From Laurie Brown and John Tyler
John Tyler
A Look From Behind the Camera
What does it take to produce, record, and edit the online liturgies we have enjoyed in recent weeks? More than may be apparent.
 
Kyle Tallman, our new Youth Director, has recorded and edited every weekday and Sunday liturgy. St. Mary’s Chapel, where Morning Prayer liturgies have been recorded, has looked like a movie studio. Lighting for the dimly-lit space was achieved by collecting lamps from staff offices. Extension cords ran to and fro in a tangled mess across the chapel floor. Kyle recorded our two associate priests, assisted by Fr Stewart officiating, and reading two or more Morning Prayer liturgies a day . Kyle took the raw footage and edited it at home. A second camera was secured adding richness to the recordings, but it increases Kyle’s editing time.
On Wednesday, April 1, Bishop Wayne Smith directed all churches in the diocese to allow no one inside their buildings effective at the end of the workday on Thursday, April 2. Online liturgies could no longer be recorded in the churches. The crew of clergy and staff scrambled to record the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday online liturgies for April 9 and 10 on Thursday by the close of the day. The recording studio with all its gear was dismantled. The cameras, tripods, lamps, and extension cords were removed from the church interior for use in outside recordings.
Thus, the 2020 Easter Day online liturgy would be the first one recorded outside our church building. To prepare for this, the Rector had the altar table from St. George’s Chapel moved to the Rectory along with other liturgical items such as the Paschal Candle, altar cross, altar cloths, and office candles to be used for outside recordings.
 
On April 6, Fr. Tom began live-streaming Morning Prayer on Facebook from his home.

The Easter Day liturgy was recorded in the Page Garden on Thursday, April 9. The altar was prepared. Andy Martin skillfully provided the beautiful flower arrangements (the bulbs and flowers were planted around the church following the recording by a few socially-distant parishioners). 

For the Easter Day liturgy, Fr. Tom was first recorded by himself, speaking the liturgy’s calls and responses. Next, Fr. Peter was recorded reading the scripture lessons. The Rector’s sermon was recorded last. Previous organ recordings by Drs. Rob Lehman and Nick Bideler as well as choral recordings from Rob’s previous church were made available. Kyle spent approximately 20 hours mixing and editing all of these parts, including the beautiful introductory and closing sections of the video, to bring us the Easter Day online liturgy. The drone shot with the Rector’s Easter Greeting was another brilliant idea among many of Kyle's.
God sent Kyle Tallman and his family to our church.

Just as Kyle was getting his feet on the ground as our Youth Director, a new responsibility was suddenly thrust upon him: Movie Director. Kyle loves Jesus. He told us during his interview that he wanted to share Jesus’ love with the youth of our church. We have seen Kyle’s love shine through in the online recordings that are his technical creation.
 
It has been strange not to be worshipping in church these past weeks, and especially during Holy Week and on Easter Day. A parishioner recently expressed her grief over the loss of being in church, describing it as "like a death". In his Easter Day sermon, Presiding Bishop Curry said, “Love cannot change the fact of death. But love can live through death, and thereby defeat death.” Love will enable us to live through this time that we are physically (but not spiritually) apart from one another. We will again meet together at a time yet to be set. As an old gospel hymn puts it, “What a day of rejoicing that will be.”
 
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus
Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of
everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the
day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death
of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever.  Amen .
—  A Collect for Easter

Laurie Brown, Director of Parish Life
John Tyler, CSMSG Parishioner
  • Be on the look out for a phone call from Church Receptionist Becky Arthur or other staff members, as we update our Realm directory.