Pastors across the United States delivered sermons to empty pews Sunday as houses of worship adjusted to the reality of the coronavirus pandemic, with the Vatican indicating that the holiest week on its calendar will look vastly different next month.
While many religious institutions around the country took to the internet to stream their services this week – including one megachurch that President Donald Trump tweeted he was tuning in to – some tried to take extra precautions while maintaining a semblance of their Sunday routine amid mounting public anxiety over the outbreak.
Trump, who had declared Sunday a special national day of prayer, said he would watch a livestreamed service by Jentezen Franklin, a Georgia-based pastor and long-standing evangelical ally of the president. The annual National Day of Prayer is May 7.
During his sermon, Franklin urged prayers for China and Iran, areas hit particularly hard by the virus. Franklin also sought to acknowledge the fatal toll that coronavirus is already exacting worldwide while encouraging worshippers not to “let the fear flu get you” by falling prey to panic.
More than 5,800 people worldwide have died in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with U.S. deaths topping 60. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
Franklin held his Sunday services exclusively online, as public health experts urge the cancellation of big gatherings of all kinds to curtail the spread of coronavirus, but others did not.
A hardy few came to mostly empty churches as pastors faced hard decisions about continuing to hold services, and how to maintain the bonds of a congregation when large gatherings could transmit the coronavirus.
At St. Philip African Methodist Episcopal Church in Atlanta, about 100 people dotted a sanctuary built for thousands. The Rev. William Watley told members that he would follow official directives on whether to have church after Sunday. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp asked faith groups to consider calling off in-person services last week, a concern underlined by the fact that some of Georgia’s 99 confirmed cases were spread at a church in Cartersville, northwest of Atlanta, where dozens of people were exposed.
Watley told people attending the 11 a.m. service that more than 500 people had viewed an earlier one online, even pointing out how people could submit their offering online.
“Our goal is not to frighten anyone, but reduce public gatherings where there is an increased risk of exposure,” Watley told congregants.
Archie James, a member of the church board at St. Philip, said more people were at church Sunday than he had expected.
“We want to squash this thing and get it over with,” said James, a Conyers resident.
Vanessa Parson, another St. Philip member, said the church can help ease fears: “Just keep people believing in the Lord, believing they’re going to be safe, that they don’t have to be afraid.”
At St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Glen Allen, Va., just outside Richmond, about 150 parishioners attended the 9:15 a.m. Mass, a service that usually draws 600 to 700 people.
Deacon Andrew Ferguson urged parishioners to “honor that distance,” the recommendation to stay at least 6 feet away from each other.
Brook Schurman, a private school teacher, said he wasn’t disappointed by the Mass, but noticed how different it felt with the smaller crowd.
“It is a little sad that people – not just here, but throughout the county and state – are pulling back, isolating more,” he said. “It’s what’s recommended, but the fear behind it is sad.”
Across the United States, religious leaders have taken unprecedented steps to shield their congregations from the coronavirus. Measures have included canceling services and banning large funerals and weddings. A number of Roman Catholic bishops canceled all public worship services for at least two weeks. Other steps, including sharing of the sign of peace with gestures rather than physical contact, have been in place several weeks.
Comparably strong measures are being taken by leaders of their faiths, ranging from rabbis in New Jersey to Episcopal and Methodist bishops in North Carolina. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints halted all worship services and church activities for its 16 million members worldwide. Episcopal churches in the Washington, D.C., area, including the Washington National Cathedral, suspended services.