What is On Line by Reopening Church Buildings?

How long did Noah and his family shelter in place? Answer below. 

A church pastor told me about being encouraged/pressured/ordered to start having services in the church building again. Here is part of my response as I consider a church reopening for worship before the rest of Nevada.

Section 4 of Directive 013 is hereby amended. Effective May 1, 2020, places of worship may offer services on an in-car or drive-in basis, if these services allow occupants to remain in their vehicles, can be held in a manner consistent with social distancing guidelines, implement precautions intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and abide by other guidance promulgated pursuant to this Directive. The prohibition of ten or more persons for indoor services shall remain in effect for the duration that this Directive shall be in effect, unless specifically terminated or renewed by subsequent order. - DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY DIRECTIVE 016  April 29,2020

I don’t know if civil disobedience is something we want to do right now. If not, then with a limit of 10 in worship, I don’t know if reservations will be taken for the 8 people who can join you and the organist or it will be by first come, first served with a full sign on a locked door after #8 comes in. Or by lottery? Or taking turns each week by last name? Doesn’t seem very workable. 

What is the insurance coverage for going against government restrictions if someone gets ill, or someone dies after being with a church goer? Consultation with the insurance folks and a lawyer would be prudent before civil disobedience. If there is a fine or court costs or a suit is the church prepared to pay or it is up to individual session members and the pastor?

What is the public relations plan if and when the church becomes known as a nexus for infection of the community and beyond? Is the congregation okay with the risk of being known as irresponsible with public health?

This tragic outbreak wasn’t a Presbyterian group but it was in a Presbyterian Church and would be heartbreaking to repeat:

A choir decided to go ahead with rehearsal. Now dozens of members have COVID-19 and two are dead

By RICHARD READ SEATTLE BUREAU CHIEF 

Los Angles Times, MARCH 29, 20207:34 PM

What health benefits and protections is the session offering its employees they require to come to work? Is the session prepared to assume the liability for their illness if they go against the governmental order? It might not be covered by the church’s policy. Again, a lawyer and insurance agent would be good to consult. 

Romans 13 is usually cited when we wonder about submitting to a government.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. - Romans 13:1 NRSV

Reading on to verse 10 we see that “Love does no wrong to a neighbor;” I can’t help but believe that would cover not putting our neighbor’s health and life at risk by spreading disease, even a disease we didn’t know we had.

There is the concept that we care about the least of these, in Matthew 25:31-46 NRSV (excerpts below)

I was sick and you took care of me…” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it…that we saw you sick…?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” 

and not to become a stumbling block to the weak by exercising our freedom:

But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling-block to the weak. 1 Corinthians 8:9

If church history is of interest as well as scripture, the story of Reverend Cotton Mather and Onesimus is illuminating on the “God will protect us” or “It is God’s will who lives and dies” beliefs. Our nation went through this debate

in 1721 over smallpox treatment even before we decided to be a nation.

This was not just a health crisis; it was also a theological one. The majority of Puritan clergy regarded the epidemic as divine will…The only explanation for suffering was the wrath of God, and so the only recourse they had was to determine which set of sins had unleashed it, and to find a way to atone. Yet when the sickness hit close to home, Mather began to rethink this position. With his children suddenly showing symptoms he had seen so often when visiting the dying in “venomous, contagious, loathsome Chambers,” he began to wonder:If it was in man’s power to counteract illness through the God-­given gift of the intellect, would it not be wrong to squander grace by failing to do so? 

The Puritans Were America’s First Anti-Vaxxers
The New Republic By PETER MANSEAU

 February 6, 2015

Finally, as Noah shows us, sometimes faith is staying inside sheltered by God; quarantined from the storm outside. 

It rained for 40 days and 40 nights. Noah and his family stayed in the ark for a year until it was safe to come out.

The real question that all churches are going to face is how do we plan to reopen once the Governor says it is OK? In our cases, that will happen when he says 50 or fewer people can gather as long as social distancing is practiced. Last week I sent an email to my session asking the following questions:
1. How can we follow the social distance guidelines in our worship space?
2. Should we require everyone to wear a mask?
3. Should we limit the number of people who can be present at any given time?
4. Since singing requires us to breathe more deeply, should we limit singing in our worship?
5. Will it be safe to hold our coffee time?
6. How can we keep our space clean?
I also asked the session if we should forward these questions to the entire congregation.
So far I have had various responses from “none of these options sound good” to “ Until we are all immunized/vaccinated from COVID-19…I do not see any way to social distance in our current sanctuary space”. I concluded my email by saying, “In all of this, we need to seek God’s will for our church family. Please pray for discernment as we consider how to move forward.”

May 4, 2020 | Pastor Carl

Ryan Landino

Pastor-preacher-priestperson of PCUSA church in northwest IL.
Happy husband, loyal dog lover, aspiring anti-racist, Philly sports phan

Comments

[Pastor Carl]

The real question that all churches are going to face is how do we plan to reopen once the Governor says it is OK? In our cases, that will happen when he says 50 or fewer people can gather as long as social distancing is practiced. Last week I sent an email to my session asking the following questions:
1. How can we follow the social distance guidelines in our worship space?
2. Should we require everyone to wear a mask?
3. Should we limit the number of people who can be present at any given time?
4. Since singing requires us to breathe more deeply, should we limit singing in our worship?
5. Will it be safe to hold our coffee time?
6. How can we keep our space clean?
I also asked the session if we should forward these questions to the entire congregation.
So far I have had various responses from “none of these options sound good” to “ Until we are all immunized/vaccinated from COVID-19…I do not see any way to social distance in our current sanctuary space”. I concluded my email by saying, “In all of this, we need to seek God’s will for our church family. Please pray for discernment as we consider how to move forward.”