Dear St. John's Community,
I grew up 80 miles away from Hollywood. That placed me on the edge of the home of the entertainment industry. That world is not wonderful in all ways, but there are some very good and even inspiring aspects to it. There is a spirit of creativity and ingenuity that swirls around it.
There are some similarities and some big differences between movie making and what we are now doing for Sunday worship online.
We are seeking to put the camera, microphone, lighting and editing technology to good use, to convey a powerful experience for the viewer, or in language I prefer—the participant.
As you have hopefully seen, we are aiming to give online worship participants the feeling that they are experiencing the holy as if they were sitting in the pews. At least that is our goal, and there are numerous subtle choices we are making in the "production" to help bring about that effect.
Also, importantly, since the service is conveyed on a screen, it is easy to go into "movie critic mode," but I want to invite you instead to intentionally embrace the experience as a time of prayer. Just like it is in physical worship, some things go smoothly and some things don't, but it is all lifted up in holiness.
I have just viewed the draft of tomorrow's service, and I really look forward to sharing it with you all. Once again, we will be blessed to worship together even while we're apart.