Cases of COVID-19 are still high and the virus continues to disproportionately affect communities of color. To stay safe, the CDC maintains we should avoid gathering with folks we don’t live with. Although some houses of worship have put a cap on attendance and practice social distancing, virtual-only activities, events and gatherings offer the lowest risk of coronavirus infection. So even if those of us who celebrate Easter can’t lift every voice and sing together this Sunday, the good news is that we can still fellowship virtually. We know it’s not the same as catching up with our congregation brothers and sisters in person. But by tuning into a live service online, we can get that old-time religion at a new house of worship.
Can we get an amen? To help us get in the spirit, here are five churches across the country blessed with dynamic pastors and stirring choirs who will remind virtual visitors of the resurrection power and reason for the Easter season.
Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago
Get your Holy Ghost shout and soul clap ready for culturally rooted oration from Rev. Otis Moss III and sanctified solos by Cynthia Nunn and Joyce Hurley. Watch it on YouTube. Moss is also featured in the four-hour series from Henry Louis Gates Jr., The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song, which recently aired on PBS (check your local listings or PBS.org).
Middle Collegiate Church, New York City
During the pandemic, a fire destroyed this historic church in lower Manhattan. Thankfully, we can still see poised Rev. Jacqui Lewis spread the multicultural and LGBTQIA-inclusive church’s message of God’s love for all people on Facebook and the church’s website. And the Middle Collegiate choirs belt a spirited mix of gospel and uplifting pop songs.
The Potter’s House of Dallas
Tune into YouTube to hear the exuberant Word that Bishop T.D. Jakes delivers from the pulpit of his Potter’s House Church of Dallas. You can also worship with his daughter, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts, via the Potter’s House at One LA and Denver and be inspired by music from the contemporary Christian group, One House Worship.
Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta
Rev. Raphael Warnock made national headlines when he clinched a pivotal Senate win in a nail-biting Georgia election runoff. But the longtime pastor of this historic Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached is already a hometown hero. Watch Warnock’s sermons via Facebook and the church’s website, and make a joyful noise along with the Celebration Mass Choir, who keep the tradition of old Negro spirituals alive.
Nashville Life Church
Gospel legend CeCe Winans and her husband Alvin Love II are the founding pastors of this racially diverse church that’s full of good vibes and, of course, good music. Winans’ son Alvin Love III took over as lead pastor and you can catch him rapping about God and reading Scripture on Facebook and YouTube.
Sisters Staff
