Daily Gazette, The (Schenectady, NY)
Daily Gazette, The (Schenectady, NY) December 5, 2010 Column: CAPITAL REGION Spirituality spreads in cyberspace Author: SARA FOSS,Gazette Reporter At First Reformed Church of Schenectady, just as many people listen to services online as go to church on Sunday. The church posts MP3 files of its services on the First Reformed website, which also features a Bible search engine for looking up scripture, discussion boards for registered users and a box where users can type in for whom or what they wish to pray and instantly receive a short prayer tailored to their concerns. Near the top of the home page is a short message from the Rev. Bill Levering, the senior pastor at First Reformed. "While no computer can capture the vibrancy of our fellowship, we hope this site will help bring us all closer together," the message states. The church also maintains a Facebook page, which provides links to the website. "We increase our web traffic dramatically when we advertise on Facebook," Levering said. "Of course, that may not translate into anyone ever showing up at church" Even so, Levering sees the value of having a church Web presence and interacting with people online. Like many clergy, he has embraced the Internet and social media and views them as valuable tools for reaching people -- even people who might never attend one of his services. "Mainstream Protestant churches have made a big mistake in thinking that the only way to do business is to have people come to them," Levering said. "There are many ways that people can experience the divine." Northway Church director of development Kevin Murrell monitors the church's Facebook page, writing responses to every post or message from the church's 2,600-plus followers. The Clifton Park-based church has a weekly TV show, and its Facebook page tends to get a lot of hits on Sunday nights, after the show airs."Sometimes I have Facebook open 24 hours," Murrell said. Northway's Facebook page is a way to promote ch! urch events but also to share inspirational thoughts and stori! es, Murr ell said. "A woman wrote on Facebook that she came to our church and her whole life changed," he said. "People read that and they get inspired. Our mission is to inspire people with love, hope and faith." People also post prayer requests and immediately receive support and encouragement from fellow users, he said. Northway Pastor Buddy Cremeans also maintains a Twitter feed and a blog. On Friday afternoon, his most recent tweets asked visitors, "Have you ever had questions about faith that you are afraid to ask?" and "Does anyone have a real 'top hat' (Abe Lincoln style hat) that we can borrow tomorrow?" He said he uses Twitter to post lighthearted anecdotes, such as stories about his dog or his daughter, but also to address more serious topics, such as leadership. Cremeans said social media "helps us connect with people who wouldn't ordinarily get connected. Church is all about relationships, and [social media] is a great wa! y to enhance community, enhance relationships. We're constantly looking for ways to take the church out of the walls." He said that he loves social media but that "you've got to have a balance. " We're about meeting people where they're at. We believe in leveraging technology, anything that can help us get the good news of Christ out there. Fighting the culture is like spitting in the wind. If you look at the life of Christ, he didn't fight the culture. He told stories. He was compelling." Rabbi Matthew Cutler at Congregation Gates of Heaven in Schenectady said that one of the big questions posed by social media is "how to get people to think or act spiritually in that dimension." Cutler has a Facebook page that he uses to keep in touch with people and publicize events, and his temple's website contains information about events and programs as well as links to Jewish websites. He said he has considered blogging but has some reluctance: "Do I al! ways have something profound to say?" he said. Cutler noted that one of the criticisms of the televangelists who rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s was that they promoted a way of worshipping -- at home, in front of the TV -- that lacked the larger sense of community so essential to the faith experience. Social media, he said, might run the risk of doing the same thing. "Does it create a virtual congregation?" he asked. "Is just logging on good enough? " Cyberspace does create an opportunity for people to interact, but I prefer face to face." Many clergy say that Facebook is a way to communicate and stay in touch with teenagers, college students and young adults. That's especially true for the Rev. Sandy Damhof, who serves as Protestant campus chaplain at the University at Albany. "Facebook is almost exclusively how I get the word out," she said. "I used to go around campus and post fliers, but this is so much easier. Every student has a laptop with Facebook loaded on it 24-7." Damhof said that Facebook is useful for promoting campus events, but it also allows her to connect with students on a deeper level. She said she believes Facebook has helped her save two lives because she was able to respond to students who had posted suicidal thoughts. "The relationships on Facebook go much deeper than people think," Damhof said. "People post things on Facebook that they might not say to your face. " I think Facebook strengthens relationships. You can friend someone on Facebook and find out quite a bit about them. Facebook makes it easier for me to get to know people. I don't necessarily have time after each service to sit down and get to know each person. But I can find them on Facebook." Damhof said keeping in touch with students through Facebook "is my job. If I were just a regular pastor, in a regular church, I might not be as consumed by Facebook. But I can't imagine [being a campus chaplain] without Facebook." Damhof actually is a regular pastor in a regular church -- Journey United Church of Christ in Delmar, which was formed about two years ago. The church has never published a newsletter, preferring to communicate with members through e-mail and Facebook or on the church website. Unlike her students at the University at Albany, Journey's adult members do not check Facebook constantly, but they do use it, Damhof said. And for people who find visiting a new church intimidating, the church website can give them a sense of what to expect there. "You can go to our blog and read last Sunday's sermon," she said. "You can see that the messages are upbeat and practical." The Rev. Tim Coombs at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Scotia also uses Facebook to keep tabs on younger members, particularly college students. The church doesn't have a Facebook page, but Coombs does; he estimates that he has 500 friends "who know me as a clergyperson. I do a lot of youth work. Half my friends are youth."You c! an't go very deep on Facebook," Coombs said. "It's a starting place. If someone posts that their friend died, I can say that I'm sorry to hear that. I can make a personal note or a phone call later." When college students post comments about being stressed out or down, Coombs takes notice, and if those postings continue, he might bring it up when they come home for a visit. "I might say, 'It looks like you had a tough semester,' " he said. Useful tool "If you recognize Facebook's limitations, it can be a great tool," Coombs said. "My reach is so much greater because of Facebook than ever before. It's a communication tool, and like any tool, it can be used for good or bad. I try to use it for as much good as I can." Levering said social media can have a downside. "Like anything in the church, the downside is becoming too enamored of it," he said. Facebook and Twitter can't replace community, he said. "Church is more than an institution," he said. "It's a set of relationships."Levering said that he wasn't always so enthusiastic about the Internet. "In the early days of Web involvement, I doubted whether it was worth the investment," he said. "Churches were spending a lot of time and money to create websites that attracted 20 hits a week." But now those websites are attracting a lot of traffic, and "I believe it's worth the effort." Reach Gazette reporter Sara Foss at 395-3193 or sfoss@dailygazette.net. Copyright (c) 2010 The Daily Gazette Co. All Rights Reserved. Record Number: 133ED84AEF8E6488 |
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