Livestream Update

As of last week we have discontinued our Sunday morning livestream. If you’re a member who is chronically ill, homebound, or has recently had a new baby, you can sign up to receive recordings of Sunday’s service emailed out by 1:30 pm on Sundays.

Please contact our administrator Sabrina Carpenter and indicate your circumstances and desire to be added to this list. We encourage all others to join us in person on Sunday.

If you would like to learn more about this transition, please read the below email from Bryan, sent out to our members this week.

Please note that on Sunday, March 12, we will resume our pre-COVID approach to recordings of our services. This means sermons will remain available online through our website and podcast. However, the service will no longer be live-streamed. Those wanting to learn more can read below. And forgive the length!

Like most churches in 2020, we did everything possible to make our services available remotely. At first, without live-streaming equipment, we were pre-recording services remotely, editing them remotely, and making them available Sunday morning. Months later, we were able to re-gather and stream live from the building at a quality that has been decent but less than desirable.

Since then, live-streaming has come with many benefits. For those unable to join us, you can still see one another pray and read Scripture. You can hear our worship music and have access to our teaching. In short, it’s never been ideal, but especially for a season, it’s been the best option we’ve had.

On top of this, since this began, our live-stream has been available from anywhere with a decent internet connection, whether that be at home in Birmingham, away on vacation, or across the world. Relatives can now watch baptisms from afar. Those under the weather can watch from home. And of course, we pray non-Christian friends and neighbors have somehow found themselves watching a service and hearing the gospel, whether stumbling upon us themselves or through your prayerful encouragement.

At the same time, we’re now well into a newer chapter with COVID. Realistically, what began as an accommodation has for most of us become a convenience. Almost all of us can attend in person rather than watch remotely. And obviously, while we can all worship God on our own from anywhere, and at any time, corporate worship has never been intended to take place remotely, but together, shoulder-to-shoulder. For these reasons, our final live-stream will take place this Sunday, March 5.

Of course, we don’t want this transition to come at the expense of those who must remain at home. This includes the chronically ill, those recovering from surgery, or older members who are homebound. Anyone falling into these categories can contact our administrator Sabrina Carpenter (sabrina@stpetersbhm.org), and you will receive an email on Sunday by 1:30 pm with a YouTube link to that morning’s service. All others are asked to join us for in person worship when possible.

Finally, when we discussed this at Sunday’s Vestry meeting, we acknowledged not everyone will agree with this decision. This might include you. I assure you, we are well aware that many other faithful, Christ-centered churches have not come to the same conclusion. In our case, we felt this was the right step to take in pursuit of the greatest good for our entire church family.

Should you have any follow-up questions, please pass them along to me. I’ll make sure to also share them with John Turner and Donna Read as our Wardens.

In Christ,
Bryan