Reaching Seekers Online
Seeking answers online is more popular than ever. From saying, “Hey, Google [or Siri, etc.], what time is it?” and “What will the weather be like today?” we’re depending more and more on our favorite platforms for answers to all kinds of questions – ranging anywhere from “How do I boil water” to “Who am I?” and “Is God real?”
So Pastor Cari Fydirchuk, a mission network developer with Resonate Global Mission, started an online ministry called Reclaim-App.
“For people who are seeking, online offerings are typically the first place to go—there is safety in being able to check things out for yourself first” on an internet device, said Fydirchuk.
While Reclaim-App is still being built and a website for it is on target to launch this fall, a robust introduction to the ministry is present already on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. Fydirchuk also hosts a podcast with counseling therapist Liz Kahle.
Reclaim-App covers topics and offers resources that people are searching for online, and Resonate is partnering with it because the ministry is specifically designed to reach people who are seeking the truth of the gospel but might never step foot in a traditional church.
“By creating a safe online space, we're going to the people. Giving them an opportunity to experience God, community, and self-compassion at a pace that meets their needs,” said Cari. “We love that we can create a community that is accessible to all people.”
Reclaim-App has provided a safe space for people asking questions about faith and seeking to learn more about the gospel; people who have been hurt by the church but are still hungry to be part of a faith community and to grow in relationship with God; people who find it difficult to get to church due to physical limitations; young people who are away at school; and more.
Reclaim-App’s YouTube channel and Instagram account lead visitors through spiritual practices such as prayer and meditation. For instance, one Instagram post instructs people through a breath prayer of Psalm 46:10. Music plays in the background while the text instructs participants to breathe in while saying “Be still and know” and to breathe out while saying “that I am God.”
The podcast tackles subjects on challenges people face, such as grief and loneliness, as well as spiritual topics like fasting and “Questions People Ask Jesus.”
“We tackle some of the hard stuff facing us today, looking at life through this dual lens of pastor and therapist,” said Fydirchuk.
In February and March of 2023, Fydirchuk hosted an online book study via video call on Brené Brown’s book Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience. People asked thoughtful questions, shared about their experiences, and discussed takeaways about building meaningful relationships in today’s world.
Fydirchuk has also been able to connect with some people locally in her Cochrane, Alta., neighborhood.
“We're partnered with our local church, River Park CRC in Calgary, where we continue to consider ways of engaging with this work in-person as well as online,” she said.
Looking back over the ministry’s work so far, Fydirchuk sees God at work every day through people engaging with the content, reaching out with questions, and more.
