Poll: Church services during a pandemic

[Neto]

Our county (Holmes Co. Ohio) continues to have high numbers of virus cases, and many families in our congregation have lost close family members.
Our congregation has been off & on with services, going back again to regular services (w/ Sunday school) this coming Sunday. We have not attended in person since our son started leukemia treatments. Before that, we sat in the back in chairs spaced out somewhere close to 6 feet, but others who didn't care often invaded that space. Not sure when we will resume going in person. We have always been able to listen, and they sometimes live-stream as well. Most Sundays we listen to (or watch) at least one other congregation's service. I miss Sunday school the most, as the music is not to my liking.

May I ask you how you personally feel about Christians who are pressuring us to treat this as no worse than the flu?

Sure, I can answer that. Actually, in our case, the flu could also have very serious consequences, so while I don't think we would be staying away from meetings in a normal winter situation (but with the element of the leukemia), we haven't talked about that, so maybe we actually would. If that were the case we would have gotten advice/information from the doctors, and would act accordingly.

I won't get into whether I personally think this virus is or is not more serious than the flu, but to some extent, it's like asking if you would rather be hit by a gasoline or a diesel pickup. For myself, I know my immunity system is weak - it always has been, I was probably born with it (from what my mom has told me about my infancy). Even just the 'common cold' will take me out of commission for at least 3 days. But for our son, it would immediately put him back in the hospital and delay completion of his treatment, and possibly have very serious results.

Having lost family members due to this virus, I confess that I have felt some anger against those who poo-poo every recommended precaution and say that those who follow the medical suggestions are just living in fear, and are 'sheeple' who are willingly being controlled by the 'State'. In my opinion, it's a sad day when people think being told to wear a mask is persecution. They have no idea whatsoever, and need to read Martyrs' Mirror, Foxes Book of Martyrs, or just read the news about persecution of Christians right now, in various countries around the world. Fear or no fear, my question is whether those people feel any concern for others around them. One person, when the fact that I wear a mask in public came up in a telephone conversation, told me "That just keeps all of your germs inside the mask, forcing you to breathe them all over again." Well, that's kind of the main idea, protecting others when you are sick yourself, of which we are not nearly always aware. (I'm bordering on making accusations, so I'd better stop there.)

[Soloist]

Having lost family members due to this virus, I confess that I have felt some anger against those who poo-poo every recommended precaution and say that those who follow the medical suggestions are just living in fear, and are 'sheeple' who are willingly being controlled by the 'State'. In my opinion, it's a sad day when people think being told to wear a mask is persecution. They have no idea whatsoever, and need to read Martyrs' Mirror, Foxes Book of Martyrs, or just read the news about persecution of Christians right now, in various countries around the world. Fear or no fear, my question is whether those people feel any concern for others around them. One person, when the fact that I wear a mask in public came up in a telephone conversation, told me "That just keeps all of your germs inside the mask, forcing you to breathe them all over again." Well, that's kind of the main idea, protecting others when you are sick yourself, of which we are not nearly always aware. (I'm bordering on making accusations, so I'd better stop there.)

While I respect churches that chose to not meet, or individuals that don't go to church, I feel like if we took plague victims off the road in Ancient Rome and teach that the holy kiss is a commandment of the Lord... I feel we are on shaky ground to do this compliance with mandates indefinitely especially given the hesitation to vaccinate with the new vaccines in the church.

I have heard more people express concern for the fetal cells then ever before and personally I believe its a convenient excuse for them to avoid it. At the same time, its possible this is the first time its actually faced them as measles and chicken pox are not that big of a deal, measles due to limited spread and chicken pox well... we all got it basically.

[Neto]

Having lost family members due to this virus, I confess that I have felt some anger against those who poo-poo every recommended precaution and say that those who follow the medical suggestions are just living in fear, and are 'sheeple' who are willingly being controlled by the 'State'. In my opinion, it's a sad day when people think being told to wear a mask is persecution. They have no idea whatsoever, and need to read Martyrs' Mirror, Foxes Book of Martyrs, or just read the news about persecution of Christians right now, in various countries around the world. Fear or no fear, my question is whether those people feel any concern for others around them. One person, when the fact that I wear a mask in public came up in a telephone conversation, told me "That just keeps all of your germs inside the mask, forcing you to breathe them all over again." Well, that's kind of the main idea, protecting others when you are sick yourself, of which we are not nearly always aware. (I'm bordering on making accusations, so I'd better stop there.)

While I respect churches that chose to not meet, or individuals that don't go to church, I feel like if we took plague victims off the road in Ancient Rome and teach that the holy kiss is a commandment of the Lord... I feel we are on shaky ground to do this compliance with mandates indefinitely especially given the hesitation to vaccinate with the new vaccines in the church.

I have heard more people express concern for the fetal cells then ever before and personally I believe its a convenient excuse for them to avoid it. At the same time, its possible this is the first time its actually faced them as measles and chicken pox are not that big of a deal, measles due to limited spread and chicken pox well... we all got it basically.

