Looking at ways to revive services
THE Reverend Michael Fourie of St Thomas Anglican Church in Berea said the congregation had shrunk since the pandemic, with most of the elderly preferring to pray at home.
“Even though we are now allowed greater numbers of congregants, we are not seeing the attendance pre-Covid-19. Before, St Thomas had three services on a Sunday with a combined number of around 150 people. Since Covid-19, the face-to-face attendance has dropped dramatically, with one service on a Sunday averaging less than 50 attendees. Special occasions have seen this number swell to about 75. Under the new guidelines, we can safely accommodate 125 people,” said Fourie.
He said their online services would continue
and that the offertory (offerings of money collected) during the services had dropped by about 75%.
“We are now looking at ways to revive and
rebuild the church for the future. One of the strategies is to engage with the youth in the residences around us, and provide ministry to them,” he said.