After Beshear’s request, some churches cancel services. Others ‘draw a line in the sand.’
While a number of congregations are complying with Gov. Andy Beshear’s request to halt in-person worship services through Dec. 13, others are reluctant to return to having only virtual services.
“I feel very strongly that churches have to draw a line in the sand,” Pastor Denny Whitworth, of the Bread of Life Assembly of God, wrote in a post on the church’s Facebook page. “I am concerned that this recommendation will possibly extend beyond the time frame laid out, this is always the trend. We are essential to our community and it is an opportunity to reach people for the kingdom of God, who may not be reached unless our doors are open.”
Whitworth said the congregation will cancel fellowship meals until January, and he urged attendees at services to wear masks “coming in building and leaving” and to continue social distancing and other measures.
Several churches that said they plan to continue holding in-person services mentioned that they have taken careful steps to try to keep from spreading COVID-19.
Pastor Chris Logan of Thrive Church on North Locust Hill Drive shared a post on Facebook Saturday saying that the church had decided to keep offering in-person church services, as well as an online option.
“We currently follow all CDC guidelines and take several precautions to help prevent the spread of COVID at Thrive Church,” he wrote. “Our entire facility is thoroughly disinfected each week. We require all attending our in-person gatherings to wear a mask. Seating has been removed to allow for proper spacing. We have placed hand sanitizer stations throughout our building. We encourage a touchless experience, no handshaking or hugging.
“Beginning this week, our entire facility will be disinfected utilizing a fogger system. This will better protect hard to reach areas and soft surfaces.”
Tates Creek Presbyterian Church said in a post on its website that church leaders had weighed the governor’s request and decided to institute stricter safety protocols rather than shutting down in-person services.
“We want to take his request seriously by doing our part to slow the spread of COVID-19. At the same time, we also recognize that there is more to consider than the virus,” they wrote. “Some in our congregation feel led by conviction to gather for worship no matter the risk. There are others who are weary, lonely, and need to gather for the sake of their souls.”
They said they hoped by that offering both online worship and a carefully-planned in-person option, they could “honor the spirit of the governor’s request while also offering an option for worship to those who need to gather.”
The new restrictions the church has placed upon itself include requiring masks throughout the service, prohibiting people from gathering in the parking lot before and after services and limiting attendance to 150 people, which is about 10 percent of total capacity, according to the online statement.
“These restrictions will be in place through the December 13 worship service, and may continue past December 13 if health experts believe it is prudent. If you are comfortable abiding by these restrictions, you are welcome to attend, but if you are not bound by personal conviction or spiritually desperate to gather, our request is that you make use of our livestream technology and worship at home,” the church said in its statement. “We understand that we are weary of this pandemic and eager for normalcy, but the physicians on our session who serve on the frontlines of this pandemic want to remind our congregation that this virus is real, dangerous, and spreading at an alarming rate within our state.”
The Catholic Diocese of Lexington is not suspending in-person services, but Bishop John Stowe also issued a statement Friday urging people to stay home and reminding those who do attend of his earlier directives for gathering during the pandemic.
“Although our parishes will continue to celebrate mass with all of the safety restrictions already established, I encourage people to seriously consider worshipping from home, participating in streamed masses and/or praying, reading scripture, sharing faith with your families,” Stowe wrote. “We do not have to worship in person and the obligation to attend mass on Sundays and holy days is still suspended. We do have the divine commandment to keep holy the Lord’s Day and can do so in our own homes safely.”
Pastor Jeff Fugate of Clays Mill Baptist Church said many people, especially the elderly, may need to stay home, but the church does not plan to halt in-person services.
“There are many of us that are able and anxious to be in church for services,” Fugate wrote on his Facebook page. “I refuse to allow Governor Beshear who promotes the liquor business, abortion business and gambling ... and keeps them open, to take away or threaten a Constitutional right of a church to assemble. If we as Patriotic Americans continue to sit back and allow this type of control to take place without resistance we are going to lose/give away our freedoms.”
Fugate said in an interview Saturday that the church had 500 to 600 people in attendance at its worship service Nov. 15. Most attendees, he said, do not wear masks. In addition, he said the church buses are running again, picking up a few hundred children for Bible classes each Sunday.
“I’m not daring it or making fun of it,” he said of the virus. He said he has had friends elsewhere who have died as a result of coronavirus.
“This virus is very real,” he said.
But he said the “inconsistency of the governor” is a concern.
“I recognize that his responsibilities as Governor are difficult. I ask the Lord to give him wisdom and to bless him and his family,” Fugate wrote in his Facebook post. “We are to pray for our elected leaders even though we may disagree with them.
“I look forward to a great crowd and a wonderful day in church tomorrow.”
Several pastors who said their churches would not stop holding in-person church services, including Fugate, also said they did not want people to feel pressured to attend.
“I want everyone to know that if you are not comfortable attending in person services that I am completely ok with that and still want you to know that we as a church are here for you,” Whitworth wrote. “Please utilize the Facebook Live option if you can.”
Other faith groups said they’d follow Beshear’s recommendation.
Southland Christian Church, one of Kentucky’s largest congregations, will honor the governor’s request that churches hold only virtual services for the next three weeks, the church said in a statement posted on its website. “We would love to have you join us for our Online Service at southland.church/online or on our Facebook Page at 10am or 11:30am or watch on TV at 10am on ABC 36.”
Rev. James Williams, lead pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church, said his congregation would hit pause on in-person worship for Nov. 22 and 29 and offer online services only.
“Bishop Leonard Fairley contacted all of the clergy of the Kentucky Annual Conference and asked us to prayerfully consider having only online worship for a few weeks as we move into the upcoming holiday week,” Williams said in a post on the church’s Facebook page. “Though this was a difficult decision for us, our team believes it will give time before and after Thanksgiving travel to hopefully assist in doing our part to see cases decrease in our county. We will continue to monitor week to week and decide about in-person worship for December later.”
Williams said in an interview Saturday that the church wants to set a good example.
“John Wesley, who’s the founder of Methodism, stated often, ‘Do no harm,’” Williams said.
LexCity Church posted an announcement on its website saying it would honor the governor’s request and offer only online services.
“We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 recommendations as we head into December,” the announcement said.
For some Central Kentucky congregations, the decision to abide by the governor’s request was already made: they have not returned to in-person services since the shutdown in the spring.
Laura Creamer, administrator at Temple Adath Israel, said the congregation has not had a Friday night service or other large gathering since March.
The same goes for Consolidated Baptist Church.
Rev. Richard Gaines said the church has been particularly cautious, knowing that people of color are disproportionately affected by the virus.
“We’ve had probably eight or 10 people in the congregation test positive,” he said.
Gaines said the church had hoped to consider a return to in-person worship in January, but rising case numbers have pushed that back even further.
“I miss people. I’m a people person,” Gaines said. “We’re choosing to take the safe route rather than put people at risk.”
But, he chuckled, there is one bright spot: attendance is up.
”It’s been better virtually than in person,” he said.
This story was originally published November 21, 2020 at 8:42 PM.
