How is your church handling the pandemic developments?

[Cairycat]

My church has been meeting mostly virtually since March 2020 (with a few outdoor, socially distanced, masked gatherings). Next Sunday we're meeting outdoors again, and have been asked to socially distance but we don't need to mask except for singing (about 90% of the church is vaccinated). After that we will consider meeting inside, with windows open as long as the weather makes it feasible. The larger Presbyterian congregation we rent space from had a trial run of meeting indoors today. I know many churches in my town have been meeting indoors for months.

So I'm curious, how has your church been handling this? Did the announcement Friday about vaccinated people not necessarily needing to wear masks affect your church's plans?

[multigraincracker]

1. We call ourselves a Fellowship and not a church.

Doing great. We meet on zoom and attendance is up, along with new members. UU of course.

[JT45242]

2. Similar to your experience

I attended outdoor socially distanced church for the first time since the pandemic. I have attended zoom church live for most of the pandemic.

We are continuing to have a live showing if the recorded service (recorded ahead) for folks who don't want to come out because of Covid, weather, etc.

We will continue to ask for masks at all events, which are being done outdoor because we have a lot of folks who have not been vaccinated (especially our youth).

[DURHAM D]

3. Not a church member but a local country church has been meeting all through

the pandemic if it is not too cold. They just ask everyone to bring a straw bale to sit on. After the service is over throw it back in your pickup bed and save it for next week.

Some of my great great grandparents helped build the church more than one hundred years ago and are buried in the church cemetery.

[Staph]

4. When the lockdown started in March, our church went to pre-recorded services broadcast on Facebook

and church meetings on Zoom.

Then in the summer, we went to live-broadcasting services held in our parking lot, with everyone watching from their cars. After one service in a snowstorm, we went back to pre-recorded services until the weather improved. We put together a Relaunch Team in the fall, to plan how and when we would get back inside.

We finally had our first in-person service for Easter. Everyone masked. Health questions asked at the door. Attendance taken, for notification purposes in case of an infected person (none yet!). Socially distanced seating, in family groups, with a limit of 40-45 parishioners at a time. No choir, but a soloist performing behind a plexiglass barrier. Live-streaming the service for those who don't want to or can't get out. We've picked up new viewers from many states away.

After we opened up services, we began holding in-person/Zoom meetings, held socially-distanced and masked. With long visits standing in the parking lot afterwards. We hadn't seen each other in so long!

After the CDC announcement on Thursday, our Relaunch Team had another meeting, and decided that we weren't ready to change our process yet. We've sent a link to a survey to find out how many are fully vaccinated and how soon our folks expect or want to attend unmasked. There was some grumbling at this morning's service, but no strong pushback. We are framing it as "Do No Harm". In our responsibility to love our neighbors, we must protect them and ourselves.

[wnylib]

5. My church's handling of the pandemic

was the same as yours in the beginning - online pre-recorded services during the lockdown, followed by parking lot services. Everyone stayed in their cars where they could see the pastor on the steps and tune in to a channel on car radios to listen. That lasted all summer.

When the weather was warm enough, the church members organized small group study meetings in people's yards, focused on a specific topic area and limited to 10 people. Two of the groups met indoors at a room in the church. Both indoor and outdoor groups required masks, and a temp check. I did not go to any meetings after I learned that people removed their masks once everyone had arrived.

Services resumed indoors in September with temp checks and a questionnaire at the door, masks over nose and mouth required, distanced seating with alternate pews roped off, hymn books removed, bulletins sent by e-mail, no choir, and a specific, single file process of entry and seating. There was a single file, one pew at a time exit plan to avoid grouping in the aisles. The service was broadcast live online. After watching a few online services, I decided not to go in person because people reverted quickly to accustomed habits of stopping by a pew on entry to talk, shake hands, etc. with friends. On exit, they grouped in the aisles. It's just human nature to socialize with friends.

There was no children's Sunday School, but a small group of adults met in the church prior to the service for Bible study. That ended after a few weeks and all meetings went to Zoom.

In early December, all services were cancelled indefinitely because the pastor, his wife, and all their children were covid positive. For Christmas, they played a recorded service from a previous year. Services resumed again several weeks later. I don't remember the date because I was not attending, but I think it was February. The pastor was still tired and "brain-fogged" so a retired pastor led services. The regular pastor was back again about a month before Easter.

This past week's e-mail said that, due to requests from church members, they were trying a pre-service, one hour social time with coffee (and snacks?) in the fellowship room, as in the past. I am guessing, although the message did not say so, that the people who want it are vaccinated. The regular service will have the usual mask and distancing rules.

I didn't go. Sitting indoors for an hour in one place, with the same peole and the same air circulating, is different from walking through a store and leaving, with doors opening to fresh air when people enter and leave. Don't know when I'll feel safe about going back.

[LAS14]

6. Very satisfying Zoom services, with...

... good pre-recorded music, different people leading prayers, congregational responses, etc. They had a congregational meeting, last week which I didn't attend, to decide what to do when in person resumes. I'll be interested in how that's handled, as attendance was certainly up with Zoom. Another church we attended frequently, because of their every Sunday Bach cantatas did an in-church video, wiith just the pastor, a couple of accolytes and the organist. That didn't work as well.