(Tiffany Goodwein/ CHAT News Today)

By Tiffany Goodwein

Churches grapple with how to maintain services, community amid COVID-19

Mar 16, 2020 | 5:43 PM

MEDICINE HAT- St Barnabas Church was empty Sunday. Not a soul to be seen nor a hymm to heard. This as the Anglican Diocese of Calgary took the early step to cancel all church services Saturday evening.

“Here one of our main concerns is we want to protect our parishioners so the elderly and the vulnerable and there’s a large number of them that would show up Sunday Morning,” said Rev. Oz Lorentzen, who noted that about 60 per cent of members are over 65.

Over at Hillcrest Church, which serves over Sunday services resumed but with many extra precautions.

“We changed how we do offering, rather than pass a plate around we are having a drop off at the end of the service. We encourage people to give a wave rather than a handshake,” said pastor Steve Pahl.

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Hand sanitizer stations were placed at every door and every coffee station, and staff could be seen dawning gloves as they handed church goers stir sticks for their coffee.

But the ability to have Sunday services quickly changed just hours after Hillcrest’s Sunday services on March 15. The province’s chief medical officer announced that churches are now included in the ban of large gatherings of 250 people or more.

The province also recommended canceling events of more than 50 people.or if they expect to have international participants, or involves critical infrastructure staff, seniors, or other high-risk populations.

The measure, leaving churches and other religious organizations caught on how to celebrate faith together in the midst of a public pandemic.

But plans are in place, with many churches including Hillcrest turning to live streaming.

As a way to forge some kind of a connection to their faith community during a period of self distancing.