Continuing the Port's Road to Recovery series, this week the Examiner looks at how COVID-19 has impacted churches in Port Stephens. The Port's Road to Recovery series aims to paint a picture of individual industries and social issues, how they have been impacted and what the future looks like for them - as told by those on the ground.
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There is no denying COVID-19 has had a stressful impact on most, if not all, sectors of the community but All Saints Anglican Church pastors Kesh and Catherine Govan believe the pandemic has produced many positives.
For one, the Govans said, the pandemic has given the church a chance to change the way it does things, to get creative, get back to its roots and "think about what it means to be church".
"I think a blessing out of COVID is that it has given the church a real moment to pause and to really re-look at what church is," Mrs Govan, associate pastor at the Nelson Bay church, said.
"For the past few months church has been more than just coming on a Sunday. Church was out of the building; it was in the community."
The Anglican Diocese of Newcastle had already decided to close the doors to its churches one week before the NSW Government moved to close most venues such as pubs and clubs across the state in March.
Due to this, the Govans had already mapped out a plan to continue their work, turning to technology to deliver services online.
They also pulled together a team of 10 people to individually phone 350 parishioners each week to maintain contact, most church groups also moved to an online format while its leaders compiled activities for children and small gifts for adults which were periodically dropped on door steps.
This stood All Saints in good stead when the state went into lockdown and many other churches moved online or found new ways to connect with the community.
Reverend Govan said there had been real positives to recording Sunday services and sharing them online, which All Saints does on YouTube and its Facebook page each week: they were reaching more people than ever.
"We have a real online presence now," he said. "People who have never come to church, who haven't connected with us previously, are now connecting with us through those online videos. And it's not just in Port Stephens, the videos are being shared across Australia and even in Japan and China."
Mrs Govan hoped that the church being thrust into the 21st century, moving to online platforms, would be the "legacy of the time".
"COVID has given us a blank sheet where we've looked at everything and said what do we put back into church and what do we keep from that time," she said.
"Its been really good to have that pause and see what is working, what doesn't work, rather than keep on doing what we've always done. We can ask ourselves how do we best meet the needs of our people."
Adding to their list of video content, the Govans began to record and upload an uplifting mid-week message to their online platforms.
"What we realised as the days and weeks went by was that people's mental health issues and anxieties were increasing," Reverend Govan said.
"The importance of this church is that we're not just concerned with the spiritual side of people but their mental and physical health too. The mid-week message is focused on themes of well being, mental health, and is reassuring, letting people know that we're here and things will be okay."
ABOUT THE SERIES: Mapping the Port's Road to Recovery
While the doors to the church building was closed to the public for three months, re-opening to a maximum of 50 people and a raft of restrictions on Sunday, July 5, the church was still active in helping the community.
During the lockdown All Saints continued to deliver emergency food relief through Hope Cottage, which is open to anyone in the community doing it tough.
The Govans said community support for Hope Cottage, with help from the Tomaree Interagency, grew throughout the pandemic.
"We've seen an increase in donations," Mrs Govan said. "The community here is like that. When they know what you need and how they can help, they will really support you."
Going forward, Reverend Govan hoped things did not go back to 'normal'.
"My hope is that the community will continue to work together and continue to support each other," he said.
"The needs are ongoing. Even when there wasn't a pandemic, there's still people will mental health issues, there's still people homeless and hungry and living in cars. And that has only escalated during the pandemic.
"There was a real care of the homeless during the pandemic, they were able to stay in hotels. But after six weeks with a roof over their heads, they're now back on the streets. Those ongoing issues won't just be forgotten.
"One of my fears is because of the amount of money being borrowed by the government for this pandemic is that we could see a cut in services right across the board which would affect a lot of people. Community is more important than ever."
Hope Cottage is open 10am-12pm on Tuesdays. For assistance, email hopecottage@allsaintsnelsonbay.org or phone (02) 4981 1839.
To donate (bread and eggs are currently in need) to Hope Cottage, drop items to a specially marked Hope Cottage bin at supermarkets on the Tomaree Peninsula or the church.
All Saints Anglican Op-Shop in Yacaaba Street, Nelson Bay is due to re-open by the end of July.
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