1st day of class....

[DrT999]

I have 4 classes this semester, 2 each day. 3 gen ed classes of 40-45 each; today were two world civ classes. Tried the face shield but the students couldn't understand me and I sounded like I was in an echo chamber to myself. Fortunately the space I'm in the students are at least 18 feet away so I'll go without. Hope my voice holds out projecting to that large a room! We'll see how the other classes go tomorrow.

The campus itself felt more like summer school, not a lot of folks around, which is likely a good thing!

 

[Fr_Tom]

I have been holding three in-person services a week since June. I do one online service a week and two of the in-person services are live streamed. Our guidelines say we can remove masks to preach, read Scripture or make announcements. We have seating for appropriate spacing. People in the pews are masked. There is no singing.

An advantage to my situation is that the parts of the service when I am masked are familiar enough. I get enough puzzled looks when I am preaching. It is better not to have an additional barrier to understanding what I am laying down.

 

[DrT999]

It is better not to have an additional barrier to understanding what I am laying down.

Too true! There are enough problems getting people to listen to just the spoken word (or Word) any more.

 

[Blackhorse]

Had to chuckle...gets enough puzzled looks when he’s preaching regularly. Got a slow flock there Rev or are you just way out ahead.

 

[Fr_Tom]

Had to chuckle...gets enough puzzled looks when he’s preaching regularly.  Got a slow flock there Rev or are you just way out ahead.

Well - sometimes you are just preaching something challenging. Last Sunday we got the Genesis reading with Joseph revealing his identity to his brothers. These are the brothers who sold him into slavery and told their father he had been killed by wild animals. Now Joseph is the Chief Operating Officer for all of Egypt. The brothers are begging for food because their families are starving.

You can't pass up the opportunity to preach forgiveness. That is a tough one to hear really, because it is something most people struggle with. I am trying to get people past "he deserves it and I will exact vengeance."

So the ones wondering, "Why is this guy going on about forgiveness when I don't have anyone to forgive?" are probably the ones who need to be calling their cousin Jimmy. This is a lot to be pondering really when you made the mistake of watching the news before coming to church.

 

[Zeno Marx]

You think people will get a hint of how difficult of a job it is to be a teacher as they all have to (help) teach their own kids at home? Or is that me and wishful thinking? Or will the frustration take over and cloud any acknowledgement outside of the self?

 

[DrT999]

You think people will get a hint of how difficult of a job it is to be a teacher as they all have to (help) teach their own kids at home? Or is that me and wishful thinking? Or will the frustration take over and cloud any acknowledgement outside of the self?

A few might get the hint, the rest will likely stay similar to what they already thought; good or bad. Evidence doesn't seem to affect people's opinions much anymore

 

[kxg]

I have been holding three in-person services a week since June. I do one online service a week and two of the in-person services are live streamed. Our guidelines say we can remove masks to preach, read Scripture or make announcements. We have seating for appropriate spacing. People in the pews are masked. There is no singing.

An advantage to my situation is that the parts of the service when I am masked are familiar enough. I get enough puzzled looks when I am preaching. It is better not to have an additional barrier to understanding what I am laying down.

Before we started back live, the preaching to the empty pews was getting tiresome, to say the least. Now, preaching to the masked congregation is sometimes too humorous if I let myself wander down that pathway. Strange times!

 

[Fr_Tom]

Evidence doesn't seem to affect people's opinions much anymore

This has been my observation too...

 

[RSteve]

Use the face shield with a Shure WL930mni subminiature lavalier microphone taped or velcroed to the inside of the shield.