Churches ARE essential

Which is why most haven’t closed, but moved virtual

As @kit_delgadoMD & I wrote in March, ‘Jesus himself did not have a church building, & church is not defined by a Sunday morning service’

A thread on opening churches safely /1 https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid19-christianity-judaism-sunday-worship-20200314.html

Church open, doors closed. Let’s not rush back to in-person service. Let’s protect ourselves and our communities. This is literally about life and death.

If churches are going to open, a few practical tips on how to do so safely:

/2

1. Figure out how many people your church can sit while maintaining 6ft between them. That’s your max occupancy. Count people as they enter & stop when limit reached

2. Hold more, but shorter, services. Consider assigning service times based on last name for regular attendees /3

3. Clearly mark where people can sit to keep a safe distance. Have designated rows for groups of 1, 2, 3, etc (for families who obviously will sit together but don’t need 6ft)

4. Require masks. Wearing a mask in church feels wrong. But it’s an act of service toward others /4

5. Screen people at the door for symptoms or close contacts with symptoms.

6. Provide lots of hand sanitizer throughout the building.

7. Limit physical contact. So no communion or passing offering plate. And no hugs. Which for me will be the hardest part. /5

8. Have a plan if someone in the congregation later tests positive.

9. All of this will feel totally unnatural, because it is unnatural. Pastors, priests, deacons, and other church leaders though have to set the tone and model this behavior and others will follow the lead. /6

One of the things my family misses most about #COVID19 is not going to church each Sunday to enjoy the worship & fellowship. Believe me, I want to get back ASAP. But I also know that God’s presence in my life hasn’t stopped moving because we aren’t at the physical building. /fin