
First Presbyterian Church currently streams their service via Facebook Live each Sunday but may reopen in July.
Charles Wood | The Anson Record
WADESBORO- As restrictions amid COVID-19 begin to loosen, more and more churches are beginning to look ahead and consider how to go about reopening their doors. For First Presbyterian Church of Wadesboro, that could happen as early as July.
“We’re beginning to discuss when and how to re-open our physical doors,” said Reverend Heather McIntyre. “It’s been a wild ride, not just for me, but for other ministers too.”
The biggest obstacle to reopening for McIntyre is space. “Churches, including ours, tend to work with more vulnerable populations,” explained McIntyre, “and we want to make sure that we can keep those who do choose to attend public worship as safe as possible.”
In order to address that, in-person services will be moved to the Fellowship Hall. “That will make it easier to keep social distance and it also makes it easier to clean, which is going to be an ongoing challenge, as we sanitize everything between services,” said McIntyre.
Other than space, another thing McIntyre is trying to be cognizant of are the items people share and touch during a worship service such as bulletins and hymnals. First Presbyterian is turning to technology to address these concerns and will have a bulletin projected onto a screen in order to limit any objects passed around the congregation.
Singing and how it can spread the virus is another concern of McIntyre’s. “We are looking at adapting our worship services to remove group singing for a while,” said McIntyre. “We’re trying to figure out exactly what we’re going to do, week to week. We will probably use some trial and error to see what works out best for us.”
Even though First Presbyterian is looking into reopening, they still plan on continuing to stream their services for the foreseeable future for those individuals who do not feel safe or comfortable with returning to a physical worship service.
McIntyre has been streaming these services with Reverend Sarah B. Kalish of First United Methodist Church since the lockdown first went into effect. Though there were some kinks at first, McIntyre and Kalish are seeing more people view the services online than there were showing up in-person before the pandemic.
The biggest challenge for McIntyre with streaming the services was establishing a connection with her congregation. “It’s different not having a group of people in the space to get feedback from at the moment,” said McIntyre. “You can’t make eye contact with folks, you can’t feed off their energy in the same way you can during an in-person service. So, we used the comments section to encourage people to write in, to show they are there, and to feel connected with us and one another.”
Camera angles were another obstacle McIntyre and Kalish had to overcome, especially for members of their congregation who have difficulty hearing. “We’ve been trying to get more of our faces in and get a closer shot so it’s easier for people to see and follow,” said McIntyre.
While streaming worship services allows vulnerable populations to watch in the safety of their homes, for some members, nothing can replace actually being in church. “People really miss being in our physical space. They miss seeing and gathering with one another.”
“When it comes to the reopening, people have mixed opinions,” said McIntyre. “Some are very excited and would, frankly, be back today if were open. Others are being more cautious, especially if they have loved ones who are vulnerable or work in fields that increases the chances of them being exposed to the virus.”
McIntyre is trying to balance the desire to reopen with the responsibility she has to keep her congregation healthy. “Everyone is wanting to reopen as safely as possible knowing it’s never going to be 100 percent safe,” said McIntyre.
“These have been really challenging times,” said McIntyre, “and I have been inspired how, not just the people at my church, but how the people in Anson County, in general, have been there to support and encourage one another. I think Jesus is moving in big and important ways right now and I am so blessed to be here and to be part of that work.”
Reach Charles Wood at 704 994 5471