“My audience of dolls wasn’t responsive,” he said with a laugh. “They just sat there.”
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But as preacher for the last 13 years at New Era Baptist Church in Middletown, Colts became accustomed to interacting with his members. That’s what he missed while delivering conference call sermons and Facebook Live every Sunday while standing in a mostly empty sanctuary.
“You get used to the nods of assurances, the Amens, the warm embraces when you share hugs,” he said. “There is a close relationship between the pews and the pulpit. When the pews are empty that affects the pulpit.”
So the members of the church, led by Erin Snow-Harris, got an idea. Several church volunteers recently collected photos of about 150 of the members, taped them to sticks and placed them in the pews where they routinely sit every Sunday morning.
They surprised Colts two weeks ago.
“He was pleased with it,” Snow-Harris said.
“That was so encouraging,” the preacher said of seeing the photos.
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Because of the coronavirus, New Era holds two services every Sunday: 8:45 a.m. conference call for those who don’t use Facebook and a 10 a.m. Facebook Live service. Both services include a live sermon and music, he said.
He also hosts a Bible study at 6 p.m. every Wednesday.
The last two weeks, Colts has greeted his congregants as they dropped off their tithes at the church. The first week they were given barbecue sandwiches, and last week they received gift baskets, he said.
“We try to stay engaged with our members,” said Colts, 47, who moved to Middletown after preaching for nine years in Macon, Ga.
Some of the positives, he said, include people slowing down, becoming more involved with their families, paying more attention to their loved ones and being “more sensitive to life and what life is about.”
TELLING YOUR STORIES
We’re looking to profile people throughout our coverage area about how the coronavirus is impacting your daily life. If you’re interested in sharing your story about how you’re affected or adapting to the situation, call Journal-News reporter Rick McCrabb at 513-483-5216 or email rick.mccrabb@coxinc.com.
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