The Christmas story comes to life at Northbridge Baptist.
In the past five years, hundreds have regularly attended the live event from the church’s crib, where dozens of actors and many animals portray the story of Jesus’ birth.
After the coronavirus forced the church to consider whether to continue with the program this year, West Ashley’s house of worship decided it could safely accommodate guests in the outdoor experience.
The church also believed that people needed to hear the message of hope for Christmas, as the year was full of tragedies.
“Now, more than ever, this is necessary,” said Pastor Joe Warring. “So many people are stressed”.
The Christmas holiday is one of the most exciting times of the year for churches, which usually celebrate the birth of Jesus with crowded benches for Sunday, Christmas Eve and New Year services. Huge choirs and bands perform Christmas concerts. Young people, dressed in homemade costumes, represent the story of the nativity scene. Preachers, many feeding on the vocal feedback of the faithful, offer inspiring sermons.
Holiday festivities also allow churches to extend their reach, connecting them with their communities and re-engaging members who have not been to church in a while.
Jena Favors and her daughter Mabel Favors, 2, greet the animals that make up the manger scene at the live nativity event at Northbridge Baptist Church on Friday, December 18, 2020, in Charleston. Grace Beahm Alford / Staff
But the sanctuaries are a little quieter this year.
The festive spirit among people of faith seems a little bleak and not so youthful, as the growing spread of COVID-19 keeps the doors of dozens of houses of worship closed throughout the Lowcountry.
Other religious institutions are struggling to know how to host personal meetings safely.
Many of the churches whose doors remain closed mention concerns about the impact of the virus on the most vulnerable populations, such as African Americans and elderly residents. Minorities and the elderly were disproportionately affected by the disease.
These houses of worship rely on web resources, publishing pre-recorded worship services online. They are also taking their ministries off the walls of the church as a way to keep people connected and engaged, while promoting safe practices.
Christians deliver Christmas treats to people in their homes and in cars on the drive-through, use the church properties to create an Advent prayer walk that is accessed virtually, and sing Christmas carols outside the homes of sick members.
Some of these believers see their acts of canceling personal meetings as a form of ministry, as they feel it prioritizes people’s well-being.
Several other religious institutions, like Northbridge, say that personal fellowship is too critical to be abandoned, especially at the end of a year that has been a challenge for many.
These congregations are opting for combined formats that include physical and online care options, as well as other outdoor and socially distant activities.
Selina Oliver, 14, and Anthony Brushett, 16, portray Maria and Joseph during the live nativity event at Northbridge Baptist Church on Friday, December 18, 2020 in Charleston. As a gift to the community, Northbridge Baptist Church hosts the event that attracts about 1,000 visitors over three nights, according to Pastor Joe Warring. The Destiny Worship Center and Calvary Chapel joined the volunteers who performed scenes, each representing the life of Jesus, from birth to resurrection. Grace Beahm Alford / Staff
No matter what approach, most churches seem to agree on one thing: people need reminders of hope and peace in a world that faces so much death and despair.
Keeping the flock together
Many churches have held internal meetings in the midst of the pandemic and plan to do so for the rest of the year.
This occurs at a time when daily cases in South Carolina exceed 3,000 and experts warn of an increase that could occur two weeks after the holiday. But it is also during a time when doses of vaccines were distributed in South Carolina.
Northbridge ended physical meetings for two months earlier this year, when the pandemic began to spread. It reconstituted face-to-face services with masks and social distance, before closing again in July, with the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
West Ashley church worship resumed in August, using what Warring describes as the “restaurant model”. Parishioners wear masks when they are walking, but are not required to wear masks while seated. The church, which has a sanctuary with a capacity of about 220 people, is hosting 50 percent of its maximum capacity, Warring said.
The church also has “safe rooms” where everyone is required to wear facial covers while virtually attending the service.
“This allows high-risk people to enter campus, but they feel in an environment where they are most comfortable,” said Warring.
The pastor, who noted that many older members chose to attend services online, said Northbridge’s Christmas Eve service made records to monitor attendance numbers.
Warring said one of COVID’s biggest damages is that it forced people into isolation. The Bible encourages members of the faith to come together, he said.
“When you separate yourself from people, you become weak,” said Warring. “The sheep have to stay together.”
