Church services inching closer to normal as Easter nears

The beginning of the 40-day Lenten season last year proved to be the start of an unexpected trial for many church-goers. With in-person services being shut down for months, it certainly seemed like a time of suffering and separation from God for some. But now, about a year after it all began, local churches are once again reopening their doors just in time to celebrate one of their most important liturgical events.

In-person services began to be offered at several area churches late last year, with the number of churches opening their doors to the public slowly going up as COVID- 19 case numbers began to go down and the vaccination rollout began. Now almost every church will have their doors open for Holy Week and Easter, and church leaders are taking precautions to make sure people not only get to attend services, but also do so as safely as possible.

“When we came back, we changed some things,” said Rev. Elizabeth Bier of ONE in Christ church in Greenwood, which opened back up in mid-January. “We open the windows to let fresh air in and we sing only one song at the end of worship to limit the amount of air being circulated around. We’ve only had a small number of people come back in-person.”

Although every church is doing something a little bit differently than their neighbors, there are certain rules all are following as they are reopening. Based on their seating capacity, the number of people allowed to attend services are trimmed to keep people socially distanced in the pews and all are following the mask mandates that are still in effect.

“It’s been comfortable for most people,” said Rev. Kathy Jury of the Loyal and York United Methodist Churches. “People still wear masks and have been sitting apart, we have every other pew taped off.

A good portion of people have already gotten the vaccine, but we are still being careful.”

Easter will be the first big test for many of these churches. As one of the bigger holidays of the year that bring people to church, the pastors said they are trying to make sure everyone who wants to attend in-person will be able to go. Some churches are asking parishioners to call ahead with the number of people expected to attend a service to make sure they are following social distancing guidelines and meeting capacity levels.

“We have been doing a hybrid of worship with both in person worship following COVID-19 restrictions and a live stream on our Facebook page at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays,” said Rev. Dan Zimmerman of Trinity Lutheran Church in Loyal. “For Holy Week and Easter we will do the same. Easter Sunday, we are asking people to contact the church office if they plan to attend so we do not exceed recommended capacity and are able to maintain social distancing. That is the only service we are asking people to do that for.”

With in-person worship returning, the pastors said it is also important for them to keep the entire parish community in mind when preparing for services such as Easter. Many people, they said, still participate in church activities online, and will likely continue to do so until they feel it is safe to return.

“Some folks may not come back for a while yet,” said. Rev. Bier. “They’re waiting for higher vaccination levels … For some folks, they really appreciate having it in-person, there is also a group that is active online. You want to reach out to both equally and try to plan for things that cannot be changed, whether it is online or in-person.”

After Easter, the pastors said they hope to bring back more activities and events to bring parish life back to more or less what it was before the pandemic. A lot of what comes back, they said, will depend a lot on how the pandemic continues to have a local impact in the coming months, and some things are expected to change to reflect the post-pandemic environment.

“We are going to play it by ear,” said Rev. Jury. “Every time the council meets we talk about it and about if we are ready for this or that … So it’s still err on the side of caution, not just go back to the way it was.”

Area churches will begin Holy Week with services on Holy Thursday, April 1, with some churches holding online-only services until Easter Sunday, when services will be offered in-person as well as online. Please check with your local parish for a list of service times and options for online viewing.

“It’s been comfortable for most people ... A good portion of people have already gotten the vaccine, but we are still being careful.” -Rev. Kathy Jury, Loyal and York United Methodist churches.