full-service gas station on Friday gave the wrong first name for customer Justin Holofchak. The good news is we got the last name right! The bad news is we called him “Jacob.”
Loves me some internet
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