Virtual Church in Un-Gathered Times

by Jenny Esots (subscribe)

In these strange, weird and uncertain times of COVID-19, with social distancing and isolation restrictions in place, all churches have been forced to close their doors throughout Australia. However, there are virtual faith communities abounding to take their place.

The COVID-19 virus restrictions do mean staying home - which is an opportunity to rest and reflect and worship online. There is no enforced time to do any worship activity, you can listen and watch at home via a computer screen, phone or iPad anytime.



Here is a snapshot of the many and varied multi-faith communities and (virtual) worship places to explore:

Anglican Church – St Peter's Cathedral, North Adelaide. St Peter's Cathedral is a Christ-centred, sacramental, inclusive, thinking mission-oriented, faith community, which has a very active Facebook page that has video links and messages – see link here. You can even listen to the beloved Cathedral bells.

The Church of England UK has a link to Daily Prayers for different times of the day - explore the site here. The Archbishop of Canterbury also has an active Facebook site with updates and messages - check out the site here



Catholic Church – St Francis Xavier's Cathedral. As people of faith, hope and love, they are committed to building a world where the dignity of every human being is respected. The church site contains links for Live Mass streaming - 10am Sunday Mass live streamed from St Francis Xavier's Cathedral - and much more – you can explore here.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide also has an active Facebook page – see here



Lutheran Church – Bethlehem Lutheran Church Adelaide. Gathering for worship. Growing in faith. Going to serve. See further info here. Bethlehem Lutheran Church has an active Facebook page with links to sermons and messages – you can explore here.



Influencers Church - Adelaide City. Their vision is to Influence the hearts of people towards a greater connection with God, using the generous resource of God's love in the context of God's family, the local church. Explore their website here or Facebook page here.



Uniting Church – Pilgrim Uniting Church Adelaide. The Uniting Church SA seeks to be an innovative, growing church proclaiming Jesus Christ, empowered by the Spirit to transform God's world. In this time of uncertainty and inability to meet together in our church buildings, they encourage congregations to continue meeting online and "being the church" in these un-gathered times. The Uniting Church of SA has developed a comprehensive list of all the online worship services. There are lots to choose from. You can explore here The Uniting Church in SA – Uniting Church - Uniting People has resources on their website – take a look here.



Quakers - Religious Society of Friends - The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Australia is a non-credal group of spiritual seekers. Quakers do not share a fixed set of beliefs and their faith is expressed through action. They are widely known for their work for peace and equality. Across Australia, Quakers are holding virtual meetings each week via Zoom. To find out more, contact your nearest meeting. Go to the drop-down menu in the Quakers Australia website and click on 'Find a Meeting', then send a message to a meeting near you. Check out Quakers Australia here



Jewish Faith – Beit Shalom Synagogue, Adelaide. The Beit Shalom congregation was founded on the principles of equality and openness among members. They are inclusive of race, gender, class, ethnic background, sex, sexual orientation and ability. They have a colourful website. Take a look here. It lists recent sermon messages from the Rabbi here.



Islamic Society of South Australia The Islamic Society of South Australia aims is for people to see the true beauty of Islam, living, working, building and contributing to our peaceful way of life, and to open the community's minds and hearts to share in the wonderful lives we are all living, here in South Australia. The Islamic Society of South Australia has an active Facebook page that has video links and messages – see link here.




Buddhist – Maitreya Kadampa Buddhist Centre – Adelaide. The centre offers regular classes on meditation and Buddhism to help everyone develop inner peace and solve their daily problems. They have an active Facebook site with messages and info – you can explore the site here.



Siddha Yoga - This is a spiritual practice, described as a oneness with God. It is a very ancient practice of understanding of God within yourself. The divine is within everything, which we so often don't recognise. Siddha Yoga is a spiritual path founded by Muktananda (1908–1982). The Siddha Yoga tradition is "based mainly on eastern philosophies". Info on the practice of Siddha Yoga can be found here .

In these unsettled and uncertain times take the time to look out for each other and keep having your own faith conversations and connections.

A Prayer

In this time of COVID-19, we pray:
When we aren't sure, God,
help us be calm;
when information comes
from all sides, correct and not,
help us to discern;
when fear makes it hard to breathe,
and anxiety seems to be the order of the day,
slow us down, God;
help us to reach out with our hearts,
when we can't touch with our hands;
help us to be socially connected,
when we have to be socially distant;
help us to love as perfectly as we can,
knowing that "perfect love casts out all fear."

(Source: "A Prayer during times of Covid-19", published by The United Church of Canada)

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