We are preparing to livestream our services starting this Sunday. Who would have ever thought that this is where we would be on such short notice! It may not be ideal, but I am thankful that we have a way to be “together” during this strange and difficult time. I am also thankful for the simple truth that God is with us wherever we are. We may not be able to fully gather together, but God is still fully with us, and He provides the grace we need in all circumstances. Our aim with the livestream is to keep it real simple and similar to what we normally do on Sundays. We will start at 10:30am, but the link will be live by 10am so you’ll have time to secure your connection. Our service will last about one hour, 10:30-11:30am.
The following information is what you need to know in order to livestream our service. Please pass along this information to others who might be interested in joining us!
How to connect to the livestream:
1. Our Website—The easiest way to get to our livestream is by going to our website: https://www.christredeemermn.org/live on your computer, tablet, or phone. You will find on that page our liturgy and song lyrics for the morning as well as a link to give online if you choose.
2. Facebook—We will be live on facebook. Our aim with this is simply to reach a wider audience. Feel free to invite others to watch on facebook if you think that’s a better option. If you have not done so already, please “like” our facebook page so you will receive notification for when we go live. Click here to go to our facebook page.
3. YouTube—If you have a smart TV you can download the YouTube app and watch our service on your TV. We have not really used YouTube in the past so you’ll have to find our channel. Click here to go to our youtube page. When you get there, make sure to click the subscribe button. That will help keep you informed when we go live or add anything to that channel.
4. Vimeo—For those of who want to go right to our streaming service provider, go to https://vimeo.com/christredeemerchurch. You can also download the Vimeo app and watch on your electronic device. Vimeo does have an app you can get on your smart tv as well, but I don’t know how easy it is to access our livestream there. Feel free to try it if you’d like.
Suggestions for how to improve your streaming experience:
1. Use external speakers or headphones if you can.
2. Join the livestream early to ensure everything is working. We will start the stream at 10am, but the service will not start until 10:30am.
3. Try to gather like you would normally for a service. If you are married or have kids, sit together as a family. Use the bathroom ahead of time, talk about expectations with your kids, have a Bible on hand. I'm sure there's more you can do, but you get the idea.
4. Prepare your heart by quieting down, slowing down, praying, getting your Bible, etc. This will help you be a participant in worship rather than simply an observer.
5. Don’t multitask if you don’t have to (i.e. doing laundry, cooking breakfast, working on the car, talking on the phone, shopping, etc).
6. Download and/or print the liturgy ahead of time. You can find that on our livestream page.
7. If you are techy and have a smart tv, try to mirror from your computer or stream from youtube. A bigger screen can help you engage.