GREENFIELD — Come Sunday, Bishop Joseph Riggs will stand behind the pulpit and look out on an in-person congregation for the first time since March 15.
Masks, hand sanitizer and spread-out seating will be available when Apostolic Pentecostal Church in Greenfield opens its doors, Riggs said.
Come Sunday, the Rev. Phil Edwards will look into a camera to address parishioners, who will watch Fortville Church of the Nazarene’s service from home as it’s streamed on Facebook. It’s what he’s done for two months, what he expects to continue doing for several more weeks at least. Next week, the church’s board will meet to consider in more detail a plan for moving forward.
Though Riggs’ and Edwards’ Sunday mornings will look different, a lot of thought has gone into each church’s decision about whether to gather Sunday. They and other church leaders in Hancock County are considering a web of factors as they weigh what is the best time for their respective buildings to house in-person services again.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
A few Hancock County churches plan to meet Sunday. The half-dozen or so that will — many of them smaller congregations — have various plans in place to promote safety, from sectioning seats for social distancing, to offering reserved seating capped at 25 per service, to continuing to stream the service online for those still unable to venture out or who are uncomfortable doing so.
Riggs said his church won’t serve breakfast as it had been doing, and people will be spread out, but it will be great to be together.
“We all kind of tend to take things for granted” until they’re taken away, he said. “We realized how precious they really are to us.”
Several other churches, such as Greenfield Church of Christ, Greenfield Church of God and Shiloh Christian Church, gathered for parking lot services Sunday at which worshipers remained in their cars.
Leaders at other congregations say they’ll continue with online services only for a few more weeks at least. Some pastors pointed out this might be a stage in which a small group, such as an adult Sunday School class or weekly Bible study, might gather — perhaps outdoors — even as a whole congregation remains apart.
The Rev. Anthony Stone of New Palestine United Methodist Church said his church will continue online-only services for a while longer. The denomination’s state bishop has advised United Methodist churches in the state not to reconvene before June 14 but acknowledged churches have their own unique contexts to consider when deciding.
Stone quoted a fellow minister friend as saying perhaps the most loving thing to do as a leader in this season is to not plan.
“There’s been so many plans that have to be changed,” Stone said. “You’re experiencing this heartbreak as maybe there’s a date on the calendar that we circle … and then things aren’t happening.”
On May 1, Gov. Eric Holcomb unveiled Indiana’s five-stage Back on Track plan. Stage 2 began Monday; it listed May 8 as the date Indiana congregations could reconvene in their houses of worship, along with a list of recommended guidelines. The guidance from the state encourages continuing to offer as many activities as possible remotely.
When services are in-person, state officials ask congregations to consider a set of practices, including marking seating to encourage spacing, wearing masks into the building, keeping coffee areas closed and dismissing worshipers in a manner that maintains distancing.
The conclusion of the state’s guidelines for houses of worship states the list is “only recommendations and suggestions.” That tone is also found on the homepage of the site backontrack.in.gov: “The purpose of this guidance is not to restrict religious liberty, but to provide safe environments and save lives during these extraordinary times.”
Rob Rigsbee, lead pastor at Fortville Christian Church, said he appreciates what he perceives as the state’s respect for religious freedom, but churches face a weighty decision in determining how to proceed.
“While the state of Indiana has given, I guess, a kind of special dispensation for places of worship, we believe we have to pause and be careful,” Rigsbee said in a video update to the congregation posted on the church’s website. “We believe that the state gave that special dispensation because they don’t want to … (be) restricting our religious liberties, and we appreciate that, but in doing so … it has placed us, the church, in a kind of awkward position.
“Again, let’s remember the important distinction between what we as a church can do and what we should do.”
Rigsbee’s church is one of several that plan to stay online only during the plan’s Stage 2 and eye reopening when leaders say the state is in Stage 3 (at this time set to begin May 24). In his video message, Rigsbee pointed out the potential drawbacks of returning rapidly: increasing risk to older adults who are not only members but comprise a good number of the volunteers who help make Sunday morning, including children’s ministries, happen; and removing half of the seats to ensure social distancing, as a result limiting how many can attend.
“Would we have to deny access to people who show up and the room is already full?” he said. “We don’t want to do that.”
Edwards also indicated honoring guidelines introduces logistical hurdles for reconvening now.
“We struggle with opening (in a manner of) ‘Just flip the switch let’s go back to the way it was,’” he said. “I just don’t feel good about doing that… Do I want to get back? Absolutely. …
“We’re trying to be cautious, but we’re also trying to anticipate the day when we can all get back together.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Guidelines for churches” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Indiana’s Back on Track plan outlines recommendations for houses of worship as the state eases some restrictions that had been imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Find the full list at https://backontrack.in.gov/files/BackOnTrack-IN_PlacesOfWorship.pdf.
The document includes these guidelines for in-person services:
• Ask all individuals who are 65 and above or who have an underlying at-risk health condition to stay home and watch services online. Find a list of at-risk conditions at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-at-higher-risk.html.
• Ensure 6 feet between individuals or family units of the same households during services.
• Space and mark seating, alternating rows when possible.
• Clean between each service and disinfect high-contact surfaces regularly.
• Place hand sanitizers in high-contact locations (e.g. bathroom, entry, exit) and ask staff, members, and guests to sanitize their hands before entering the building.
• Recommend putting on a face covering before entering the building.
• Consider placing signage telling staff, members, and guests to not enter if they are symptomatic or if they have tested positive for COVID-19.
• Implement non-contact greetings.
• Avoid handing out materials.
• Keep cafés, coffee, and other self-service stations closed.
• Establish safe protocols for any communion and collection to avoid contact.
• Dismiss services in a way that supports social distancing.
• Place readily visible signage to remind everyone of best hygiene practices.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
