Churches are moving their weekend services online en masse with increasingly stricter safe distancing measures by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce to stem further coronavirus transmission.

However, not all churches have the resources to do so. Spotting this need, City Harvest Church (CHC) announced yesterday (March 23) in a Facebook post that it is offering its production team and gear, as well as its venue at Suntec Convention Centre, to churches who may need extra technological help.

Danielle Ho, a producer at CityTV, the church’s television production arm, told Salt&Light she was inspired to come up with this initiative after seeing a post by a megachurch in the United States offering their recording services to other churches.

After Ho discussed the idea with the rest of the team and the church’s leadership, the church decided to offer this service free of charge to local pastors.

“At CHC, we are blessed that we have the facilities and manpower to do what we do, so we hope to be a blessing,” she said. 

CityTV’s production team typically includes audio, video, lights and visual communication, and each weekend service activates about 20 staff members, she added.

Pastors who take up CHC’s offer will come in to Suntec Theatre for an hour-long slot to deliver their sermon on stage, which will be recorded directly in a format that can be easily uploaded on various online platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook or their own church website, Ho said, adding that one church has already confirmed a slot.

Ho hopes that this will help pastors to continue strengthening their congregations during this difficult time.

“We are all one in the body, and we want the body of Christ to be healthy and well-fed! We also hope it encourages different churches to see what they have been blessed with and perhaps, consider how they could bless other churches too,” she said.

CHC, which has about 16,000 members, suspended all weekend worship services after Singapore’s Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (Dorscon) risk assessment level was raised from Yellow to Orange on February 7.

It now streams its worship services online.

Churches stepping up precautions following MOH advisory

Let there be the vital signs of life, even with our first COVID-19 deaths