Variety of safety measures implemented during pandemic
Attending church looks a little different during the era of COVID-19 – including forgoing handshakes and hugs, sitting only with family members and socially distant from others, and possibly wearing face coverings as well – but area pastors this week expressed gratitude and excitement regarding the opportunity to meet in-person again with their congregations.
A number of Logan County churches were reporting hosting in-person services this weekend for the first time in about 2 1/2 months, while others have met in-person for several weeks. Additionally, other congregations are continuing with only online messages at this time.
May 17, Huntsville United Methodist Church opened its doors for in-person worship, and Pastor Bryan Meadows said the church is currently seeing about half of its usual in-person attendance. The live broadcasts of sermons via Facebook and YouTube are still being made available.
”Ultimately, we believe and trust that people can make the decision that is right for them,” he said. “Fortunately, if a person or family doesn’t feel comfortable attending in-person worship, they can still join us from home through technology. But if they are ready to venture out, we are ready to receive them in the name of Jesus.”
Since dealing with a pandemic is a learning process for everyone, Pastor Meadows said part of opening back up meant taking the time to understand what safe practices the church could employ.
“For example, we’ve not opened up our Sunday morning youth ministries program. However, every Sunday we have youth activity packs available that they can work on while in worship. In addition, we have had our Holy Grounds Café closed.”
Additionally, the church is keeping ushers at the doors so that they can open doors for individuals as they enter.
Sanitization stations are set up around the entrances to the worship center, where people can also pick up a face masks if they’d like, Pastor Meadows said. The offering plates also are located there and are no longer passed between congregants during the service.
This weekend, Bellefontaine First United Methodist Church is one of the many local churches that will begin in-person worship. This Sunday, the church invites people with last names starting with A to L, and next Sunday includes an invitation for people with last names starting with M through Z to attend.
Pastor Ben Shaeffer said when the church created its reopening plan, which follows denomination guidelines and has since been submitted to the Logan County Health District,” it kept in mind the concept of “love thy neighbor” and “do no harm.”
“As a church, our mission is to love God and to love one another while making disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the world. In order to love our neighbor during these days, we believe that we do all we can to ‘do no harm.’ Doing no harm means that we will practice the safe distance guidelines, we will be wearing masks, there will be no congregational singing or responsive readings during this phase of our restart.”
Starting June 21, the entire congregation will be invited to worship together again at Bellefontaine First UMC, the pastor said. The Facebook Live option will continue to be offered at 9 a.m., along with radio broadcast at 11 a.m. for individuals who chose to stay home.
Among other precautionary measures at the church will include extra hand sanitizer available for use, spacing attendees out every other pew and disinfecting the building after each use.
“Someday, we hope to worship all together without the strict guidelines that are in place today,” Pastor Schaeffer said. “However, I believe we are still trying to find our ‘new normal’ from the key learnings we have discovered during these unprecedented times.”
Similarly, Pastor Bill Walker from Quest Community Church in West Liberty said as the congregation begins meeting again in-person this evening and Sunday morning, the church leaders are asking that attendees keep in mind being “courteous, flexible, sacrificial and joyous.”
“Like you, I’m ready for things to return to something approaching normal, even though I realize that each step takes wisdom, caution and patience,” he said in a letter to the congregation. “Amid it all, God reminds us in Isaiah 43:18-19 that He leads us through the wilderness into the new things He has for us.”
Pastor Walker said at this time, children’s programming won’t be offered in-person at the church and instead will continue through the online avenues. For this reason, he expects attendance to be between 20 to 40 percent of his congregation that includes many young families.
For those who choose to attend in-person, Quest is asking individuals to wear a mask, observe social distancing and take their own beverages, as the café will be closed. Seating will be limited in the worship center based upon health district guidelines, and additional seating will be made available in the Quest Kids area and Gathering Area, where the service will be streamed live.
Representatives from Hopewell United Methodist Church located just north of Bellefontaine said their services begin again at 9 a.m. Sunday. For the time being, a fellowship hour will not take place before or after the service, masks are preferred for attendees and hand sanitizer will be available at each entry door.
“We have sufficient space, and visitors are most welcome to join us as we worship our Lord and pray for our land,” representatives said.
“The pews and fixtures have been sanitized. Worshippers are asked to bring their own Bibles. We will forego our usual handshake or hug when ‘passing the peace,’ and will not pass the offering plate, which will be placed in the rear for depositing our gifts.
“We will continue to use the overhead projection for our services, although the service order will be available in print if prefered.”
Huntsville Presbyterian Church and Gretna Brethren Church also reported they are resuming in-person worship this weekend. At Gretna, the church is moving to an outdoor gathering service beginning at 9:45 a.m. Sunday.
“There will be space for family seating available, take your own chairs or stay in the comfort and safety of your own vehicle. The podcast will also still be available at www.gretna.life,” Gretna representatives said.
As the local churches have become creative and are still finding ways to safely gather together this summer during the pandemic, Pastor Meadows related that there are opportunities for attendees to grow in their faith and also offer hope to Logan County area residents.
“It really is a strange time and trying to figure out what to do hasn’t become any easier over the past few months,” he said. “But we believe if we take our time, trying to be wise and smart about this, and honor God as we move safely forward, we will be OK.
“We continue to trust in Jesus and try to be a beacon of light for the community in this day and age of social distancing and COVID-19.”