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The Rev. Taylor Whitmore was a one-man show Saturday night.
As he recorded his Sunday sermon, the sound of his voice echoed throughout the sanctuary at Southridge Baptist Church. He wasn't sure whether to look directly into his iPhone as it recorded him, or look around at the empty seats.
The awkwardness of preaching to an empty church was preceded by a scramble to find the needed equipment to record and post the church's Sunday service online. Other church members had already recorded the music for the service, and the two parts would be combined.
So it went for the first week of service for Southridge Baptist and other local churches that are quickly adapting to a society cut off from physical gatherings due to COVID-19.
"We want to continue to worship and love one another well," he said in a phone interview after the recording was posted Sunday. "It was new to us and new to our congregation."
For some local churches, recording or livestreaming service was new. First United Methodist Church, however, has been doing it for years. The difference is that the online option, for now, is the only option.
The church's pastor, the Rev. Trevor Dancer, was among six church leaders who streamed Sunday service at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. from an otherwise empty church.
Despite the church's streaming experience, one glitch was beyond its control: In the first few minutes of the 10 a.m. livestream, about half the people watching from home couldn't get the video or audio or both.
"We think our internet service providers were maxed out for the 10 a.m. service," Dancer said. That time, he said, apparently is a popular time for worship, and now online worship.
Dancer said one of the differences with just streaming service is that normally he can gauge members of his congregation from their facial expressions and small interactions.
"With livestream, you don't get any of that. The work keeping up throughout the week with everyone is a lot harder because you have to be a lot more intentional about it. Any given Sunday, people tell you how they are and there are flags" when they need pastoral care, he said.
"Fortunately, we have a pretty active congregation as a whole," Dancer said. "They literally made a list and checked on some of our more vulnerable people in our congregation and our community."
Southridge Baptist also is making efforts to stay connected to its members while face-to-face interactions aren't an option. Whitmore said the church has divided into groups of 25. A pastor and deacon heads up each group, calling the members of the group to check on them.
"This week, we called, saying, 'We're not going to meet this Sunday, but you can get our (online) service here. And they just asked questions: What are you feeling right now? Is there a way we can pray for you, or meet any tangible needs you have?"
Both pastors said they received good response from the Sunday services, either via texts, phone calls or Facebook comments.
"Most people we talked to are really excited about it," Dancer said. "All the comments are thankful for the service and glad it's there and that they can participate in it in some way."
Southridge Baptist member Kenny McCune watched his church's Sunday service with his wife, Jesse, and four children on their living room TV. They gave the children blankets, mattresses and, as a way to interact with the service, musical instruments.
Kenny McCune has already been away from church previously for a couple weeks due to illness, so he's ready to return to normal.
"Typically we value our time together in person and hope very soon to be able to gather in person again, but today this is the best we can get. It was a good experience today," he said. "Not as good as when we're back together, but we are hoping to be able to create some level of community and continuity in this time when we are separated."
Neither of the church leaders know when services will return to normal. In the mean time, both are guiding and reassuring their members.
Dancer said the Gospel tells people to reach out and stay connected, not isolated, and to be positive.
Whitmore said: "We find ourselves in uncertain times. We are only beginning to grasp the realities of Covid-19."
It's important to remember God is in control, he said, and referencing Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."