YouTube is a platform for engaging with people using videos and provides a great opportunity for evangelism.
Good News Story: Methodist Central Hall, Westminster
Methodist Central Hall Westminster opted to ‘live-stream’ their services via YouTube during lockdown so that they could reach the maximum number of people. Since mid-March MCHW has reached over 156,000 individuals and families from all over the world - their service on Sunday 5th July attracted over 20,000 views in its first week, audiences that would have filled the historic Great Hall ten times over! Revd Miles said, ‘During the war years William Sangster would fill the Great Hall for evenings services. Today, during a crisis of a different kind, MCHW is reaching even greater numbers by making use of new technology. We are encouraged that these services are serving the wider Church and also impacting the lives of those who wouldn’t normally attend a church service.’ www.youtube.com/user/MCHWevents
Good News Story: Haxby & Wigginton Methodist Church
A different example of a smaller scale way to use YouTube comes from Haxby and Wigginton Methodist Church where minister Revd Rory Dalgliesh shares a daily video with his thoughts and reflections during lockdown. He has received many messages from people outside the church who've found them supportive, helpful, affirming and challenging. This has progressed into several ongoing series including "Covid Conversations" and "Sceptics Corner" which have been really successful in giving people affirmation to honour their doubts, talk about complex and difficult subjects, and feel less on the margins of faith. Rory says, “I'm always trying to think like an outsider, and I try just to talk about life as we all experience it. The gospel is about finding God in the midst of the everyday, not a propositional argument about salvation to loudly proclaim. When people feel there is room for their lives just as they are, they are much more receptive to the possibility of God's love."
www.youtube.com/channel/UCgXVo0WxJCXzZ69F1dEchfw/videos
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