Religious Christmas services will look different to many Americans in the United States this year, as restrictions on COVID-19 limit and alter meetings.
The services that are usually attended by hundreds will be limited to prevent the transmission of the virus, as well as follow the guidelines of social distance.
Some churches are demanding facial coverage, parishioners’ record sheets that help with coronavirus tracking and are providing hand hygiene stations.
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Catholic Parish of Santa Ana in Wausau, Wisc. created a seating chart assigned to your holiday mass.
Churches like the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ in Arkansas were also forced to change colors, inviting visitors to join them for an outdoor candlelit service at the 18,000-seat University of Arkansas War Memorial Stadium.
In neighboring North Little Rock First United Methodist, Christmas Eve services will be held in its parking lot and broadcast on an FM radio station.
Jonathan Vaughn, second from left, and his family, Addison, 5, left, Ann Marie, 7, second from right, and his wife Alesha Vaughn pray during services at the Worship Center at Highland Colony Baptist Church in Ridgeland, Mississippi, November . 29, 2020. The church practices confidential protocols, allowing families to feel remote from others, separating older and more vulnerable members in the worship hall and providing disinfectant and masks at the entrance. (AP Photo / Rogelio V. Solis)
The Catholic Church of Santa Cruz in Lynchburg, Virginia, canceled its midnight mass due to the pandemic curfew of Democratic Governor Ralph Northam.
Lynchburg Peakland Baptist Church will pre-record its services.
In Bedford, the Main Street United Methodist Church was forced to cancel a 11 pm service to allow enough time to clean the church surfaces.
That said, the church will accept only 60 of the 250 regular participants.
The Church of the Messiah Community in Denver, CO., Asked its members to go out on their porches to light a candle and sing while the Highlands United Methodist Church will hold its service near its large Christmas tree.
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The First Presbyterian of Colorado Springs will hold face-to-face services, but will divide families and churchgoers into six different rooms.
Singing – which is linked to an increased risk of spreading the virus – is not allowed in congregations in Pennsylvania. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will offer masses via Zoom and some face-to-face procedures to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Parishioners and religious leaders are increasingly connecting to the Internet to spread their word, and the Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church in Georgia will hold Christmas services mainly through video chat. However, limitations and errors abound in a virtual church – especially among older believers.
Facebook Live, Zoom and FaceTime have become essential tools for pastors looking to reach out to their members, and worship has changed radically for many during the course of the pandemic.
Only 9% of traditional Protestants who regularly attend services every month told the Pew Research Center that they personally worshiped during the pandemic. More than half reported having participated exclusively online.
Governors and state leaders have recovered from restrictions on religious services as COVID-19 cases continue to increase. Some churches sued for capacity limits.
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The United States Supreme Court found that capacity limits for places of worship in New York are not applicable.
However, the pandemic may not be the only factor that distorts church customs this holiday season, as the inclement weather sweeps across much of the Midwest and East Coast.