Church Plant Spotlight: Worship on Air Fellowship
As we embrace being BOLDLY FORWARD, NEVER ALONE as Fellowship Pacific, one of the key ways we live this out is through church planting and we are excited to share more stories from our church plants this year! This month we want to introduce you to Worship on Air Fellowship!
The Worship On Air Hybrid Worship Ministry commenced in 2016 when I began holding regular worship services in a hybrid format, both online and offline. During this time, I was serving as an Indigenous missionary and aimed to facilitate seamless communication with mission team members who were visiting the mission field. In late 2017, one family that had previously visited a mission field, relocated to Revelstoke and shared about how challenging it was to practice their faith in an area without a Korean church.
This circumstance presented the opportunity to explore hybrid church planting to assist them.
Though we originally prepared it for a single family, the service attracted other Koreans in need within the Revelstoke area during the preparation stage. In January 2018, the first service was held with approximately seven families initiating a community together.
This hybrid church community emerged dramatically in response to the demand for the Gospel in rural and remote areas. However, at the time, online worship and building a church community were uncommon, leading to critical views from the perspective of traditional churches.
In 2020, however, COVID-19 resulted in churches being unable to gather, rendering online worship a necessity rather than an option. Having already engaged in online ministry for an extended period, I received numerous requests for assistance in establishing an online worship system and troubleshooting. During this period, Worship On Air Sunday ministry was halted, and only community meetings were conducted to support local churches.
As the impact of COVID-19 diminishes and normalcy is reinstated, online worship has evolved into a common and familiar practice. During this period of reflection, contemplating numerous experimental attempts, learning from trial and error, and drawing on the knowledge accumulated over time, I shared the vision with Fellowship Pacific. Following this, we forged a partnership and successfully replanted the hybrid church through our collaborative relationship.
While in the process of replanting with Fellowship Pacific, it evolved into an environment where we could initiate ministry as a cohesive team across various areas, a departure from our initial attempt. Within this setting, preparations are in progress to reintroduce hybrid worship in 2024. This involves sharing the vision and engaging in prayer with those around us throughout the summer. In pursuit of this goal, we are forming a production team, worship team, preaching team, and training team. Additionally, we have plans to visit families in at least four cities in British Columbia where we already have connections before the commencement of the service.
The overarching vision of this ministry is not to expand by establishing Worship On Air satellite churches throughout the region. Instead, it aims to nurture and train local Koreans in their faith, enabling them to serve and integrate into local churches throughout Canada.
In Revelstoke, where hybrid worship has been ongoing, several families who have been part of our community are actively attending a local Fellowship church. The Revelstoke area is presently collaborating with the local church, focusing on assisting local Koreans in overcoming language barriers and fostering a sense of community in practicing their faith together.
Written by Joshua Lee, Church Planter