Agape Minister Jeremy McKain sings while Senior Pastor Willa Moody bobs on the dance floor.
The congregation of Agape Christian Center joined together in song as usual on Sunday morning. Instead of repeating after the pastor in person, however, many of the voices chimed in through Facebook Live.
Bishop Willa Moody and Minister Jeremy McKain focused the service on themes of hope and faith that the community will get through the public health crisis caused by the new coronavirus.
“Don’t lose hope. Neighbor, whatever you do in these troubling times, don’t lose hope,” Moody told the congregation.
McKain began the service at 9 a.m. by singing, clapping and exhorting those present to dance.
“I got joy in my soul ‘cause God is in control,” McKain sang.
A handful of women, including Moody, bobbed and clapped on the dance floor. All remained spread out, in accordance with guidance on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Roughly 30 people watched the service throughout the 1.5 hours Moody livestreamed it on her Facebook page. A smaller contingent attended at the church building on Goffe Street, she said.
“Say, ‘I can’t grab your hand just yet. But tell them, hey neighbor, can I have this dance?’” McKain said.
McKain’s song focused on Jesus Christ and the idea that his sacrifice continues to protect people today.
Moody built her sermon around the same theme of protection and hope for the end of the pandemic. She said that she had been sick with the flu for three weeks and has now recovered.
“In the midst of all that is going on today, we are still alive. I don’t know about you, but I’m glad to be alive,” she said. “It’s not because I’m good, Amen, but because God is good.”
Emily Hays file photo
Kim Jenkins with fiancée Tashawna Peete.
Kim Jenkins was one of Sunday’s virtual attendees. She said that she has avoided going out anywhere except to work.
Jenkins inspects trains for the Metro-North Railroad. She said that one of the employees at Grand Central Terminal in New York has tested positive for COVID-19 and that has terrified her coworkers.
“Before we get on a train, we try to lead with a can of Lysol. We spray everything down, do what we have to do and try to get out of there quickly,” she said. “It’s scary. It’s really scary.”
She said that this Sunday’s service at Agape helped lighten some of her fear.
“Those are the kinds of things that you want to hear, because sometimes we fall into these ruts. It’s almost like a depression. When you hear these words, it makes you feel like there is hope. This is the way I can deal with this,” Jenkins said.
Still, the experience was not quite as good as being there in person, she said.
“Once you get amped up, it makes you feel like you want to be there,” she said. “It just reaches your soul a little better to be in the building, you know?”
Jenkins co-founded New Haven’s first lesbian-and-gay-oriented African American church in 2016. She said that church has now closed because its main pastor had too much on her plate. She grew up with Moody and has been attending Agape for over a decade, she said.
Other churches, like First and Summerfield United Methodist Church on Elm Street, canceled in-person service to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Jenkins’ experience of relief is exactly what Moody was hoping to accomplish with her sermon on Sunday, Moody (pictured) said in an interview after the service.
Moody has adjusted to the virus by holding Agape’s weekly Bible study through a conference call and adjusting the church cleaning routine to meet Center for Disease Control guidelines. She always livestreams the Sunday service, for the benefit of those whose location or work hours do not permit them to attend in person.
Moody described the fears of the unknown that accompany moments of crisis like the coronavirus pandemic. She said that the role of the church is to be a staple of the community and a guide during those times.
“To have that sense of inner peace, knowing that no matter what, we are going to get through this — especially in times like this, people need to have that reassurance,” she said.