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Drive-through communion, online sermons: Venerable Tustin church adapts to pandemic
Although steeped in tradition, Red Hill Lutheran Church has found ways to adapt during a pandemic that makes life anything but normal.
When California closed places of worship four months ago in an effort to control coronavirus, Pastor Seth Britton gave his first remote sermon using a cellphone. Since then, the Tustin church has acquired cameras and sound gear for more sophisticated broadcasts.
Now Red Hill has added drive-through communion to its brisk transformation.
On Sunday morning, Aug. 2, more than 100 congregants pulled up to receive wafers, wine and blessings from the safety of their cars. No more sharing the same chalice, of course – visitors instead sipped from plastic cups.
Communion is revered in the Lutheran faith, Britton said: “It is our belief that the sacrament is spiritual food for our souls.”
He considers the turnout for communion pretty good, all in all. Pre-coronavirus, the 60-year-old church drew a total of about 400 people every Sunday between its two services.
Red Hill reopened for a few weeks starting May 31, after the state briefly relaxed stay-at-home orders.
“We had precautions in place,” Britton said. “Every other pew was roped off and we cleaned our restrooms every hour.”
For that stint, Britton spoke to both in-person and virtual audiences.
“It was weird – I didn’t know where to look,” he said. “It was totally foreign to me. This is as close to TV acting as I ever want to get.”
Alas, coronavirus cases spiked and shutdowns returned.
“That was hard,” said Britton, who has been at Red Hill for 22 years. “So many people called feeling sad and a little hopeless.”
Britton refocused his sermons to a series he titled, “How to Get Through What You’re Going Through.”
The church is now live-stream only.
“It’s just me and the camera crew,” Britton said. “When I say, ‘The Lord be with you,’ I’m looking at nobody and nobody says anything back.”
Some of the congregants have confided that they don’t stand or kneel while participating at home.
“One man said to me, ‘I just lie down,’” Britton said with a laugh.
Modernization may be here to stay. Now that he’s getting comfortable with his role on the small screen, Britton said, he plans to continue the online broadcast beyond coronavirus.
“It’s difficult for some people to get to church,” he said, “This is a great way to reach everybody.”