We live in a "new world" that seems to be shrinking in direct proportion to the expansion of the internet. And yet, many feel ostracized and perhaps even as if they are "going it alone" in life.
It is true that many folk find themselves on the outside looking in, in regards to their faith and participation within the Body of Christ. Some people cannot attend services with regularity - they may be housebound, or perhaps some other particular circumstance severely inhibits their attendance in the Lord's House on the Lord's Day.
The catholic - i.e., "universal" - Church needs to be enabled to reach out to all people more fully - including the sick, the suffering, the lonely, and those who know Him not.
This peculiar and yet universal "sitz im leben" (setting in life) helped in the establishment of our YouTube presence in November of 2007.
We began with a simple goal: to give the members of the parish a way in which they could still hear the Sunday message even though they may not have made it to church on a given Sunday.
Interestingly, we now have come to understand that there are people throughout the world that are watching our videos: as of today the videos have garnered more than 53,000 viewings worldwide. With such a burst of growth pointing the way, we have now taken another step of faith for God's greater glory.
With the arrival of the new year, we begin a live streaming internet ministry here at Saint Luke's Church, Sedona, AZ. The ministry will be two-fold: (1) the streaming of the Sunday 8am Mass on a weekly basis, AND (2) the streaming of the "Sedona Jazz at the Church" concert series.
First, regarding the Sunday Mass streaming...
After the live stream has aired, the day's mass sermon will be extracted and posted on our YouTube site, and will thereby take the place of the meditation format we have previously used.
Barring any complications, these sermons ought to be posted within a few hours or, at the very latest, the following day.
Second, regarding the streaming of the "Sedona Jazz at the Church" concerts...
The streamings will begin with this month's Concert and Jam Session scheduled for January 30, at which the Steve Sandner Trio will perform, along with various sit-in musicians.
Know this: as soon as all of the hardware is installed, we will begin! Certainly, this new change will bring a transition period with it, during which time no new meditations will be posted on our YouTube site.
Instead, our time and effort will be put directly on the work of this ministry - the installation of hardware, individual familiarization of the various software used, and the like.
When we do begin, we will notify everyone of the particulars (the "url," etc.) and if you want to ensure that you won't miss the beginnings of these offerings, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
In the meantime, please keep us in your prayers. Pray for us, knowing that we pray for you!
+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
+ David Gregory McMannes
