Coronavirus: Why are some churches in the United States still open this Easter?

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President Trump had said he would like to see all the churches filled on Easter Sunday. That will not happen, but not all will be empty.

What does Easter mean in the midst of a pandemic?

That is a question that the clergy of the United States are struggling with, both logistically and spiritually. And one that sparked political battles over the right to gather in places of worship at a time when the country has practically closed itself off to overcome a contagious disease.

“We did the live streaming service temporarily for the (initial) 15 days that President Trump requested,” says James Buntrock, associate pastor of Glorious Way Church in Houston, Texas, which again offers in-person services. .

“But when it became Easter, when it became Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is approaching, this is a special time of year. It has never closed, so we must do this.”

Easter is the most important event on the Christian calendar. It brings together all the main themes of religion: suffering, death, resurrection and redemption. And it draws most people to church at any time of year for joyous and often elaborate celebrations.

The vast majority of American churches have adapted to the crown crisis by experimenting with reduced live streaming or prerecorded services. Some have begun to gather in their cars in parking lots, or even in movie theaters.

But those who haven’t closed their buildings say they can protect their members by controlling temperatures, disinfecting shrines, and spacing worshipers six feet away.

• How the coronavirus is changing religious festivals

• Does the coronavirus come between people and their faith?

And in at least eight states, religious organizations have received exemptions from stay-at-home orders as essential services, some after legal and political battles. In Kansas, lawmakers reversed the governor’s order to limit religious gatherings to 10 people.

Much of the rejection comes from those who view any ban on religious services as a violation of religious freedoms guaranteed by the constitution, although there is debate about the legal basis for this claim.

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Regarding security, Pastor Buntrock says he would feel a “measure of responsibility” if someone becomes ill after attending his service if the church had not taken “adequate precautions,” but he is convinced that it does.

Many Christians, however, are not. They argue that staying out of the church is moral.

Reverend Nathan Empsall is one of them. He is the director of a grassroots Christian group called Faithful America. A petition was launched for churches to stop meeting in person.

“Suspending worship in person is not just about protecting those who go to the royal service of the church,” he says.

“It’s about protecting the lives of every grocery store worker, service station employee, and healthcare worker they know. It’s really about loving our neighbor and healing the sick, which are things that Jesus gave us. said to do. “

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His comments are part of a deeper reflection this year on what Easter is all about, sparked by the crown crisis.

Pastor Buntrock argues that corporate worship is essential to combat the virus, as it has both spiritual and physical impacts.

“When people gather in one place, worshiping together, the atmosphere, the presence of God in that room is different and more powerful than what people tend to experience online,” he says.

Defiant shepherds

• Hundreds of parishioners attend services held by Louisiana Pastor Tony Spell, who has been accused of defying the state ban. He said that his church is a place of healing.
• Florida megachurch pastor Rodney Howard-Browne has also been criticized by authorities for defying the Tampa Bay lockdown. To a crowded audience, he stated, “If you can’t be safe in church, you’re in serious trouble.”

In Brooklyn, New York, at the epicenter of the pandemic, the Rev. David Telfort has a different emphasis on the theological significance of the moment.

He wonders what it means to be “celebrating hope in a sea of ​​despair and pain.”

“This is an opportunity to hang out in the tragedy of Good Friday,” he says.

But even the resurrection account, while “incredible”, is complex. He will respond to the current climate of anxiety and uncertainty by preaching from Mark. The gospel originally ended with three of Jesus’ disciples fleeing from the open grave, bewildered because they couldn’t find it and scared by an angel.

Reverend Telfort’s parish, Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, generally celebrates Easter with a double choir and brass band. This year, the constant sound of sirens has taken over.

One of the choir directors, Janis Russell, pauses as another ambulance passes in the midst of her reflections on an Easter without traditional music.

There will be a soloist on the live streaming service and “it will be special and meaningful to everyone,” she says, grateful that church members can still be connected. “I can’t imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have the Internet, Zoom and all of these things, where we can at least see a face. We can’t touch but we can see a face.”

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He carries a tambourine to the pavement every night at seven o’clock, adding a musical note to the time of day when New Yorkers join in, yelling from the isolated pockets of their homes in support of frontline health workers .

The fact that Easter coincides with the pandemic has imbued it with a somber and emotional quality.

“We will remember how Jesus felt alone in a garden abandoned by his friends when they fell asleep, just as we feel separated from our friends now,” says the Rev. Empsall.

“And on Good Friday he died in great pain and agony on a cross. Few of his friends were with him, in the same way that people die alone in hospitals now.”

This weekend, Americans will observe an Easter unlike any other they have experienced before. And many will also hear the well-known Easter story in a new and moving way.