On Sunday mornings, millions of Americans regularly engage in behavior health officials urge people to avoid as the leading edge of the COVID-19 coronavirus arrives in the U.S.
They gather in close proximity in large numbers and touch each other and common objects.
Even though the presence of the virus in the U.S. is relatively small at this point, it has already initiated widespread changes — cancellation of college and professional sporting events, companies urging employees to work from home, school closures and extended spring breaks.
This Sunday, church-goers may see changes, too.
Jimmy Criddle, lead pastor at First United Methodist Church, said his congregation will note some changes in how services are conducted Sunday.
“We’ve had several meeting with our ushers, pastors and staff about what’s going on and how we should respond,” Criddle said. “We felt like it was important that we change some things, based on what we’ve heard on the news and from our religious leaders and what they are advising.”
On a typical Sunday, services for the 250 to 300 people who regularly attended FUMC will not include its normal “meet and greet” portion where they are encouraged to leave their pews and exchange hugs and handshakes. The collection plate won’t be passed around, either. Instead, member can drop off their offerings in the back of the sanctuary.
The FUMC staff will raise the bar on cleaning, too, wiping down pews, hymnals, just about every surface a church-goer is likely to come into contact with. The congregation may be a little less gray than normal, too, Criddle explained.
“What we’ve heard is a lot of the senior care facilities are restricting residents from leaving the property,” Criddle said. “We usually have a van that goes around and picks up those residents. Now, we won’t be able to do that, so it will be important for us to find new ways to connect to those people.”
At First Baptist Church in Starkville, the challenge the virus presents may be even greater.
Thursdays, the state’s health department revised its recommendations about how to deal with coronavirus. One of the new recommendations was to avoid gathering of 250 or more.
With an average attendance of 1,100 during its two combined Sunday morning services, FBC will likely cross that recommended threshold.
“The more people you have, the greater the concern,” said Joshua Rodgers, communications director for the church. “That’s why we’ve given a great deal of thought and we’re taking some proactive measures.”
After a staff meeting Thursday, FBC officials sent out an email to its members with a link to its website where a detailed explanation of all of the new measures are explained.
In consideration of its elderly members, FBC has canceled its Wednesday “lunch break” meetings for seniors for the next two weeks. The churches’ other non-church events through March 30 are currently under review and may be subject to cancellation, too.
Doors will be propped open across the church campus to allow more ventilation, hand sanitizers will be in plentiful supply and coffee service before services will be discontinued for the next three weeks.
As with FUMC, there will be no passing of the collecting plate.
“We’re implementing these changes with the safety of members and visitors,” Rodgers said. “As we go forward, we’ll be able to adjust our procedures, based on what we’re seeing. There could be more changes.”
Impact on smaller churches
Smaller churches seems to be taking fewer measures.
Reverend Thurman Cunningham, pastor at Oak Grove M.B. Church in Lowndes County, said he hasn’t implemented many changes at his church, where Sunday morning services typically draw 75 to 100 people. Cunningham said he’ll rely on past experiences, at least for now.
“We had a bad flu that came through here a while back, “Cunningham said. “That’s kind of prepared us for this, I think. What we did then was we bought a huge supply of hand sanitizers and we’ll be making sure everybody has the hand sanitizers when they come in the door. They’ll be in the sanctuary, the halls, the bathrooms, everywhere people go.”
Cunningham said his hand-shaking, neck-hugging congregation will also be encouraged to greet each other in other ways.
“When we had the flu last time, I told them from the pulpit that my arms aren’t long enough to hug everybody in the room,” he said. “So what they needed to do was close their eyes and imagine that I’m hugging each and every one of them.”
Rev. James A. Boyd, who has been pastor at Zion Gate M.B. Church in Columbus for 55 years, said their discussions about coronavirus have just started.
“We talked a little about it Wednesday,” Boyd said. “But we haven’t made any changes. Certainly, we’ll make some changes if we feel it’s necessary, but so far we’re waiting to see what we need to do.”
Zion Gate, FUMC and FBC all have alternative ways for people to participate in services.
Zion Gate (WCBI) and FUMC (The CW) have their services broadcast. Both FUMC and FBC also have their services available on Facebook Live.
“That’s a good option,” Rodgers said. “What we are telling people is that if they feel sick or think they may have symptom or if they’re elderly and more vulnerable, stay home and watch.
“For a lot of people, watching the services on Facebook Live or on TV may be the better choice, so we’re glad we have those platforms,” he added. “Through all of this, we want everyone to still be a part of our community.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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