FROM his balcony, Reverend Ulrught Fleurs, from Hillside, has been giving sermons to people in his neighbourhood every Sunday in a bid to encourage them with messages of hope during the nationwide lockdown.
Fleurs, who previously worked as a policeman, started his full-time ministry in 2016 and has been the rector of St Mark and St John’s Anglican Church, in Parkside, since September last year.
The dedicated priest said the current climate of the country has encouraged churches and ministries to do things differently and he had therefore felt the call to do a service on the balcony for his family and neighbours.
“The decision made by our diocesan leadership on closing church buildings in March was a difficult decision to embrace. This made us realise that we would need to be the living church to our communities and parishioners, which is a message we have been preaching for some time now,” said Fleurs.
Owing to the multiple church denominations staying in the area, Fleurs offers a church service, but he has made minor adjustments to the liturgy to accommodate everyone.
Apart from giving sermons, he also says prayers and plays praise and worship music from speakers.
Fleurs said on Palm Sunday, which is a vital part of the Passion of Christ and the church calendar, he blessed palm branches and did the Eucharist from his balcony.
“What was encouraging, and still is, was seeing how families sat in their homes listening to the service.
“What used to be normal and what we sometimes took for granted, has now become essential,” said Fleurs.
He further said for many of the parishioners at his church, particularly senior citizens, the thought of not meeting together for worship was something unfathomable.
In order to stay in touch with his parishioners, especially those who do not stay close by, he has been connecting with them on various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube, to share prayers, while each member is encouraged to share pictures of their families.
Fleurs said he has also pre-recorded sermons for Sunday services for social media, which has further encouraged families to have church in their homes.
According to Fleurs, the main message of his sermons during the nationwide lockdown was that whether people were in their homes complying with lockdown regulations, or facing other difficulties, the church was wherever they were.
“Our worship is not reserved for the church building but in our homes and communities. Corporate worship is essential as the church, but during these trying times, we need to encourage corporate worship with the family members we reside with,” said Fleurs.
Despite longing for corporate worship and preaching to filled pews at his church, Fleurs said he would continue to share sermons from his balcony each Sunday until the end of the nationwide lockdown.
“This is not what we are used to, but I would like to say that in our country’s darkest hour the church complied with the laws as instructed by our scripture which can be found in Romans 13,” said Fleurs.
