A CHURCH congregation hit by lockdown have come up with a new innovative way of doing their services, and they have been blown away by the response.

Members of the Tabernacle Baptist Church (Tabs) have been live streaming their brilliant virtual Sunday services via Facebook Live and Youtube, and the services have attracted hundreds of viewers, with some as far as Germany tuning in.

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Starting on the second week of lockdown at the end of March, the videos have grown in popularity, and church member Jack Westmore says it is “something good to come out of a tough time”.

“It has been a way of bringing some familiar faces to people’s homes every week, and is something for our members to look forward to,” said Mr Westmore. “Some are also not members and are generally interested and want to have a Sunday service.

“We are very lucky that we have some brilliant musicians and tech-savvy members who have really stood up to the plate and made this lockdown bearable for so many of us.”

Church Elder Claire Grafton explained the impact of the virtual services, adding: “We have two elderly members who tune in, and one isn’t as good with the technology as the other, but one holds the screen right up to the other and they sing along. It’s wonderful to see.”

The services have been so successful that the congregation is considering continuing its virtual services when lockdown is lifted.

“Before lockdown we were getting 250 visitors regularly on a Sunday, so I would assume that can no longer happen, so the virtual services are certainly something we are considering for the long term,” said Ms Grafton.

“But we can’t wait until we are back to the church and we are putting plans in place to ensure we can do that as soon as possible.”

To see Tabs Penarth's videos, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TabsPenarth/ or their Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMwHmB2LFoZ9kT2PgN9HZEw.