I don't understand what you mean by your reference to Ancient Rome.

In their defense, our congregational leadership did not make these decisions in response to any government mandate. Rather, it was a move prompted by the number of cases in our community and congregation. (Our county, and another which borders it, did not follow the state mandates. One might say they went rogue, or that they made their own decision locally, depending on one's perspective.)

As they say, hindsight is 2020. (Not the year, fortunately. ) But having faced a cholera epidemic in the larger area where the Banawa Indian village is located (the tribe we lived with for 17 years), we are not unacquainted with how to take proper precautions in such situations.

[Swiss Bro]

There have been many changes since the outbreak but our current formula is (starting tomorrow):

Every second Sunday services in church but also broadcast via live stream, max. 50 persons attending, no singing, masks mandatory. Every other Sunday Zoom meeting.

[Judas Maccabeus]

There have been many changes since the outbreak but our current formula is (starting tomorrow):

Every second Sunday services in church but also broadcast via live stream, max. 50 persons attending, no singing, masks mandatory. Every other Sunday Zoom meeting.

we are currently at 25%capacity. No max, as long as we stay at 25% capacity. That being said, our "capacity" is, at least in my opinion, absurdly high. We can comfortably put two meters between family groups and be just fine, even with full attendance. Masks are mandatory, and we enforce that fairly rigorously, but we are an urban congregation, and there is a high rate of compliance here.

If more restrictions are imposed, the plan is Zoom. We hope it does not come to that.

J.M.

[Swiss Bro]

There have been many changes since the outbreak but our current formula is (starting tomorrow):

Every second Sunday services in church but also broadcast via live stream, max. 50 persons attending, no singing, masks mandatory. Every other Sunday Zoom meeting.

we are currently at 25%capacity. No max, as long as we stay at 25% capacity. That being said, our "capacity" is, at least in my opinion, absurdly high. We can comfortably put two meters between family groups and be just fine, even with full attendance. Masks are mandatory, and we enforce that fairly rigorously, but we are an urban congregation, and there is a high rate of compliance here.

If more restrictions are imposed, the plan is Zoom. We hope it does not come to that.

J.M.

We are a small congregation too so 50 persons is not a real restriction. In normal times we would be a bit more than 50 but now there are some that prefer to stay at home and watch the livestream anyway. We have an online registration system so if there should be more than 50 registrations it would be first come first served. We also have a huge meeting hall from back in the day where you could fit 300 in so at 50 keeping a distance is not difficult. Zoom is a bit strange but better than nothing.

[Judas Maccabeus]

There have been many changes since the outbreak but our current formula is (starting tomorrow):

Every second Sunday services in church but also broadcast via live stream, max. 50 persons attending, no singing, masks mandatory. Every other Sunday Zoom meeting.

we are currently at 25%capacity. No max, as long as we stay at 25% capacity. That being said, our "capacity" is, at least in my opinion, absurdly high. We can comfortably put two meters between family groups and be just fine, even with full attendance. Masks are mandatory, and we enforce that fairly rigorously, but we are an urban congregation, and there is a high rate of compliance here.

If more restrictions are imposed, the plan is Zoom. We hope it does not come to that.

J.M.

We are a small congregation too so 50 persons is not a real restriction. In normal times we would be a bit more than 50 but now there are some that prefer to stay at home and watch the livestream anyway. We have an online registration system so if there should be more than 50 registrations it would be first come first served. We also have a huge meeting hall from back in the day where you could fit 300 in so at 50 keeping a distance is not difficult. Zoom is a bit strange but better than nothing.

Yes, zoom is strange. Our church was not doing zoom in the spring, our pastor was "You Tube"ing messages. We tuned into another Mennonite church, quite similar to ours. The pastor's parakeet decided to land and sit on his shoulder, as he was preaching on Matthew 6. I do not know if it was trained.

J.M.

[RZehr]

As every family in church is believed to have had, or has COVID now, we are pretty much doing church as before. A token nod towards social distancing in the pews, and sitting by family, but last Sunday I don't believe anyone wore a mask.

[aussieandy]

Australia's church restrictions are over. So we are practising as before now.

[Chris]

Look. God is not the author of confusion. When you have had people test a mango and it comes back positive for Covid 19 (that's right a fruit) along with a goat (positive), it brings in a ton of questions.

I've personally have known SEVERAL people who "tested positive". Basically a cold to a flu feel for a few days, then it's over.

I will not do the unChristian thing and sit scared in pew of all my brothers and sisters with a diaper on my face suffocating the entire service. I will go and glorify God, not worry, and be with my brothers and sisters. If somebody gets sick, it's simple... Do what we have always done. Stay home. If it's questionable, simply just say "I may be sick" before a holy kiss... etc.

This covid thing has gone way too far folks.