Churches: what might happen?

[WearyandBleary]

I can’t see how church worship can safely restart. Most of our local CofE congregations are ancient and we’ll end up potentially killing off loads of people if we start services again - the risk is so high, surely? Everyone touching the same pews, communion cup, hymn books, tea cups badly washed in lukewarm water...

What might happen over the next year or so? I just can’t see a safe way of returning to normal worship.

My church is live streaming every sunday

I guess the same could be said about a lot of things, what about large group meetings like the WI? Or even cafes, or community places like libraries, and even shops too like charity shops.

I'm very concerned about how much this will affect life after the lockdown is over and we start to slowly integrate.

I think places like churches will try to adapt, I know locally our churches are offering an online service where the vicar does regular little videos and they also have videos of the children's church with activities to try.

Our church is live streaming which is lovely. But before the lockdown many of the congregation clearly thought it all nonsense and overblown, and I can’t see us keeping them away from church for a year or two... but what are the alternatives?

Have churches reopened in any other countries that have been under lockdown?

You’re generalising about ‘church’ just a little bit! We don’t have hymn books or pews, we have individual communion glasses and our tea cups are washed in an industrial dishwasher. Plus our congregation is all ages. I don’t see how it is any more of a risk than the cinema, or restaurants or any other place where people gather.

Everyone touching the same pews, communion cup, hymn books, tea cups badly washed in lukewarm water...

Not all churches have these things and apart from having to sit in the same seat (an issue you'll find in all public places) the other things are not insurmountable. Churches will adapt in the same way as everybody else.

There are work around for most things. We had moved to communion in one kind only with the priest washing her hands very throughly beforehand and no sharing of the chalice. Hymn books can be replaced with one use service sheets and the peace becomes non contact. We had individually wrapped. biscuits and only one person making tea with the mugs going into a dishwasher.

In common with many churches we are recording services and putting them on our website but for some of our elderly and LD congregation meeting every week is something they really value. How we do that safely will be something to think about very hard when lock down is lifted.

We don’t have any of those issues. Modern building with chairs that can be moved apart. Projected screen not hymn books. Industrial dishwasher. Communion in individual glasses.

I don’t think church is much different to school in terms of the risks of spread. We will probably restart with small groups meeting with the main services online when the lockdown rules are relaxed.

We're a small group church where we meet in someone's home, it's possible eventually to move to this type of worship where you only meet with the same small group of people. It's very freeing not having constrictions of a church building. It's much more like a family and you can't hide yourself!
Church is the people not the place and I think this is a good opportunity for the Church to become more real and accessible to people.

"But before the lockdown many of the congregation clearly thought it all nonsense and overblown, and I can’t see us keeping them away from church for a year or two... but what are the alternatives?"

That won't be a problem if churches stay closed and live stream.

God will protect them

I wouldn't count on it. He didn't help those people in South Korea.

They will work like every other setting, however that may be.

Churches which don't yet have hygiene standards normal elsewhere in the 21st century will have to adopt them (as other churches have already managed). Otherwise they will ironically be setting up their membership for Darwin awards.

When push comes to shove, most religious people are actually sane and (perhaps oddly) not in a rush to meet their maker.

I wonder what out Christian ancestors who risked arrest and crucifixion (or worse) for practising their faith would have made of all this ?

our not "out" !!

Ours has a dishwasher, not a high proportion of over 70s, no hymn books and we used separate communion cups the last time we met in March. We also had alcohol gel available on arrival and the NHS handwashing signs in the bathrooms. I don't think most churches would have been any worse than restaurants or schools or workplaces in terms of spreading the virus before lockdown.

I’m not Christian but I assume they will adapt the same way supermarkets and shopping centre will/ are. Religious people can practice common sense and follow orders to protect themselves and others. I hope places of worship open up soon.

Religious people can practice common sense

I wonder what out Christian ancestors who risked arrest and crucifixion (or worse) for practising their faith would have made of all this ?

Well, the ones from that early era would perhaps have been surprised that 'church' had become synonymous (in many people's thoughts) with 'large fancy building' rather than 'two or three gathered together'.

I wonder what out Christian ancestors who risked arrest and crucifixion (or worse) for practising their faith would have made of all this ?

@SerendipityJane

I don't know, same as they'd think about anything that has nothing to do with what they went through.