This sentiment was echoed by Rev. Colin Kerr. Parkside Church planned an outdoor Christmas Eve service in Hampton Park until the weather forced it to work.
On a typical Sunday, Parkside was operating at 20 percent of the sanctuary’s capacity with a registration system, mandatory masks, door temperature checks and contact tracking.
“If we believe that community worship is essential to our mental and spiritual health, I think it is up to the local church to address this need, being very transparent and intentional to mitigate all risks as much as possible,” said Kerr. “This will allow people to make more informed decisions about how to exercise their spirituality at this time.”
‘God is not dead’
Other houses of worship have chosen to keep the doors of their buildings closed, while finding other ways to do the ministry.
Members of the Congregational Church Circular Morgan and Zach Powers participate in the prayer walk the church created for Advent on Wednesday, December 23, 2020, in Charleston. Visitors can take a guided walk through the churchyard, where they can hear prayers, meditations and songs using QR codes that they can scan to hear the program. Grace Beahm Alford / Staff
The Circular Congregational Church created an Advent prayer walk on the historic property. Walkers scan QR codes, giving them access to virtual prayers, meditations and songs.
Joe and Katherine Huddleston of Johns Island scan a QR code at Circular Congregational Church as they participate in the prayer walk the church created for Advent, Wednesday, December 23, 2020, in Charleston. The codes allow visitors to participate in a guided walk through the churchyard, where they can hear prayers, meditations and songs. Grace Beahm Alford / Staff
The church is considering a similar event for Lent, or on a more regular basis to tell the story of the Circular, said Rev. Jeremy Rutledge.
“I think it will become something that will be available most of the time,” said Rutledge.
Rutledge was especially cautious during the pandemic. The pastor has a lung disease that makes COVID particularly dangerous for him.
When the virus began to spread in South Carolina in March, the minister began to think of members who are also vulnerable to the pandemic. The church has been conducting online services since then, and will do so during the holidays.
“There is also a feeling that the community in our congregation is vulnerable and we don’t want to harm anyone,” said Rutledge. “[Streaming services] from home to not spread the virus is a way of saying ‘peace on Earth’. We are trying to see it that way. “
Joe and Katherine Huddleston of Johns Island scan a QR code at the Circular Congregational Church as they participate in the prayer walk the church created for Advent, Wednesday, December 23, 2020, in Charleston. The codes allow visitors to participate in a guided walk through the churchyard, where they can hear prayers, meditations and songs. Grace Beahm Alford / Staff
Others have taken similar measures. AME churches across South Carolina drive through through different locations in the state. Spiritual leaders distributed Christmas treats to members who stopped in cars. Members of the Friendship AME Church in Mount Pleasant sang songs outside the homes of sick parishioners.
Two Rivers Church delivered 100 vacation packages to members’ homes. The gifts included candles for people to hold while singing Silent Night together during the online service.
Many churches continued to suspend face-to-face meetings, mainly out of concern for the populations most vulnerable to the deadly pandemic.
Two Rivers recognizes that African Americans are being disproportionately affected by the deadly disease, said Pastor Wendy Hudson, and the church wants to elevate marginalized communities.
Morris Street Baptist, a historic African American congregation in the center of the city, will not resume physical meetings until the coronavirus curve begins to flatten out, said Rev. Leonard Griffin. Until then, the church will function virtually, which includes this year’s evening service.
The tradition of night watch dates back to the 18th century, when African Americans anticipated on the eve of the new year in 1862 the promulgation of the Emancipation Proclamation, which came into force on January 1, 1863.
Griffin will try to emphasize this New Year’s Eve how blacks will be able to overcome the pandemic, remembering how they went through other struggles, such as slavery and the civil rights era.
“God is not dead,” said Griffin. “We can still maintain our hope, even though we are dealing with dire situations.
Making room for sadness
The Circular also recognizes that Christmas is not a joyous occasion for many, especially those who have lost loved ones this year.
The Blue Christmas service of the church is an annual tradition held on the winter solstice night, when members gather and cry.
The service, conducted online this year, was particularly important because of the number of deaths caused by COVID-19, said Rutledge.
“I think the weight of loss and sadness is much greater this year,” he said.
The virtual cult showed Sara Rutledge, the pastor’s wife, attaching a blue paper ornament to a small tree. The action symbolized an effort to make room for sadness and connect with other people who feel sad during the holidays.
