With the Covid-19 pandemic changing the way most people conduct worship services on Sunday mornings, The Sampson Independent is partnering with area churches to offer an online opportunity to hear messages and devotions on Sunday mornings or throughout the week.
Called Weekend Devotions, the online video recordings are being provided as an outreach tool to people staying home and practicing social distancing.
“I saw a few churches posting Facebook Live sermons and pre-recorded devotions and thought we might be able to help reach a lot more people for them,” Sampson Independent General Manager Sherry Matthews said. “Our website is a great tool, and with the number of viewers we have each month, it will be a great outreach to anyone who can access the internet.
Matthews noted that Google Analytics show clintonnc.com hit 215,000 views in the last 30 days.
“Once we had our home page button in place, I reached out to some of our pastors about the opportunity, and they were excited to participate. So far we have five churches from various denominations participating. I fully anticipate that number to grow,” Matthews stated.
With the support of first-month sponsor Smithfield Foods, the video recordings will be posted weekly, with a new sermon or devotion available every Sunday.
“We are so appreciative of Smithfield continued support of our community. They are eager to help in so many ways,” Matthews attested, adding that other business and industry leaders are interested in being sponsors as well, making Weekend Devotions a consistent means of providing faith-based messages.
“If this is as popular as I think it will be, we might even offer more than one sermon per week so viewers have a choice. This is very new, but very exciting,” Matthews added.
Matthews began a trial video last week, videoing and then posting a sermon by her pastor, Dr. David Gasperson of Warsaw Baptist Church.
“We wanted this up and running correctly so we could begin in earnest on Palm Sunday,” Matthews explained. “This will be a different way to attend a Palm Sunday service, but it will give people the opportunity to be in church, virtually, anyway, during one of the most anticipated seasons of the year — Easter.”
The Rev. T.R. Miller, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Clinton will deliver the message on Weekend Devotions on Palm Sunday, followed by the Rev. Ray Ammons for First Baptist Church, 408 College St., Clinton providing the Easter Sunday sermon.
Other pastors who have already agreed to participate are the Rev. Marcus Becton, Way of the Cross Ministries, April 19; Pastor Eddie Smith, Shiloh Pentecostal Holiness Church, April 26; and the Rev. Leonard Henry, pastor of First Baptist Church, 900 College St., Clinton, May 3.
“I am still reaching out to ministers across our county because I want to include as many as possible from all areas. If you are interested in pre-recording a sermon for our Weekend Devotions, please call me at 910-249-4612 or email me at [email protected].,” Matthews stressed.
To access Weekend Devotions, visit clintonnc.com, scroll down until you find the button on the right, click there, sit back and listen.
“We hope our viewers like this as much as we think they will. During the pandemic, we believe it is more important than ever to hear the word of God,” Matthews said.