The leader of a Methodist church in England revealed that his small congregation has grown from just a handful to more than a thousand amid the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Guardian spoke with heads of various faith communities to to see how they had “adapted to (the) lockdown in England.”
In addition to speaking with leaders representing Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and other faiths, the publication got input from David Hallam, a local politician and preacher.
Hallam, 65, told The Guardian:
“Before lockdown, our congregation each Sunday morning at City Road Methodist church hovered between 15 and 20 but now that we’re online the number is now between 1,500 and 2,000. We also ensure that people who are elderly and not online are getting regular phone calls, as we just want to remind people that the church hasn’t forgotten that they’re there.
“We’ve realized that nothing will ever really be the same again but perhaps that is a good thing. It’s given us an amazing opportunity to find a new audience for our faith.
“Methodists started off as societies in the Anglican church, so weren’t necessarily attached to church buildings. I think we’re probably going back to our roots and showing that our faith is not a building, but a group of people and their relationship with God.”
