Virtual Palm Sunday service
Watch the service
Palm Sunday was different this year as we held virtual service via Zoom, our fourth Sunday using that medium. But there were some things the same too. We couldn’t pass out fresh palm fronds as we did before, but we held up dried palms from previous years to remind us. Some were in the shape of a cross. Amy Schantz who joined us online from Florida held up a real palm branch for us. Pastor used a frond from a houseplant palm.
For the music beforehand, since we must choose something original, this week we chose an inspiring version of a song that JoAnne wrote some years ago called, Keep the Flame Burning. It was sung by tenor, David Schwarz of Kirkville, NY. The words encourage us to keep the flame of God’s Spirit and God’s Word and work burning brightly in our lives.
Additions this week
Each week we try to improve a little and add something. We also ask someone to participate. This week, Anna Griffin, a member of our current confirmation class, read scripture and also interacted with JoAnne during the first virtual children’s moment. We also added piano accompaniment for the song.
You may have noticed that the quality of the camera on JoAnne’s laptop computer which we have been using in the dining room left much to be desired. No matter what I wore, it always appeared to be purple. We made an improvement this week by using my iPhone as the dining room camera. This week, you could see that I wore a green sports coat. Another improvement was a new webcam which we used with Pastor’s laptop for the piano sound and picture. The overall setup became much more complicated, but with Cory Schantz’s help, the result was better.
Virtual Handshake
At the end of the service, we un-muted everyone and allowed video too for a time to greet one another. Everybody loved that part. It uses the interactive capability of Zoom to help us keep in touch with one another after virtual service as we would do after service at church.