After lifting up prayers for a changed world on live streams and phone chains, local Christians are returning to the pews.
Area churches will begin gathering in person this weekend for the first time since Indiana’s stay-at-home order went into effect, but not without a series of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We’re excited about being together, and we’ll certainly be praying for those that are still fighting challenges of various sorts or those that feel like they can’t quite yet meet, and we certainly understand that,” said Chris Cain, senior pastor of First Assembly.
Gov. Eric Holcomb’s five-phase plan for reopening most of the state lays out a set of guidelines for resuming in-person worship services. Churches are recommended to consider offering multiple services to spread out crowds, while urging those 65 and older or with underlying health risks to stay home.
As sanctuaries reopen, families will be asked to sit together in prearranged clusters. Greeters won’t hand out bulletins. Offering plates will not be passed. Children’s programming is being canceled, and worshipers will serve themselves communion.
At First Assembly, where at least a third of the congregation is older than 60, members stayed in touch over the phone and email as church leaders made plans for reopening.
Cain said he expects an “influx” of people will seek out places to worship as restrictions ease on public gatherings.
“So in one respect, it’s been a challenging time,” he said, “but in another respect, people, I think, have one more time kind of taken their eye and focused it back toward … the houses of God, and we’re excited about what we’re going to see.”
The worship team at Hillsboro Church of the Nazarene, which is also resuming services this weekend, was ready to begin reopening when the state’s guidelines were announced. The church had a plan for spacing people apart in the sanctuary and entering and exiting the building.
Families will be asked to wait in the parking lot until a few minutes before services begin and be dismissed in groups at the end of worship. The building will be cleaned and sanitized in between services.
“The expressions of people missing being together, missing church family, missing the fellowship, missing all of that [were] extremely high amongst the people,” senior pastor Greg McDonald said.
Older members have been encouraged to stay home for now. The services are live streamed on Facebook.
“Even [seniors] have expressed that they miss the fellowship and are eager to get back,” McDonald said, “however, they’re being more cautious and will probably get into it a little bit later — a few weeks down the line, probably, as things open up even more.”
Along with roping off pews and sanitizing the building, Parkersburg Christian Church ordered pre-packaged communion servings for Sunday’s service. Members are encouraged, but aren’t required to wear masks or other personal protection.
“Whatever’s going to make them feel safe is perfectly fine for us,” pastor Cody Hargis said.
A third service time is being added at Woodland Heights Christian Church to accommodate the congregation, which will begin gathering May 17. Services will be limited to 100 people who RSVP with the church.
Larger churches such as Rock Point are considering the logistics of fitting enough people in the worship space.
“We’re thankful that, you know, this thing’s opening up. That’s light at the end of the tunnel,” lead pastor Terry Thompson said in a video posted to Facebook. “But there are a lot of complications, especially the size of our church, for being able to go, ‘Hey, everybody, show up Sunday, we’re ready to go.’ It just isn’t going to look like that.”
Thompson said the church would track local COVID-19 case numbers before deciding when to resume large gatherings.
The Indiana United Methodist Conference has advised churches to wait until at least June 14 for in-person services.
Catholics can resume public liturgies, like sacraments, by May 30, but are not obligated to observe Mass until mid-August, according to a statement from Indiana’s Catholic Bishops.
At Wabash Avenue Presbyterian, church leaders say public worship can restart in early June “at the earliest and only if certain conditions are met,” Rev. John Van Nuys emphasized in a letter to the congregation.
“If infection rates increase or if we cannot adequately insure the safety of each and every one of us, we will further delay reopening,” Van Nuys added. “The well-being and health of every member and friend is a number one priority.”
