A Pastor’s Thoughts About Reopening for Worship after Covid

It was good news to hear our governor announce this week that the number of new COVID cases in Georgia are beginning to decline. We have been praying for this and pray that it continues. It was also good to hear that plans are beginning for the gradual reopening of our communities. This will be a long process and I suspect when we get back to “normal” it will remain a very different normal than what we knew before for quite some while.

Of particular interest to us was the Governor lifting the ban against gatherings of more than 10 people for churches. Churches are among the businesses included in the Phase One reopening plan, though I am not sure how I feel being included with gyms, private clubs, bowling alley’s and tattoo parlors. Never the less it does open the possibility of First Baptist beginning to implement our reopening plans.

The state’s Phase One reopening comes with a lot of regulations including temperature checks, gloves, face shields, masks, 6 foot distancing, and several others. While most of these apply specifically to employees, church attenders will be expected to wear masks and maintain 6 foot distancing from anyone else. There are also requirements for heavy disinfecting routines of all touched surfaces that in a church would include every pew and hymnal along with all doors and restrooms.

There are some other things to keep in mind, as we make our plans. The governor also encouraged all vulnerable populations, which includes all of us over 65, to remain under stay-in-place restriction until at least May 15 even after it expires for the general population at the end of April. He also stressed the need for widespread testing and rapid quarantining to prevent a resurgence of COVID cases. Wide testing, while many are working heroically to make it available, is not yet available at the volume needed to assure protection of the population.

The governor in his deliberation is having to take in a huge range of considerations. He must listen to medical experts and economic advisors. He has to balance pressure from doctors, constituents, businesses, and politicians. It is not a job any of us would want and we need to be praying for our governor constantly.

As your pastor I have to balance a lot of considerations as well, when it comes to church reopening plans. I ache to see the members of First Baptist Church. I so much want to be together with them as we worship, fellowship, and study. But I also cannot tolerate the though that First Baptist Church could be the place where any person contracts a potentially deadly disease. I take very seriously, as well, that most of us as senior adults are not only being asked to continue staying at home, we really should continue doing so at least through May 15. I cannot fathom having a worship service and telling many of you that you should not come.

In light of all this I am putting my hopes in May 17 as the earliest possible day for gathered worship resuming. By waiting until then our government will have time to decide whether it is safe for our seniors to resume public activity and under what regulations. We will have a chance to see if the decline in new cases continues even with the easing of closuer rules. Between now and May 17 we will be able to figure out what restrictions we are going to need to require that worshippers follow when coming to church and clearly communicate them.

Pray with me that this best case scenario becomes a reality and that on May 17 we can celebrate the blessings of worshipping together not only As First Baptist Church, but At First Baptist Church.