Churches plot careful reopening as area moves into green phase
For the first time since March, First Christian Church in West Alexander will be opening its doors to congregants this Sunday. But the churchgoing experience will inevitably be different than it was before the coronavirus became a household word and a constant concern.
When members of the congregation arrive before the 11 a.m. service, they will be confronted by front doors propped open so no one will have to touch door handles. Hand sanitizer and communion kits will be in pews while hymnals and Bibles will not be. And the collection plate will not be passed – instead, those visiting the church who wish to make an offering will be able to do so in boxes in the church’s vestibule or downstairs.
And, as with secular gatherings, social distancing is strongly encouraged, along with the wearing of masks.
Bruce Graff, the church’s minister, has delivered his sermons online for the past 11 Sundays, and he’s looking forward to facing his congregants in the flesh once again.
“It will be great, I know that,” he said.
Graff’s church is one of many in Washington and Greene counties and around the commonweath that is either taking painstaking steps to reopen, or is still weighing how to do so.
Churches and other houses of worship have been closed throughout much of the pandemic, and that’s been a source of controversy for some of the faithful, who believe in-person worship is at the heart of honoring the Sabbath and keeping it holy.
The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church has been offering guidance to its churches on how they can reopen and steps that need to be taken, but decisions on reopening are being left to individual churches. The First United Methodist Church of Canonsburg is aiming to have in-person services again on Father’s Day, which falls June 21.
Like First Christian Church in West Alexander, hymnals and Bibles will be gone at First United Methodist Church, as will detachable pew cushions. That might make sitting through a service a little less comfortable, but, as Pastor Melody Kimmel points out, it will take churchgoers “back to the pioneer tradition.”
There will be no singing in the first few services, as a result of worries singing and the resulting expulsion of air is a prime way to spread the coronavirus. The praise band will also be sidelined. Kimmel explained officials at churches were asked “to take into consideration the age of the congregation” before deciding to reopen.
First United Methodist Church will continue online services, Kimmel said, as will many other churches.
The 50 Presbyterian churches in Washington and Greene counties are grouped into the Washington Presbytery, and, as with Methodist churches, decisions on reopening are being left to individual congregations, according to Craig Kephart, executive presbyter for Washington Presbytery.
Church of the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Washington has not yet set a date for reopening, but it has posted a “frequently asked questions” guide on its website, and it says that those attending the church during a “soft opening” will have to fill out a health questionnaire and be scanned by an infrared scanner to to make sure they don’t have a fever. Once these are completed, ushers will lead them to specific pews.
Only one service, at 11 a.m., will be scheduled at the church during the initial reopening, and pastors will not greet visitors once the service is done.
Churches within the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh will be opening for weekend Mass this Saturday and Sunday, with parishioners maintaining six feet of social distancing, which would equate to about 25% of capacity. As of Monday, daily attendance at Mass will increase by 25%.
“I ask for your continued prayers and patience as we find our way back home to our churches together,” Bishop David Zubik said in a statement.