How local churches are keeping congregations involved during pandemic

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As North Carolina moves through Phase 1 of Governor Roy Cooper’s plan to reopen the state, indoor religious services are still restricted, but churches are still keeping members involved.

Port City Community Church has been streaming services online for years, but they say they’ve been faced with some unexpected challenges brought on by the restrictions.

Pastor of Student Ministries Brett Eddy says they’ve been able to engage middle and high school students using Instagram Live during times they’d typically meet in person.

They also break off into small groups using Zoom for more intimate faith-based discussions.

However, youth leaders decided to try something differing on Wednesday night.

“This is the first time we’ve decided to just do a purely game night with our middle schoolers,” Eddy said. “We felt like they needed something other than just talking about their faith and what’s going on in their lives. They needed a chance just to connect in a different way with each other, so we thought a game night through Zoom would be a great way to do that.”

Some of the games included scavenger hunts, identifying people in pixelated photos, and choose your own adventure games.