Thursday Club - Abide With Me by William Henry Monk

During the early stages of the stay-at-home order, our pastor at Holy Family asked us if we were able to create a virtual choir. None of us had the right experience nor technology to create one, but after a couple of TH-cam tutorials and almost 10 different trials, we were able to figure out a strategy of syncing singers with "Be Thou My Vision." We did "Were You There" in time for Good Friday of Holy Week. However, Fr. John, our pastor, had a specific request. He wanted a song that would calm us during this turbulent storm, and "Abide with Me" was his top choice.
None of us knew the song beforehand so we had to learn the song virtually, record, and edit it all within a week. Because everything was still experimental, we kept it with a smaller call of our choir. When the music came together, the visuals of the different photos of Holy Family pre-Covid became the obvious choice to include. It was emotional, to say the least, as we were longing to be back in the church especially during this time. We are thankful that Fr. John gave us space to still serve, even virtually.
We offer this prayer to all who feel helpless during this time, the sick, especially those afflicted by the pandemic. "Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me."