A Louisiana Easter in quarantine
We heard worry, sadness and hope among African American families in New Orleans and Baton Rouge celebrating Easter Sunday at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pastor Demetria Jones-Smith of Baton Rouge shared what it’s been like to serve her congregation remotely.
By Victoria Clark
The spread of Covid-19 has brought communities around the world to a standstill, closing restaurants, schools and gathering spaces, including places of worship. On Easter weekend, Christian churches in New Orleans and Baton Rouge will be taking services online to mark the holy day. That includes Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, where Demetria Jones-Smith serves as minister of education and youth. Jones-Smith sat down with Lede New Orleans to talk about how the pandemic has affected her and her congregation, and where she’s finding hope.
How did your congregation react to the spread of the coronavirus?
The congregation responded out of caution, with some trepidation, but also with an enormous amount of faith. They’ve been faithful with regards to tuning in to services. Thousands of people live stream our services and Bible studies. They’ve also been faithful with continuing to share, financially giving and just reaching out to one another. I’m really proud of Shiloh as a congregation.
What is it like having church online?
It’s different. Growing up in a Protestant, African American, Baptist congregation, we’re used to the feel in the room, the call-and-response, and folks talking to you. But what has been very surprising to me is that people who have live-streamed [service] have said that it’s not the same as being in church, but they have that feel of the connection. I was very skeptical of having the feel of a service online, but I’m glad to be wrong.
You still have to plan your order of worship, which has changed dramatically because it’s a shortened worship and not many people can be here, but the same preparation time that it takes to preach a sermon to a room full of bodies is the same time that it takes to do virtually. What’s different is the amount of prep time that I think we need from the media ministry to get all these things done. They’re working overtime and doing a phenomenal job.
How will Easter look different this year?
Easter is one of those Sundays. It’s really the high time in the Christian Church where everybody wants to be at service…
It’s going to be different because it’s going to feel different. The proclamation will be the same. The message is still going to be the same that Jesus lives and he rose and he’s resurrected, but the feel will be different. It’s my prayer that people will not lament that they can’t be here. They’ll instead be excited about the fact that wherever you are, whether you’re at home, in your living room, in your bedroom and your kitchen, while Easter worship is going on, that you’ll think about the fact that all over the world, Christians are doing the same thing. Although we can’t physically be together, we’re spiritually together.
What is the church doing to help the congregation?
The thing that we noticed the first week is some of our seniors and those who live alone or have limited social contact, they were going a little stir crazy and some just came up to the church in masks and everything just because they wanted to have a place to go. So, we’ve been asking people to be the church, to reach out, talk to people, love on folks digitally.
Also, [my husband] Pastor Jeff Smith is working very hard by developing sermons and even putting our Sunday school notes together and recording that and trying to figure out how we’ll be able to take that online.
Are you concerned that the virus will separate people from their faith?
Times of crisis and deep conflict always have the potential to cause us to question faith. The maturity of our faith is the determining factor as to whether or not we remain steadfast in faith. I knew that people would ask the question, “Why, Lord, why is this going on?” And God forbid if someone passes in a family. Why my mother? Why my father? Why? But one thing I know is, theologically for me, asking God “why?” is not off the table. God can handle our questions. God can handle our angst, God can handle our lament, God can handle our anger.
I believe that during times like this, if you have faith and it’s authentic and real and it means something to you, while you may struggle, you’ll find your resting place in that faith. Difficult times have the potential to separate people from faith, but I think it also has the amazing potential to make faith more meaningful and it gives us order out of chaos.
What have you seen around you that has brought you joy ?
People seem like they’re paying attention to each other in ways that I don’t know that we have been. You have family members who are talking and texting and Zoom-ing who have not done so in a long time. The Covid-19 epidemic, it’s making us stop, think, be more thoughtful and hopefully be the people that we ought to be. It brings us down to the most important things, which are family and friends and love and being connected. That brings me joy, that the resilience of the human spirit is coming out.
Victoria Clark is a junior at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans and a Spring 2020 Lede New Orleans Fellow. Demetria Jones-Smith is Clark’s aunt.
