Liquid Church Introduces First Virtual Choir
A New Jersey-based church has linked people worldwide in spreading Christmas cheer by creating the first virtual choir of carolers on YouTube.
Liquid Church is utilizing webcams to have would be singers record their vocals to "Silent Night" following a list of instructions and rules for the project.
Once submitted, the user's song will be synchronized with thousands of others videos by the church's engineering and tech team to create a virtual choir that will sing as part of a sermon preached by Liquid's pastor, Tim Lucas.
“We’re creating a unique experience for singers across the globe to come together as one voice this Christmas,” wrote Liquid Church in a statement.
Pastor Lucas told The Christian Post his sermon would be about angels announcing the birth of Jesus. He revealed that the video of the virtual choir would represent the rejoicing angels.
"The more people that sing the better it sounds," he said. "I hope it becomes a tradition for years to come as more people become comfortable with the idea."
He said as of right now, the church has videos submitted from all over the U.S., and a few from Australia and even Estonia.
"We just started promoting and we're very enthusiastic," said Lucas.
On being asked whether he minds other churches jumping on the bandwagon of virtual choirs, the pastor said, "I hope they do. Tech is a tool to change and enhance the way we do church."
The church, named after the Lord's "Living Water" and cleverly meant to "be refreshing" to its church goers, is involved in a number of other projects as well.
Currently the church is working with the Horn of Africa and funding clean water drinking wells.
Starting the project about three years ago, they have expanded the outreach to Haiti and El Salvador and have established 25 wells taking care of hundreds of people.
"The outreach has grown exponentially in money and muscle," the pastor told CP.
Other local projects the church recently participated in were extreme makeovers and a reverse offering.
The reverse offering saw the church take the money they collected and give it right back to the congregation, while the extreme makeover saw the church rebuild local shelters after Hurricane Irene damaged and ruined some of the buildings.
Pastor Lucas told CP that he wished to "continue to pioneer new ways to bring the gospel to people."
He also shared why making church a place of importance was so key. “People gave up on church, but people have not yet given up on God," Lucas stated.
Liquid is an Evangelical Church that has been around for four and half years and reaches about 2,000 every Sunday at three different locations.
The home church is stationed in Morristown, N.J., but the congregation grew so rapidly they opened up two more, one in New Brunswick and the other in Nutely.
The deadline for the Virtual Choir is Dec. 15 and will be played six times during the various church services.
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