Recently Liaoning churches take measures to help elderly Christians to access the Internet.
In accordance with the current requirements for normalized prevention of COVID-19, and given that some elderly members do not know how to use smartphones and tablets, local churches aim to assist senior members to accept code scanning for in-person church services registration so as to receive pastoral care.
Churches install high-power wireless local area networks.
Some churches invest in the wireless network coverage provided by network communication operators, and some staff adjust and optimize the original wireless local area network so that it can basically cover the entire church. As long as believers enter the covered area, they can connect to the Wi-Fi network without a password.
They hold training courses on the use of smartphones.
Face to face, elderly Christians are taught how to log in to the church’s official WeChat account, how to log in and show their health code for inspection, as well as how to avoid online fraud and heretics.
Pastors and young believers teach the elderly how to surf the internet.
During a Sunday meeting, a church leader personally instructed the believers how to go online to download the health code and continue to use it in the future. Some pastors showed them how to have their code scanned online during registration and temperature measurement before the service. Young believers also try to teach believers with smartphones on the square of the church, helping them enter the church "smoothly".
Some believers are proactive in buying mobile phones or letting their children access data on their phones. Some family members also assist their elders with smartphone usage.
I once saw an old female Christian fail to enter the church because she was unable to show her health code. She hurriedly called her children; after a while, they arrived at the church and handed over a new mobile phone to her. The daughter said that it was nothing to pay for a phone, as long as her mother was happy to worship God.
Thanks to these various measures, not only can elderly believers show their health codes to enter the sanctuary, but also receive notices from churches.
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
