Holy Spirit is calling Sunday, September 29, “Social Media Sunday”, and it will be a way to get people to share the “good news” of their church experience in many ways, including from their cell phones.
“I see it this way,” says the Rev. Jerry Racioppi, the Episcopal church’s rector. “People used to dress formally every Sunday for church, now we don’t. Today we all carry cell phones in our pockets, so why shouldn’t the church use these pieces of technology in a way that shares the good that happens within our community?”
During Holy Spirit’s masses at 8 and 10 a.m., parishioners will be invited to “check in” on Facebook, read scripture from a large screen, experience a sermon via PowerPoint, and send a text to someone that says “Peace be with you.” Racioppi says the church will also try to stream some of the service on Facebook Live. “Our goal is to take the experience of Holy Spirit outside its walls,” he says. “It’s important, in 2019, to connect the church to the world.”
The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit is located at 36 Gould Street in Verona, opposite the H.B. Whitehorne field. On Sundays, Holy Spirit offers a quiet, contemplative Holy Communion at 8 a.m. in their All Saints Chapel, built 90 years ago. The worship, about 40 minutes long, includes silence and Taize chants. At 10 a.m., there is a full worship service with Holy Communion and organ music, followed by coffee hour in the Fellowship Hall. On the third Sunday of the month, Holy Spirit’s 10 a.m. worship service features a Children’s instructional Eucharist.
