Online Campus

WHY ONLINE CAMPUS?

The way we do Church is evolving, but our mission to participate in God’s gracious, restorative, and healing church remains the same.

In the last two years, Princeton UMC has been forced to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. It hasn’t been easy, and at times I have wondered where God is in all of this. Doesn’t God want us to be together? Little did I know God’s presence and the community of our church can be felt from my living room.

What is the Online Campus? The Online Campus is a virtual space that allows worshippers to participate in the life of our church, from home. Though many of us have returned to in-person church when it is made available, others of us remain hybrid or full virtual.

God’s mission did not stop just because the Church changed. PUMC recognizes that the Christian church is changing rapidly, and we embrace this change by adapting to people’s needs by ministering to and with God’s children online. During the pandemic and beyond, the internet is a useful tool to minister, learn, and connect with others. We believe Mighty Networks is an easy to learn platform and a helpful tool in our spiritual growth.

In the winter of 2020 we soft-launched the Online Campus, and within the next year we were able to grow this space into over 25 ‘communities’ and 115 active members. In this space, we seek to provide tools, community, and guidance for one’s own discipleship journey, just as we would normally have access to through in-person church.

Who are we doing this for? We are committed to those who do not yet (or ever will) feel comfortable worshipping in person due to the COVID -19 virus, or other health issues, or those who are returning to in-person worship but want to remain connected to the entire congregation. We also want to be accessible for worshippers who do not have transportation access to our physical building, or those who do not live in the area but wish to worship with us. We feel strongly about providing an opportunity for all people with disabilities or mental illnesses that inhibit them from attending church consistently in person. Additionally, we are devoted to those who have not yet found a safe church home and those who just find worshipping from their own living rooms more comfortable for their spiritual life. We hope that current PUMC worshippers, no matter if they are returning to in person worship or remaining virtual, will feel equipped to partner with us in this vision by participating in the online campus.

If we already have Livestream on Facebook, why Mighty Networks? We would be remiss to be satisfied with virtual Sunday morning worship as the only form of online church. As members of PUMC know well, church happens Monday through Saturday, too. We participate in small groups, we sit in on committee meetings, we do justice in our communities, and we strive to follow Jesus together. All of this and more can be possible through virtual church.

What does this mean for PUMC? In PUMC’s welcome statement, we affirm that “ALL people” are welcome into full participation in our church as we strive to love God and love others. By investing into our online campus, we are ...

Tayler Necoechea facilitates a virtual coffee hour in the online campus last month. Continues on page nine

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Continued from page eight reaffirming these beliefs by increasing the accessibility of our church. We believe that without an online campus, we are missing the opportunity to minister to and with those who are not already a part of a church community, but who use the internet daily.

Our goal is to reflect the life of PUMC on the Online Campus as best we can. Of course, an online community isn’t the same as holding a small group in the PUMC library. There are things about the online space that will not perfectly mimic the church life we had before– and that’s a good thing. Through the Online Campus, we are able to explore new and effective ways of engaging in community and responding to God’s love.

We now have self-paced discipleship studies for people to grow in their faith on their own time. Many small groups have utilized the Online Campus to make tools and resources accessible to our members. Our communications team has actively posted on our Online Campus, making sure that everyone stays up to date on the happenings in our church life. And, we have learned and grown together in our faith through seasonal groups such as God’s Refrigerator Door and our current group Powerful Purpose: Rule of Life.

My hope for our church is that no matter how equipped – or unequipped– each of us feel in using technology, that you might somehow participate in the life of our Online Campus and learn to view this tool as an extension of God’s work in our church.

My invitation to you is to give our Online Campus a chance. Perhaps it will not be the right fit for you, and that is okay. Though I wholeheartedly believe that others will benefit from your presence, and you just might be surprised with this virtual community.

Together, may we participate in creating and sustaining a gracious, restorative, and healing church that adapts to the needs of today’s world. With love, Tayler Necoechea

To learn more about our Online Campus and our current “Powerful Purpose: Rule of Life” series, email tayler@princetonumc.org.

Are you interested in taking a deeper dive into all things Princeton UMC? Are you wondering how you might get more connected to others in the congregation? There is still time to join our winter Newcomers Group! Email Pastor Jenny at jenny@princetonumc.org to learn more!

Our New Members pose with their membership sponsors. From left to right: Teresa Cann, Kweku Ampong, Adeola Fagbewesa, Reggie Cann, Edris Anderson, and Susan Davelman.

It is February! You know what that means… time to contribute to support the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) in their annual SOUPER Bowl of Caring drive. TASK prepares more than 10,000 meals each week, with food service at their main location in Trenton, as well as community meals throughout the area (including PUMC’s very own Cornerstone Community Kitchen). To contribute to this special Outreach Team Communion Sunday offering in support of TASK, please give online and designate TASK in the comment field. Checks can also be made out to Princeton UMC and mailed to the church at 7 Vandeventer Ave. Princeton, NJ 08542. 9