Year of Zoom Meetings

Waist high to most adults, Justin, 6, and Brandon, 4, loom large on Zoom. Their friendly face-to-face hello at every virtual meeting earned them the moniker of “congregation greeters.”

Their parents, Joe and Lori Rao, worried how the boys would handle the pandemic constraints for months on end. They were relieved to find that rather than struggling, the lively routine of worship and association on Zoom with their congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses was filling the gaps — and then some.

“We were afraid the boys would miss out,” said Joe, “but the opposite has been true.”

Hugs and handshakes at their Kingdom Hall were replaced by smiles and waves over Zoom when Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide suspended in-person meetings in March 2020 in response to the coronavirus threat.

Since then, Justin and Brandon have been forging friendships both in their congregation and with fellow worshippers from as far away as Australia and South Africa, right from a laptop screen in their living room in Lady Lake, Florida.

Others with more serious challenges to in-person gatherings have seen the silver lining to the temporary transition to videoconference services as well.

A single whiff of perfume from across a room can land Shane Brown in the emergency department — or worse. A new cleaning product sprayed down the hallway in the hospital once cut off his breathing for over a minute.

Long before COVID-19, Brown was wearing a mask and social distancing due to Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, a rare disorder causing life-threatening allergic reactions.

Although unable to attend religious services in person, the 50-year-old from Hollywood, Florida, has kept his faith alive amid unrelenting isolation. For years, a telephone tie-in has been his connection to listen to Bible talks and hear fellow worshippers’ heartfelt expressions in his congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Attending his first Zoom meeting last year, Brown could at last put friendly faces to names and voices he’d heard for years. “I almost couldn’t contain myself,” he said. “I was so happy.” Eager to put his own experience to work on behalf of his friends, Brown offered practical advice to congregants who struggle to cope with isolation.

His biggest tip: Don’t go it alone. “I’ve tried doing this by myself,” said Brown, “but it doesn’t work. You’ve got to have help.”

Brown’s advice echoes that of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its “Coping With Stress” webpage, which encourages readers battling pandemic loneliness and depression to connect with community- or faith-based organizations.

Weekly worship also helped many to maintain regular routines and structure in life, which “can buffer the adverse impact of stress exposure on mental health,” according to a 2020 review in the Journal of Global Health.

As weeks of lockdowns turned into months, groups of friends in the Raos’ congregation found creative ways to beat the pandemic blues, organizing everything from virtual movie nights to talent shows and concerts.

“Having that association with friends really helps us stay balanced,” said Joe, noting that his family’s faith has actually been strengthened over the past year. “We’re closer than ever to each other and to our congregation.”

Similar feelings were expressed by Kevin and Tiffany Cosklo and their 15-year-old son, Preston, who has cerebral palsy. The wheelchair-bound teen loved attending in-person meetings at their local Kingdom Hall in Philadelphia, but it wasn’t always easy.

“It takes hours to prepare when we’re going anywhere with Preston. We have to pack several bags, get him ready, and time everything,” said Tiffany. Now with the ability to join in right from their living room, she said, “Zoom meetings have been such a blessing for us.”

Though he can’t speak, Preston participates in the meetings and shares his faith through an app on his tablet that reads out loud the words he has prepared. The Cosklos are grateful for the routine of worship that’s keeping their son in good spirits despite his circumstances.

“Preston does not miss a Zoom meeting,” said Kevin. “If it were up to him, he’d be the first one on and the last one off!”

To connect with a local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, visit the “About Us” section of the organization’s official website, jw.org.